https://annas-archive.gl/blog/how-to-run-a-shadow-library.html

Edit: also on winipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna%27s_Archive

Nice try, FBI.

Tldr all the site data has an offline copy that can be restored from scratch on endless numbers of types of servers.

They don't really hide most of the servers. They simply put them in places where enforcement is slow. Then when the server goes down it doesn't point at anyone because it's simply hired anonymously. And then they hire another server and put the data back up.

they don't. they rely on having a profound amount of mirrors, both servers and domains. every time they take down one, two more spring up in their place.

They talk a bit about their hosting infra here: https://web.archive.org/web/20240105093951/https://annas-blog.org/how-to-run-a-shadow-library.html

Interesting read.

A lot of the actual content is hosted and backed up by volunteers via torrent. You can grab chunks of any size you want from the site and seed them. I'm doing my part!

Edit: took a look at the site and i guess that's just the backup. Still neat.

Nord VPN

Leaving this comment to come read what people have written, later.

Old Oil mining rigs are known to be used for that. Other than that, as long your IP is sufficiently masked it doesnt matter if your servers are prominent or hidden in a bunker. Noone knows whats inside besides operators.

However, i think they broke TOR's vpn ip masking by analysing traffic patterns on network nodes. So if they really wanna catch you, you are better somewhere they have no way of coming close. Think russia or other countries not too friendly with usa and not giving a flying fuck about copyright. The physical location of servers that is. The admin could sit comfy in the usa.

Also you could have the data encrypted on an AWS bucket but the server decrypting that should be more secure. Not sure how much traffic those sites have but that could ease the strain of on premise infrastructure you have to maintain.

Same way your mom does.