Concepts

  • Users may face restrictions in accessing the open internet, leading to blocked access.

  • Outline Manager is used to create a server on the cloud and generate unique access keys.

  • Access keys generated by the manager are shared with users who need to bypass censorship.

  • Users install the Outline client and use their keys to establish a secure tunnel to bypass restrictions.

Outline helps users bypass restrictions to access the open internet. Here's are some key concepts to understand how it works:

Service providers and end users

The Outline system involves two main roles: service providers, who manage the servers, and end users, who access the internet through those servers.

  • Service providers create the Outline servers, generate access keys, and distribute the keys to end users. One way to do this is using the Outline Manager application.
  • End users install the Outline Client application, paste in the access key they received, and connect to a secure tunnel.

Access keys

Access keys are the credentials that allow users to connect to an Outline server. They contain the necessary information for the Outline Client to establish a secure connection. There are two types of access keys:

  • Static access keys encode all the server information needed to connect (server address, port, password, encryption method), preventing the access information from being modified. Users paste this key into the Outline Client.

    Example:

    ss://Y2hhY2hhMjAtaWV0Zi1wb2x5MTMwNTo1UkVmeFRqbHR6Mkw@outline-server.example.com:17178/?outline=1

  • Dynamic access keys allow a service provider to host the server access information remotely. This lets providers update their server configuration (server address, port, passwords, encryption method) without needing to reissue new access keys to end users. For more detailed documentation, see Dynamic Access Keys.