rocheston/zelton repository overview

⁠Zelton: The Onion Networking Platform

Zelton is a one-tool onion networking platform for publishing and operating private resources through a built-in Tor runtime. It includes the Zelton Engine, Playground web console, built-in Tor onion runtime, onion project lifecycle, chat rooms, secure drops, document portals, file shares, API publishing, receipts, monitoring, and Aina operations.

The Docker image is built for Intel Linux / linux/amd64 and packages the Linux x86_64 Zelton binary with built-in Tor runtime assets embedded. Users do not install Tor separately.

⁠What Is Zelton?

Zelton turns private publishing into a single command. Instead of asking users to install Tor, edit torrc, create hidden service directories, manage onion keys, run local web servers, and track generated .onion hostnames manually, Zelton owns the whole lifecycle.

Run zelton start and Zelton starts the engine, built-in Tor runtime, Playground, monitoring, and project services. Publish a file, folder, website, API, secure drop, or chat room, and Zelton creates the local service, maps it to an onion address, stores receipts, and shows everything in the Playground.

In short: Zelton is the control plane for onion networking.

⁠What Zelton Does

• Publishes websites, documents, files, APIs, secure drops, and chat rooms as Tor v3 onion services.
• Starts and manages its own built-in Tor runtime.
• Generates onion service configuration automatically.
• Keeps project web servers bound to local-only container interfaces.
• Provides a local Playground GUI for publishing, monitoring, chat, access, logs, receipts, security checks, and Tor status.
• Includes Aina, an agentic operations assistant for guided actions.
• Supports optional relay operation, but relay startup is manual and requires explicit operator acceptance.

⁠Quick Start

Pull the image:

docker pull rocheston/zelton:latest

Run Zelton:

docker run --rm \
  --name zelton \
  --platform linux/amd64 \
  -p 127.0.0.1:7070:7070 \
  -p 127.0.0.1:7071:7071 \
  -v zelton-data:/home/zelton/.zelton \
  rocheston/zelton:latest

Open Playground:

http://127.0.0.1:7070

The volume zelton-data stores projects, Tor runtime data, onion service keys, logs, receipts, settings, and local database state.

⁠Common Commands

Check status:

docker exec -it zelton zelton status
docker exec -it zelton zelton tor status

Publish a local project inside the container:

docker exec -it zelton zelton publish /home/zelton/site

Create a chat room:

docker exec -it zelton zelton publish --type chat --name legal-room
docker exec -it zelton zelton chat list

List projects:

docker exec -it zelton zelton list

Stop the container:

docker stop zelton

⁠Ports

• 7070: Zelton Playground
• 7071: Zelton local control API

Recommended local binding:

-p 127.0.0.1:7070:7070
-p 127.0.0.1:7071:7071

Do not expose the control API publicly. Put Zelton behind a trusted private admin network or authenticated reverse proxy only if you intentionally operate it remotely.

⁠Built-In Tor

Zelton includes and controls its own Tor runtime. It does not use system Tor, Homebrew Tor, apt Tor, /usr/bin/tor, mock Tor, or external Tor modes.

Inside the container, Zelton extracts and verifies the embedded Tor runtime, generates its own torrc, starts Tor, waits for bootstrap, creates onion services, and updates project onion URLs.

No external Tor installation is required.

⁠Relay Operation

Relay operation is optional. docker run rocheston/zelton starts the Zelton Engine and built-in onion runtime only. It does not start a relay.

To operate a Tor relay, the user must manually open Relay Manager or run relay commands and accept the Relay Operator Notice. Non-exit relay is the default. Exit relay mode requires additional warnings and explicit approval.

⁠Disclaimer

Zelton is for lawful, authorized use only. You are responsible for complying with all applicable laws, network policies, hosting provider rules, access control requirements, data protection obligations, and Tor relay operator responsibilities. Rocheston / Zelfire is not liable for misuse, unlawful activity, abuse complaints, bandwidth usage, IP blocking, legal issues, configuration mistakes, or operation of onion services or relays.

Built with 💛 by Haja Mo