What is --anonymous-inbound in monerod?

--anonymous-inbound tells monerod, the Monero node software, how to accept connections from other nodes through a Tor onion service or an I2P destination. It does not create that anonymous service for you, and it does not automatically send all your node’s traffic through Tor or I2P.

What the setting actually does

A Monero node talks to other nodes using peer-to-peer connections, meaning direct connections between computers running the network software. --anonymous-inbound configures an incoming connection point for peers using an anonymity network.

The setting gives monerod two important pieces of information:

• Your anonymous address, which other peers can use to reach your node.
• Your local listening address and port, where Tor or I2P delivers those incoming connections.

A port is a numbered connection point on your computer. Your anonymous service forwards connections from its public-facing anonymous address to that local port.

The option also lets your node advertise its anonymous address to suitable peers. It is not simply a switch that means “make this node anonymous.”

What a Tor example looks like

The option uses this general format:

--anonymous-inbound <anonymous-address>,<[bind-ip:]port>[,max_connections]

For example, after setting up a Tor onion service, your monerod command could include:

--anonymous-inbound YOUR_ONION_ADDRESS.onion:18083,127.0.0.1:18083

Replace YOUR_ONION_ADDRESS.onion with the real address generated by Tor.

Here is what those parts mean:

• YOUR_ONION_ADDRESS.onion:18083 is the address and port other Tor peers use.
• 127.0.0.1:18083 is the local listening point. 127.0.0.1 means your own computer only.
• The optional final value limits incoming connections for this anonymous network.

Your Tor configuration must forward the onion service’s port to that same local listening point. Tor must also be running and reachable. Adding the monerod option alone will not make an onion address work.

Using a local-only listening address is usually appropriate when Tor and monerod run on the same machine. Containers or separate machines may need a different arrangement.

What it does not protect or replace

This option handles incoming anonymous peer connections. It does not, by itself, route ordinary outgoing peer connections through an anonymity network or hide your IP address from every node you contact.

Monero has a separate --tx-proxy option for sending transactions through Tor or I2P. That serves a different purpose, and even that option is not a blanket “all traffic is anonymous” setting.

--anonymous-inbound also does not configure RPC, the interface that wallets, mining software, and other tools use to request information or actions from your node. Your RPC access controls still need separate attention.

Do you need it for solo mining or P2Pool?

No. Neither solo mining nor P2Pool requires --anonymous-inbound. It does not improve your mining speed, increase rewards, or change how blocks are validated.

You would use it if you want your Monero node to accept anonymous-network peers. P2Pool’s own peer connections and its connection to monerod are separate; this flag does not make those anonymous.

The bottom line

Use --anonymous-inbound to connect an already configured Tor or I2P service to your node’s incoming peer listener. Treat it as one specific networking setting—not a mining requirement or a complete privacy solution.