🔷 Qubes OS Guide

Download Qubes OS from the official website (qubes-os.org) and verify the ISO signature using GPG. Qubes requires hardware with VT-x/VT-d virtualization support, at least 16GB RAM, and a fast SSD. Create a bootable USB using Rufus (Windows) or dd (Linux). Boot from the USB and follow the installation wizard. Qubes uses the Xen hypervisor to create isolated virtual machines (qubes) — this provides security-by-isolation at the hardware level, far stronger than application-level sandboxing.

Qubes OS organizes your work into security domains (qubes) with different trust levels. The default setup includes: dom0 (administrative domain, never connected to network), sys-net (network controller), sys-firewall (firewall qube), sys-whonix (Tor gateway), and multiple AppVMs for different activities. Create a dedicated qube for darknet activities connected through sys-whonix. Each qube is color-coded — use distinct colors for different security levels so you never accidentally mix sensitive and personal activities.

Qubes provides built-in Whonix integration through the sys-whonix gateway qube. Any AppVM connected to sys-whonix has all its traffic transparently routed through Tor — no configuration required within the AppVM itself. Create a dedicated AppVM (e.g., "anon-market") based on the whonix-ws template and connect it to sys-whonix. This qube can only communicate through Tor, making IP leaks physically impossible regardless of application behavior inside the VM.