Share this article
Tor and More: Bitcoin Market OpenBazaar Adds Features in 2.0 Beta Release
The new version of the the P2P e-commerce network can be accessed via the anonymous Tor browser and can facilitate purchases when stores are offline.
By Stan Higgins
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 6:55 a.m. Published Sep 11, 2017, 9:00 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
The team behind the open-source, bitcoin-powered marketplace OpenBazaar has published the beta version of its forthcoming 2.0 release.
The launch, announced over the weekend, delivers a number of additions that developers outlined back in February. Among those is an integration with The Onion Router (Tor) network, enabling anonymous access to the marketplace network, as well as upgrades intended to boost overall up-times and access to storefronts.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
It's a major development for the project, which seeks to decentralize online retailing in the way bitcoin decentralized value transfers. Back in February, Brian Hoffman, chief executive of OB1 (the startup behind the project), said that one of the goals for the 2.0 release was to make the user experience akin to popular e-commerce platforms like Etsy.
"Our goal with OpenBazaar 2.0 is to get it to be, with the exception of using bitcoin, ... an identical experience of what you’d see on Etsy. I think the 2.0 [version] is close to that," he said at the time.
The new OpenBazaar is built on the InterPlanetary File System, a protocol for decentralized file storage and sharing. This means that its listings can be re-uploaded, by other users, allowing purchases to be made even when a store isn't directly connected to the internet.
While it displays real listings of goods and services offered for real bitcoins, the 2.0 version of OpenBazaar is, as advertised, still in the beta phase. In a blog post accompanying the release, the team cautioned that the system tends to overestimate fees and contains others other bugs they are working to fix.
Third-party search engines such as Duo can now be accessed in the OpenBazaar client in the new version. Previously, users had use a separate browser to use such tools, and then connect to OpenBazaar when they wanted to make purchases.
The new version also adds tools for vendors such as variants (e.g., is that sweater size small, medium or large?), inventory tracking and expanded shipping options.
Disclosure: CoinDesk is a subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which has an ownership stake in OB1, the company formed to further development of the OpenBazaar software.
Image via Shutterstock
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
How a 'perpetual’ stock trick could solve Michael Saylor’s $8 billion debt problem
The bitcoin treasury firm is using perpetual preferreds to retire convertibles, offering a potential framework for managing long-dated leverage.
What to know:
- Strive upsized its SATA follow on offering beyond $150 million, pricing the perpetual preferred at $90.
- The structure offers a blueprint for replacing fixed maturity convertibles with perpetual equity capital that removes refinancing risk.
- Strategy has a $3 billion convertible tranche due in June 2028 with a $672.40 conversion price, which could be addressed using a similar preferred equity approach.
Top Stories
