Status: Online • Updated: Jan 2026

Nexus Technical Wiki

A living documentation of the Nexus darknet market infrastructure — covering network design, cryptography, and anonymous operations across the Tor ecosystem.

Architecture PGP & Encryption
Infrastructure

System Architecture

Tor Layered Routing

Nexus operates fully within the Tor hidden‑service ecosystem, separating frontend, backend, and API layers to ensure that no node alone holds deanonymizing information.

  • Frontend nodes — serve main UI
  • Backend endpoints — handle encrypted orders
  • Independent exitless structure

Load & Resilience

To mitigate denial‑of‑service attempts, Nexus employs rotating onion services with persistent authentication keys.

  • Ephemeral hidden service IDs
  • Mirror health monitoring
  • Distributed message queues
Encryption

PGP & Message Security

Message Signing

Every official communication from Nexus administrators is signed with the verified PGP key.

  • Fingerprint: A4C7 56D1 7F32 F1E8 9A58 AAA9 6F14 FDEE 9C4E 882C
  • Use GPG or Kleopatra to verify
  • Reject unsigned announcements

User Key Management

Vendors and buyers maintain unique PGP keys for authentication, ensuring non‑repudiation of signed orders and messages.

  • Store private keys offline
  • Use key‑expiration policies
  • Rotate compromised keys fast
Payments

Monero (XMR) Integration

Nexus integrates Monero as the exclusive payment method to guarantee unlinkable, untraceable transactions. Wallets are never hosted on‑site; all transfers occur through client‑side wallets over Tor.

Ring Signatures

Each transaction mixes with others, obfuscating sender and receiver while keeping blockchain verification intact.

  • Hidden transaction origins
  • Dynamic ring size
  • Zero linkability

Wallet Security

Users are advised to operate Monero CLI wallets through Tor or Tails OS without RPC logs.

  • Offline seed backups only
  • PGP‑signed receiving addresses
  • Multiple sub‑addresses per session
Development

Vendor API Overview

Nexus provides a JSON‑based API between vendors and market service endpoints. All endpoints require authentication via PGP token and session certificates.

REST Interface

  • POST / auth — PGP token exchange
  • GET / orders — Encrypted listings
  • POST / confirm — Escrow release

Rate‑Limit & Audit

  • Session‑based rate controls
  • Automatic PGP log rotation
  • Timestamped transaction hashes
Mirrors

Mirror Network Mechanism

The Nexus market uses a multi‑node mirror architecture to maintain availability under network stress. Each mirror is validated via the official PGP key and communicates through onion certificates generated hourly.

  • Automated uptime testing
  • Protocol v3 onion addresses only
  • Decentralized fallback relay system
Glossary

Core Terminology

PGP

Cryptographic standard used to verify authenticity of Nexus messages and files.

Tor

An anonymous overlay network routing traffic through volunteer relays to conceal user identity.

Mirror

Backup onion address replicating Nexus market to prevent downtime.

OpSec

Operational Security — strategies that separate real‑world and darknet identities.

XMR

Monero cryptocurrency used by Nexus for private transactions.

Escrow

Smart holding system where funds release only after both parties confirm delivery.