Hydra Browser

Private. Unstoppable. Yours.
A Chromium-based browser with built-in Tor and native torrent streaming.

Website · Download · Features · Build from source

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What is Hydra?

Hydra is a privacy-focused web browser built on Chromium. It ships with Tor integration and a native torrent client — no extensions, no extra software. Just a browser that respects your freedom.

Features

Built-in Tor

• Route traffic through the Tor network with a single click
• Access .onion hidden services natively
• Per-tab Tor toggle for selective anonymity
• SOCKS5 proxy support — no DNS leaks

Native Torrent Client

• Full-featured torrent manager at chrome://torrents
• Transmission-compatible RPC API — works with existing Transmission remotes and tools
• Drag & drop .torrent files or paste magnet links
• Stream video while downloading — no waiting
• Create and seed your own torrents
• Route torrent traffic through Tor for anonymity
• Queue management, per-torrent speed limits, peer details

Encrypted DNS (DNS-over-HTTPS)

• Secure DNS enabled by default via Cloudflare (1.1.1.1)
• Prevents DNS snooping, hijacking, and ISP tracking
• All DNS queries encrypted — no plaintext leaks
• Works alongside Tor for maximum privacy

Privacy & Performance

• No telemetry, no tracking, no Google services
• Built-in ad and tracker blocking
• Full Chrome extension support (Chrome Web Store compatible)
• All the speed and DevTools of Chromium

Download

Platform	Format	Link
Linux	.deb (Ubuntu, Debian, Mint)	Download
Linux	.rpm (Fedora, RHEL, openSUSE)	Download
Windows	Installer (64-bit)	Download
macOS	.dmg (Universal)	Download
Android	.apk (arm64)	Download

Screenshots

Torrent manager with streaming support

Build

Prerequisites

• Linux x64 (recommended), macOS, or Windows
• ~100 GB disk space
• 16 GB+ RAM
• Python 3, git, ccache

Quick start

# 1. Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/appfolder/hydra.git
cd hydra

# 2. Fetch Chromium source
scripts/do_fetch.sh

# 3. Install build dependencies (Linux)
cd ../src
./build/install-build-deps.sh
cd ../fork

# 4. Apply Hydra patches
scripts/apply_patches.sh

# 5. Build the torrent library
scripts/build_torrent_lib.sh

# 6. Build Hydra
scripts/build.sh              # Debug (fast iteration)
scripts/build.sh release      # Release build

Packaging

# Build for all platforms and package installers
scripts/build_all.sh linux      # .deb + .rpm
scripts/build_all.sh windows    # .exe installer
scripts/build_all.sh mac        # .dmg
scripts/build_all.sh android    # .apk

Artifacts are output to dist/.

Project Structure

fork/
├── assets/             # Logo, desktop entry
├── external/           # Torrent library (libtorrent C wrapper)
├── patches/            # New files overlaid onto Chromium src
├── patches_diff/       # Diff patches applied to existing Chromium files
├── scripts/            # Build, fetch, patch, and packaging scripts
├── website/            # Hydra browser website (PHP)
└── dist/               # Build artifacts (generated)

Tech Stack

• Browser engine: Chromium 149
• Torrent engine: libtorrent-rasterbar (via C wrapper), Transmission-compatible RPC
• Tor: Tor Expert Bundle (bundled binary)
• Build system: GN + Ninja with ccache

License

This project is licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.

You are free to use, modify, and distribute the code. Modified files must remain under MPL 2.0, but you can combine Hydra with proprietary code in a Larger Work.

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Hydra Browser — Browse without boundaries.