DNS Tunnels and Shell Hops?
✨ Two New Ways to Reach TransIRC --- No Matter Where You Are
At TransIRC, we know how important reliable, censorship-resistant access is --- especially for our users navigating firewalls, hostile networks, or unreliable infrastructure. That's why we're excited to introduce two major upgrades to our connectivity stack: ShellHop, our new community relay network, and Tapeworm, a DNS-tunneled SSH client designed to punch through even the most locked-down environments.
Whether you're on a throttled connection, at a campus with blocked ports, or just want more privacy and resilience, these tools have your back.
🐚 ShellHop: Relay-Powered Access to TransIRC
ShellHop is our answer to censorship, firewall restrictions, and the general flakiness of the internet in some parts of the world. It's a lightweight, privacy-focused community relay network that forwards your encrypted connection to TransIRC --- without ever exposing our core infrastructure.
Here's how it works:
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🗺️ Peer Map Auto-Discovery: ShellHop clients automatically receive an up-to-date list of public relays (securely obfuscated and randomized for privacy).
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🔐 Trusted Relays Only: Each relay uses HMAC authentication with our gateway, so only verified nodes can forward your traffic.
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🔄 PROXY Protocol Support: Relays preserve your real IP address, ensuring your NickServ identity and access controls stay intact.
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🔧 Simple Client Experience: You connect via a standard SSH client, but behind the scenes your traffic is securely routed through the relay and into our system.
Once you're in, you're placed into our secure, terminal-based environment --- complete with IRC, wiki access, news, tools, and issue reporting.
💡 Want to help? You can host a ShellHop relay if you've got a Linux or Windows box and a reachable port. Your relay is tied to your IRC identity and can be built straight from your browser.
🪱 Tapeworm: DNS-Tunneled SSH for the Truly Locked Down
Sometimes even SSH on port 443 isn't enough. That's where Tapeworm comes in --- our cross-platform DNS tunnel client that wraps SSH traffic in DNS packets and tunnels it over udp/53. It's designed for users stuck behind ultra-restrictive firewalls, captive portals, or networks with paranoid filtering.
Why Tapeworm rocks:
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🔄 Works Where SSH Doesn't: Tunnels through DNS to our backend even if all standard ports are blocked.
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🧠 Zero Config: Just run the binary. It autodials the DNS gateway and logs you in.
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🛡️ Same Identity Controls: You still authenticate via NickServ. Your real IP is passed through for proper access and bans.
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🌍 Cross-Platform: Works on Windows and Linux out of the box.
Once authenticated, Tapeworm lands you in the same tmux-powered environment as ShellHop, with all the same tools and community access.
🎯 Need to get in? Download Tapeworm and join us --- no port forwarding, VPNs, or terminal wizardry required.
🌐 Why This Matters
TransIRC is more than a network --- it's a lifeline for people across the globe. These two additions make sure anyone can reach our services, no matter where they are or what network conditions they're facing.
Whether you're dodging censorship, hosting a relay to support others, or just want an extra layer of indirection and privacy --- ShellHop and Tapeworm have you covered.
Come try them out. Help others get connected. And as always, welcome to TransIRC.