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[tor-relays] Re: Snowflake setup fail



Hi,

Yes, Tor's GitLab is rate limiting access[1].

You can manually create the docker-compose file as suggested by Mike or,
alternatively, you can download it using 'wcurl' or 'curl':

$ wcurl https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/pluggable-transports/snowflake/-/raw/main/docker-compose.yml?ref_type=heads

I'll update the Snowflake standalone docs.

Thank you for running a snowflake proxy and
reporting this issue.

Gus
[1] https://lists.torproject.org/mailman3/hyperkitty/list/tor-project@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/thread/CLJRTDUW5BIALQLC3CTUDQVPBEVOU6OJ/

On Sun, Aug 23, 2026 at 01:54:35PM +0200, Mike Dylan Poppelaars via tor-relays wrote:
> I ran into the same 403 problem when trying to download the
> docker-compose.yml file with wget.
> 
> It seems to be caused by the anti-DoS protection on Tor’s GitLab rather than
> by AlmaLinux or Docker itself.
> 
> What worked for me was simply creating the compose file manually instead of
> downloading it:
> 
> ***
> services:
>     snowflake-proxy:
>         network_mode: host
>         image: containers.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/pluggable-transports/snowflake:latest
>         container_name: snowflake-proxy
>         restart: unless-stopped
>         # For a full list of Snowflake Proxy CLI parameters see
>         # https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/pluggable-transports/snowflake/-/tree/main/proxy?ref_type=heads#running-a-standalone-snowflake-proxy
>         #command: [ "-ephemeral-ports-range", "30000:60000" ]
>     watchtower:
>         image: nickfedor/watchtower
>         container_name: watchtower
>         volumes:
>           - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
>         command: snowflake-proxy
> ***
> 
> I then ran:
> 
> ***
> docker compose config
> docker compose up -d snowflake-proxy
> ***
> 
> and the Snowflake proxy started successfully.
> 
> So if you’re seeing the same 403, I’d suggest skipping the wget step for now
> and creating the file by hand. I tried this on AlmaLinux 9.8 and it works.
> 
> Also opening the link with a normal browser works after waiting for 5
> seconds, that's how I got the file.
> 
> ~ Mike
> 
> 
> On 21.08.2026 16:24, John Thompson via tor-relays wrote:
> > Repeated blacklisting while running a tor relay has persuaded me to try
> > a snowflake proxy instead. I want to run a stand-alone proxy on
> > Almalinux-9.8. Following the instructions on
> > https://community.torproject.org/relay/setup/snowflake/standalone/docker/,
> > I have installed docker, but cannot complete the next step, downloading
> > the docker-compose.yml configuration file:
> > 
> > $ wget -O docker-compose.yml https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/pluggable-transports/snowflake/-/raw/main/docker-compose.yml?ref_type=heads
> > --2026-08-21 09:17:57-- https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/pluggable-transports/snowflake/-/raw/main/docker-compose.yml?ref_type=heads
> > Resolving gitlab.torproject.org (gitlab.torproject.org)...
> > 2620:7:6002:0:266:37ff:feb8:3489, 204.8.99.149
> > Connecting to gitlab.torproject.org
> > (gitlab.torproject.org)|2620:7:6002:0:266:37ff:feb8:3489|:443...
> > connected.
> > HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 403 Forbidden
> > 2026-08-21 09:17:57 ERROR 403: Forbidden.
> > 
> > Is there a fix?
> > 






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-- 
The Tor Project
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