What Changed This Week

The three new mirrors added to the directory are:

• n[mirror-pending] — Fastest response time in the last 72 hours, but only supports HTTP/2. If your Tor client is older than 0.4.7, you might see timeouts.
• nexus2f7g8h9j0k1l.onion — The only mirror that still serves the legacy CAPTCHA system. If you’re using a screen reader or have trouble with image-based puzzles, this is your leading-by-uptime bet.
• nexus5m6n7o8p9q0r.onion — Newest mirror, added after the previous primary started throttling connections from non-Tails OS users. No known compatibility issues.

The two mirrors that went offline without warning were nexus3c4d5e6f7g.onion and nexus8h9i0j1k2l.onion. Both had been stable for months, so their sudden disappearance is a good reminder: don’t bookmark mirrors. Bookmark this directory instead.

The third mirror, nexus1a2b3c4d5e.onion, is still technically online but now requires a CAPTCHA that only loads if JavaScript is enabled. That’s a red flag—Nexus Market has never required JS for basic access, and enabling it on a darknet site is a great way to leak your real IP. We’ve removed it from the verified list until the market confirms whether this is intentional or a compromise.

If you’ve used Nexus Market for more than a few months, you’ve seen this pattern: a mirror works perfectly for weeks, then one day it’s either slow, offline, or worse—redirecting to a phishing page. There are a few reasons this happens, and none of them are unique to Nexus Market.

First, darknet markets are under constant DDoS pressure. Even if the market itself is well-defended, individual mirrors often run on cheaper infrastructure. When an attacker targets a mirror, the market’s only real option is to take it offline and spin up a new one. This is why you’ll sometimes see a mirror go dark for a few hours, then reappear under a different .onion address.

Second, mirrors get compromised. Not always in a dramatic "hacked by the FBI" way—sometimes it’s just a misconfigured server that starts logging IPs, or a rogue admin selling access to the mirror’s backend. When that happens, the market has to kill the mirror and replace it. This is why PGP verification isn’t optional. If you’re logging into a mirror that hasn’t been signed by Nexus Market’s documented key, you’re playing Russian roulette with your account.

Third, some mirrors are just experiments. Nexus Market occasionally tests new load-balancing setups or Tor protocol versions on secondary mirrors before rolling them out to the primary. If a mirror suddenly starts behaving differently—like requiring a CAPTCHA or blocking certain Tor versions—it might just be a test. But until the market confirms it, assume it’s unsafe.

Finally, there’s the human factor. Running a darknet market is stressful, and sometimes mirrors go offline because someone forgot to renew a server or misconfigured a firewall. This is why uptime isn’t the only thing we track—we also watch for sudden changes in behavior, like redirects, unexpected JavaScript, or missing PGP signatures.

Here’s the step-by-step process we use to verify every mirror in the directory. You should do the same.

1. Check the PGP signature.

   Every legitimate Nexus Market mirror posts a signed message on the homepage. The signature should match the market’s documented PGP key, which you can find on our signed releases page. If the signature is missing or doesn’t match, the mirror is either fake or compromised.

2. Compare the .onion address to the directory.

   Don’t trust mirrors you find on Reddit, Dread, or Telegram. Those are the most common sources of phishing links. Instead, always start from our verified URLs page and click through from there. If the mirror isn’t listed here, assume it’s unsafe.

3. Test the mirror with a throwaway account.

   If you’re unsure about a mirror, create a new account with a unique password and no funds. Log in, browse a few listings, and check for anything unusual—like missing vendor ratings, altered prices, or unexpected redirects. If everything looks normal, it’s probably safe. If not, report it to us and move on.

4. Disable JavaScript before logging in.

   Nexus Market doesn’t require JavaScript for basic access. If a mirror won’t let you log in without it, that’s a red flag. Use NoScript or Tor Browser’s security slider to block JS by default, and only enable it if you’re sure the mirror is legitimate.

5. Check the mirror’s behavior with Tor’s circuit display.

   In Tor Browser, click the onion icon in the address bar to see the circuit your connection is using. If the exit node is in a country you don’t expect (like the US or UK), or if the circuit changes unexpectedly, the mirror might be compromised. This isn’t foolproof, but it’s a good sanity check.

If you follow these steps, you’ll avoid 99% of the phishing attempts and fake mirrors out there. The remaining 1%? That’s why you should never store large amounts of cryptocurrency in your Nexus Market wallet.

If you’re a vendor on Nexus Market, mirror rotations can be a headache. Every time a mirror goes down, you lose potential sales until users find a new one. Here’s how to minimize the impact:

• Don’t rely on a single mirror.

  Bookmark the verified URLs page and check it whenever a mirror stops working. The directory is updated in real time, so you’ll always know which mirrors are active.

• Use the market’s documented API for entry notifications.

  Nexus Market’s API sends entry notifications to your PGP-encrypted inbox, so you don’t have to log in to check for new sales. This is especially useful when mirrors are rotating, because you won’t miss entries while you’re troubleshooting a dead link.

• Keep your PGP key up to date.

  If your PGP key expires or gets compromised, you won’t be able to log in to any mirror—not even the primary. Make sure your key is current and stored securely.

• Communicate with your customers.

  If you know a mirror is down, post an update on your vendor page or send a PGP-encrypted message to your regular customers. Most users will appreciate the heads-up, and it’ll save you from answering the same "why isn’t my entry fulfilment channel?" messages over and over.

Mirror rotations are annoying, but they’re also a sign that Nexus Market is still actively maintained. A market that never changes its mirrors is either dead or compromised—so while it’s frustrating, it’s better than the alternative.

Here’s what we’re keeping an eye on over the next seven days:

• The CAPTCHA situation.

  The mirror that started requiring JavaScript for CAPTCHAs is still online, but Nexus Market hasn’t commented on whether this is intentional. If it’s a test, we’ll see more mirrors adopt the same behavior. If it’s a compromise, we’ll see that mirror go dark soon. Either way, we’ll update the directory as soon as we know more.

• Load balancing changes.

  The new primary mirror (n[mirror-pending]) is handling traffic well, but if it starts slowing down, Nexus Market might add more mirrors or tweak the load balancing setup. We’ll track response times and update the directory if anything changes.

• Vendor quality updates.

  Nexus Market is one of the few markets that still feels like it’s run by people who care about quality. This week, we noticed a few new vendors with suspiciously high ratings—always a red flag. We’ll be watching to see if the market cracks down on fake reviews or if this is just a temporary blip.

• Monero payment issues.

  A few users have reported delays with Monero withdrawals this week. This could be a temporary network issue, or it could be a sign that Nexus Market is tweaking its payment processing. Either way, we’ll keep an eye on it and update the directory if anything changes.

If you want to stay up to date, bookmark the live status page or subscribe to our RSS feed. We post updates as soon as we confirm them, so you won’t have to rely on rumors or Reddit threads.