Directory FAQ for Mars Market readers
Eight questions that turn up regularly in the reader inbox. The answers below are written for someone who has never opened the Tor Browser before, with the understanding that experienced readers can skip past the obvious sections.
Is this directory the marketplace itself?
No. This directory is an editorial page. It writes about Mars Market and publishes the addresses through which the storefront can be reached, but it does not run the storefront. The storefront is on the Tor network, behind any of the onion entries listed elsewhere on this site.
Do the addresses on the mirror list change often?
They change when the storefront operator rotates an address out, which happens for the usual reasons — load on a long-running entry, refreshing a key, or replacing one that has been around for a while. New addresses are added before old ones are removed, so the set on the page tends to drift slowly rather than flip overnight.
Why are there five entries instead of one canonical URL?
A storefront with one address is a storefront with one weak point. Anyone who wants to put pressure on it has a single target. With five entries in the rotation, a single congested address never becomes a single closed door for readers, and the marketplace stays reachable while a tired entry is replaced.
What is the difference between the Mirrors page and the Onion Links page?
They list the same five entries because the entries themselves are what readers come here for. The framing differs — the Mirrors page is about how rotation works, the Onion Links page is about how to copy and use a verified link in the Tor Browser. Readers tend to arrive at one or the other depending on which phrase they searched for.
How does the directory decide what to include?
The directory tracks the Mars Market storefront and publishes the addresses currently in active rotation. Inclusion is editorial — when an address is added to the rotation, it goes on the list; when an address is retired, it leaves. The directory does not list lookalike marketplaces or operators that are not Mars Market.
Does this directory work in a normal browser?
The directory itself does. It is a clearnet page that publishes addresses and writes around them. The links it publishes do not work in a normal browser — they need the Tor Browser, since each one is an onion address and onion addresses only resolve through Tor.
What if the rotation seems to be reduced one day?
Sometimes a single address is taken out for maintenance and the visible list is shorter for a stretch. The remaining entries are still the live ones. If only one address is listed temporarily, that one is the one in current service while the rest of the set is restored.
Who writes the directory?
A small editor team that watches the Mars Market storefront and writes the surrounding copy. The notes on the news page are signed simply as Editor because the directory exists to publish working addresses, not to elevate a personal brand. Corrections reach the editor through the contact panel on the storefront itself.