How to Check if a Proxy is a Tor Exit Node: 5 Reliable Methods

Many platforms — Facebook Ads, Instagram, TikTok, marketplaces Wildberries and Ozon — automatically block traffic from Tor exit nodes. If you accidentally use such an IP for working with advertising accounts or multi-accounting, the risk of a ban increases significantly. In this article, we will explore how to quickly check a proxy for Tor network affiliation and protect your accounts from bans.

Why it is important to check proxies for Tor before use

Tor exit nodes are the last servers in the anonymization chain through which your traffic exits to the internet. All major platforms maintain up-to-date databases of such IP addresses and automatically block them for several reasons:

• High level of fraud: Spam bots, scam schemes, and fraud traffic often pass through Tor, so platforms preemptively block such IPs.
• Violation of platform rules: Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and TikTok Ads explicitly prohibit the use of Tor in their terms of service.
• Inability to identify: Platforms cannot track the real user behind Tor, which violates their security policy.
• Mass bans: If one user of a Tor exit node violates the rules, the entire IP address may be banned.

For arbitrage specialists, SMM professionals, and online store owners, using a Tor exit node as a proxy can lead to an immediate ban of all accounts. This is especially critical when working with anti-detect browsers (Dolphin Anty, AdsPower, Multilogin) — if you accidentally add a Tor IP to the browser profile, the platform will ban the account at the first login.

Online services for checking Tor exit nodes

The fastest way to check an IP address is to use specialized online services. They compare your IP with the current Tor Project database, which is updated every 30 minutes.

1. TorProject Check (official service)

The official service from the Tor developers is the most reliable source of information. The check takes 2-3 seconds:

1. Connect to the proxy you want to check in your browser or anti-detect browser.
2. Open the page: https://check.torproject.org/
3. If you see a green message "Congratulations. This browser is configured to use Tor" — the IP is a Tor exit node.
4. If you see a red message "Sorry. You are not using Tor" — the proxy is safe to use.

Advantages: official source, 100% accuracy, no registration required. Disadvantages: you need to manually connect to each proxy through the browser, inconvenient for bulk checking.

2. IPQualityScore Tor Checker

The IPQualityScore service provides free IP checking without connecting to a proxy — just enter the address in the form:

1. Open https://www.ipqualityscore.com/free-ip-lookup-proxy-vpn-test
2. Enter the proxy IP address in the check field.
3. Click "Check IP Address".
4. In the results, look for the line "Tor" — if it says "True", the proxy is an exit node.

Additionally, the service shows other useful information: proxy type (datacenter/residential), fraud risk, abuse history. This helps to assess the quality of the proxy comprehensively before using it in Facebook Ads or Instagram.

3. IPHub Tor Detection

IPHub specializes in detecting proxies and VPNs, and has a separate database of Tor exit nodes. The free plan allows checking up to 1000 IPs per day:

• Register at https://iphub.info/ and get an API key.
• Use the web interface for one-time checks or the API for automation.
• The "block" parameter in the response: 2 = Tor exit node, 1 = regular proxy/VPN, 0 = clean IP.

Convenient for SMM agencies that check dozens of proxies before distributing them across client accounts in Dolphin Anty or AdsPower.

Checking via API and the official Tor Project list

For regular checks of large volumes of proxies, it is more convenient to use direct access to the Tor Project database or specialized APIs. The Tor Project publishes a complete list of all active exit nodes publicly.

Downloading the official list of Tor exit nodes

The Tor Project updates the list every 30 minutes and publishes it at:

https://check.torproject.org/torbulkexitlist

This file contains a line-by-line list of all exit node IP addresses. You can download it and automatically check your proxies before use:

# Example in Python for automatic checking
import requests

def is_tor_exit_node(ip_address):
    # Download the current list of Tor exit nodes
    response = requests.get('https://check.torproject.org/torbulkexitlist')
    tor_exit_nodes = response.text.split('\n')
    
    # Check if the IP is in the list
    return ip_address in tor_exit_nodes

# Check the proxy before use
proxy_ip = "185.220.101.1"
if is_tor_exit_node(proxy_ip):
    print(f"⚠️ WARNING: {proxy_ip} is a Tor exit node!")
    print("Do not use this proxy for Facebook Ads, Instagram, or TikTok.")
else:
    print(f"✅ {proxy_ip} is safe to use.")

This script can be integrated into your proxy checking process before adding it to the anti-detect browser. Update the list every hour for data relevance.

Using TorDNSEL for checking

The Tor Project provides a DNS service for checking IP addresses. This is faster than downloading the full list:

# Checking via DNS (example in Python)
import socket

def check_tor_via_dns(ip_address, target_ip="8.8.8.8", target_port=80):
    # Form the DNS query according to the Tor Project format
    octets = ip_address.split('.')
    reversed_ip = '.'.join(reversed(octets))
    
    target_octets = target_ip.split('.')
    reversed_target = '.'.join(reversed(target_octets))
    
    query = f"{reversed_ip}.{target_port}.{reversed_target}.ip-port.exitlist.torproject.org"
    
    try:
        result = socket.gethostbyname(query)
        # If the response is 127.0.0.2 — this is a Tor exit node
        return result == "127.0.0.2"
    except socket.gaierror:
        # IP not found in the Tor list
        return False

# Check
proxy = "185.220.101.1"
if check_tor_via_dns(proxy):
    print(f"❌ {proxy} — Tor exit node, do not use!")
else:
    print(f"✅ {proxy} — safe.")

This method works faster than bulk downloading the list and is suitable for checking individual IPs in real time.

