Running a full node without revealing my home IP address

Question

How can I safely run a full node without revealing my home IP address?

Please compare the privacy and security of the following methods for running a Monero node both from home and by using a cloud based VPS:

1. Tor
2. I2P
3. VPN

Answer 1

I can only speak for Tor: using torsocks can make monerod connect to other nodes via the Tor network.

This will run monerod with Tor:

DNS_PUBLIC=tcp torsocks monerod --p2p-bind-ip 127.0.0.1 --no-igd

If you cannot connect your wallet (which should not use Tor), you may need to add TORSOCKS_ALLOW_INBOUND. Apparently, different systems may or may not need this option:

DNS_PUBLIC=tcp TORSOCKS_ALLOW_INBOUND=1 torsocks monerod --p2p-bind-ip 127.0.0.1 --no-igd

In any case, make sure your firewall blocks the port monerod may listen for RPC connections, assuming the wallet runs locally.