The role changes the job
A guard is the first relay in a circuit, a middle carries traffic between positions, and an exit reaches the public destination. A bridge helps users connect when public relay addresses are blocked. Those roles have different bandwidth, connection, maintenance, and abuse-handling requirements.
Choosing a role before choosing a server prevents a configuration exercise from turning into an unsupported operational promise.
Boring and stable is the goal
A useful node needs patching, uptime, restrained logging, bandwidth planning, and attention to Tor Project notices. Installation is the start of the commitment, not the end.
- Patch the operating system and Tor packages
- Monitor availability without collecting user traffic
- Know the public exposure of the chosen role
- Plan abuse handling before operating an exit
A relay is not an onion service
An onion service publishes a service through Tor; it does not prove that its host contributes relay capacity. Keeping the two roles distinct makes the system easier to explain and avoids claiming work the configuration does not perform.