Checking via command line and utilities

For quick checks of a single IP without writing scripts, you can use standard command line utilities.

Checking via curl (Linux/Mac)

# Download the list of Tor exit nodes
curl -s https://check.torproject.org/torbulkexitlist > tor_exits.txt

# Check a specific IP
grep "185.220.101.1" tor_exits.txt

# If the command returns a result — this is a Tor exit node
# If empty — the proxy is safe.

Checking via PowerShell (Windows)

# Download the list
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://check.torproject.org/torbulkexitlist" -OutFile "tor_exits.txt"

# Check the IP
Select-String -Path "tor_exits.txt" -Pattern "185.220.101.1"

# If a match is found — Tor exit node.

These commands are convenient to use before bulk importing proxies into Dolphin Anty or AdsPower — first check the entire list, then remove dangerous IPs.

Automating proxy checks before use

For arbitrage specialists and SMM agencies working with dozens of proxies, automating checks is critically important. Here is a ready-made solution for bulk checking a list of proxies:

# Script for bulk checking proxies (Python)
import requests
import time

def download_tor_list():
    """Download the current list of Tor exit nodes"""
    response = requests.get('https://check.torproject.org/torbulkexitlist')
    return set(response.text.strip().split('\n'))

def check_proxy_list(proxy_file, output_safe, output_dangerous):
    """Check the list of proxies and separate them into safe and dangerous"""
    tor_nodes = download_tor_list()
    
    safe_proxies = []
    dangerous_proxies = []
    
    with open(proxy_file, 'r') as f:
        proxies = f.readlines()
    
    for proxy in proxies:
        # Extract IP from the format ip:port:user:pass
        ip = proxy.strip().split(':')[0]
        
        if ip in tor_nodes:
            dangerous_proxies.append(proxy.strip())
            print(f"❌ {ip} — Tor exit node!")
        else:
            safe_proxies.append(proxy.strip())
            print(f"✅ {ip} — safe.")
    
    # Save results
    with open(output_safe, 'w') as f:
        f.write('\n'.join(safe_proxies))
    
    with open(output_dangerous, 'w') as f:
        f.write('\n'.join(dangerous_proxies))
    
    print(f"\n📊 Check results:")
    print(f"Safe proxies: {len(safe_proxies)}")
    print(f"Tor exit nodes: {len(dangerous_proxies)}")
    print(f"\nSafe proxies saved to: {output_safe}")
    print(f"Dangerous proxies saved to: {output_dangerous}")

# Usage
check_proxy_list(
    proxy_file='my_proxies.txt',
    output_safe='safe_proxies.txt',
    output_dangerous='tor_nodes.txt'
)

This script processes a list of proxies from a file and automatically separates them into safe and dangerous. Safe ones can be immediately imported into the anti-detect browser, while dangerous ones can be returned to the provider or not used.

What proxies to use instead of Tor for safe work

After ensuring that the proxy is not a Tor exit node, it is important to choose the right type of proxy for your tasks. Here is a comparison of proxy types for different usage scenarios:

Recommendations for choosing proxies for different tasks

For traffic arbitrage (Facebook Ads, TikTok Ads, Google Ads): Use only residential proxies with a clean reputation. Platforms check not only the IP itself but also its usage history. One proxy = one advertising account, do not mix.

For multi-accounting on social networks (Instagram, TikTok): The optimal choice is mobile proxies. They mimic real users of mobile operators, which reduces the risk of bans when working with multiple accounts in Dolphin Anty or AdsPower.

For scraping marketplaces (Wildberries, Ozon, Avito): Datacenter proxies with IP rotation are suitable. They are cheaper than residential ones and provide high data collection speed. The main thing is to ensure that the IP is not on the Tor blacklists.

For SMM agencies with client accounts: Only residential proxies with long-term rental of one IP per account. Frequent IP changes raise suspicions among platforms and may lead to verification requests.

Setting up checks in anti-detect browsers

Most anti-detect browsers do not have built-in checks for Tor exit nodes, so it is important to check proxies before adding them to browser profiles.

Proxy checking process before adding to Dolphin Anty

1. Obtain a list of proxies from the provider (usually in the format ip:port:user:pass).
2. Run an automatic check using the script above or an online service.
3. Remove from the list all IPs that turned out to be Tor exit nodes.
4. Check the remaining proxies for functionality using the built-in tester in Dolphin Anty.
5. Only after that add the proxies to the browser profiles.

Checking in AdsPower and Multilogin

The process is similar for all anti-detect browsers. In AdsPower, there is a "Check Proxy" function — it checks availability and speed, but does NOT check for Tor affiliation. Therefore, external checking is mandatory.

In Multilogin, you can set up automatic checks via API: integrate the Tor checking script into your proxy import process so that the browser automatically rejects dangerous IPs.

Conclusion

Checking proxies for Tor exit node affiliation is a mandatory procedure before using any IP for working with advertising platforms, social networks, or multi-accounting. Use a combination of methods: online services for quick one-time checks, the official Tor Project list for bulk checks, and automated scripts for regular monitoring.

Remember that even if a proxy passes the Tor check, it does not guarantee its safety for your tasks. Also check the IP's reputation through services like IPQualityScore, the history of bans on target platforms, and always test new proxies on test accounts before using them on main accounts.

If you need reliable proxies for arbitrage, SMM, or e-commerce with a guarantee of no Tor exit nodes, we recommend using residential proxies from trusted providers. They provide a high level of trust from platforms and minimal risk of bans when the anti-detect browser is properly configured.