for FREE

Note: The Vidalia Tor client and relay bundles are no longer supported. The client bundles have been replaced with the Tor Browser Bundle.

Internet privacy has always been a concern with all hidden eyes watching every website you access. Now replaced with Tor Browser Bundle, Vidalia Bundle was used as a controller for the Tor application, which is a popular privacy defender that prevents prying eyes from spying on your browsing habits.

Tor, short for "The Onion Router", stands out as a cross-platform solution that enables online anonymity. The project, as a whole, is a daring initiative that relies on a distributed network of servers maintained by anonymous users all around the world with the purpose of protecting privacy.

Although Tor is the main core, the command-line approach it uses is slightly difficult to be digested by casual users. As a consequence, the developers rolled out two additional software applications, namely the Vidalia Bundle (a GUI controller for Tor) and the Tor Browser Bundle.

In other words, Vidalia Bundle was a client for Tor, providing users with a rich set of controls for better management of their anonymous connections. It relied on a user-friendly control panel that allowed users to view the connection status, start or stop Tor, as well as monitor bandwidth usage.

The Vidalia bundle used to be available in three different editions, depending on the role you wished to play in the Tor network. The Bridge bundle set up Tor to act as a bridge, helping other users to reach the network, while in the Relay edition you acted as a middle node or  guard (this contributed to the growth of the Tor network).

Last but not least, the Exit version released Tor traffic out in the open, to the plain Internet. Please note that this behavior is frowned upon and anyone using this edition takes the risk of having their computer equipment seized by authorized institutions (an alternative solution would be to inform your ISP about your clean intentions).

To sum it all up, Vidalia Bundle has a user-friendly approach for the Tor project. It integrated controls that allowed you to manage anonymous connections easier and more comfortable. Each of the three available editions played an important role, with its ups and downs. Although discontinued, you can check out Tor Browser Bundle, which has similar functionality.