Users often find that the Tor network is slow. This page describes some reasons that make Tor slow.For further explanations, see [Why Tor is so slow?](https://www.torproject.org/docs/faq.html.en#WhySlow)
Tor provides anonymity by building circuits with three relays. So instead of connecting directly to the destination server, a connection is made between each relay of the circuit and this takes more time.
The Tor relays are run by volunteers in a decentralized way. So all relays are not of the same quality. Some are big and fast, while some others are smaller and slower. As a whole, the network could be faster if it had more capacity. To improve the capacity of the Tor network, you can either run a Tor relay yourself or [help existing relays](https://www.torservers.net/partners.html).
Some people misuse the Tor network, sometimes on purpose or sometimes by lack of knowledge. For instance, Tor is sometimes used to conduct [[!wikipedia Ddos#Distributed_attack desc="DDoS attacks"]]. By doing this, the Tor relays are the ones who actually suffer from the attack, instead of the intended target.Some people use [[!wikipedia Peer_to_peer desc="peer-to-peer software"]] through Tor which is bad for the network.If you want to use peer-to-peer, it is better to [[use I2P|doc/anonymous_internet/i2p]].
Some people misuse the Tor network, sometimes on purpose or sometimes by lack of knowledge. For instance, Tor is sometimes used to conduct [[!wikipedia Ddos#Distributed_attack desc="DDoS attacks"]]. By doing this, the Tor relays are the ones who actually suffer from the attack, instead of the intended target.Some people use [[!wikipedia Peer_to_peer desc="peer-to-peer software"]] through Tor which is bad for the network.
