Darknet Market Terms, Explained
A darknet market uses a vocabulary that assumes you already know it. This page defines the terms you will actually meet, in plain language, so the guides on this site read smoothly. There is no jargon for the sake of it. Each term here maps to something concrete the platform does.
The network terms
An onion address, or onion link, is the address of a site on the Tor network. It is a long string ending in .onion and only resolves inside the Tor Browser. A mirror is a second onion address that points at the same service, so if one goes down the others stay up. A circuit is the path your traffic takes through the Tor relays, and a new circuit is a fresh path, which is what you build when an address stalls.
The money terms
Escrow is the holding of your funds until you confirm delivery, so the seller cannot take the money and disappear. A deposit is the coins you send to fund the platform wallet. A withdrawal is moving coins from that wallet to an address you control. A dead drop is a physical delivery to a shared location, with no name or address on the package.
The verification terms
A PGP key is a pair of keys, one public and one private, used to encrypt and sign. A fingerprint is the short form of a public key, used to confirm you are looking at the right one. A canary is a short message signed by the operator that lists the live addresses. A lookalike is a copy of the storefront, usually one character off, built to catch a deposit. Verifying means matching an address to the canary and a key to its fingerprint before you trust either.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the deep web and the dark web?
The deep web is everything not indexed by search engines. The dark web is the part of it you reach through an anonymity network like Tor, which is where the markets live.
Do I need to know all of this to buy?
No. You need to verify an address and keep a small balance. The rest is helpful context, not a prerequisite.
Where do I go from here?
Start with the how to access guide, then the security page. Those two cover the steps that actually protect you.