GLOSSARY · EXIT RELAY
Exit node
An exit node is the last relay in a chain such as Tor, or the server where a proxy network or VPN sends your traffic out onto the open internet. The destination website sees the exit node's IP address as the source of your request.
Why it matters
The exit is where your traffic stops being protected by the tunnel, so whoever operates it can see unencrypted traffic that passes through, which is why HTTPS matters. Its address also determines how websites treat you: its country decides your apparent location, and its network owner decides whether you look like a home user, a server or a Tor user.
In practice
To see your current exit, load an IP tool while connected and check the address, country and network owner. Exit addresses of Tor are published, and many VPN and datacenter ranges are well known, so sites can recognise them. If you need a different location, change the exit server or country in your VPN or proxy settings and check again.
Related terms
- Tor: Tor is a free network, run by volunteers, that routes your traffic through three relays in sequence, with a layer of encryption for each, so that no single relay knows both who you are and where you are going.
- VPN: A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between your device and a server operated by the VPN service.
- Proxy: A proxy server is an intermediary that makes requests on your behalf.
- ASN: An ASN is a unique number assigned to a network that manages its own routing on the internet, such as an internet provider, a cloud company, a university or a large business.