How are hidden networks organized?

Question

Computer networks

Can I have an explanation or a link to an explanation of how hidden networks like the darknet are organized? More than that, this is a separate network with non-standard protocols and its own address space, where all interaction in encrypted form occurs only between two users at the moment, I did not find. I would like to know in more detail why the hidden network is so hidden.

Answer 1

why is the hidden network so hidden

Because nafig nobody gave up on revealing it :) As soon as the presence of hosts in it passes a certain critical mass - for those who need it, it immediately ceases to be hidden.
All networks are built either on the principle of "with a coordination center" or "with auto-search for neighbors." It's just that a certain hand-made protocol is taken, which supposedly no one knows, and with its help this very "supposedly hidden network" is built. It is usually based on encrypted tunnels. In the first variant, the new node immediately addresses a certain center (as in a torus - and yes, I know everything about bridges), in the second, it stupidly starts sorting through all the neighbors, counting on the fact that at least one of them has a client - this is based many schoolboy "block-resistant" i2p-networks.