How does the ShadowTLS technology mask a VPN connection as legitimate website browsing?

IT REDIRECTS THE TLS HANDSHAKE PHASE TO AN ACTUAL, TRUSTED WEB SERVER.

Unlike classic proxies, ShadowTLS does not emulate someone else's certificate on its own; instead, it passes the network exchange through a real third-party site during connection establishment. Censorship systems see a genuine handshake with a major resource and let the encrypted data stream pass through.

Defense Against Active Probing by Network Filters

Provider network analyzers send return requests (Active Probing) to a suspicious address to provoke a response from the VPN server and identify its signature. The ShadowTLS architecture is designed so that any verification packets from censors are forwarded to a real trusted server, confirming its legitimacy and preventing it from being blacklisted.

Deployment and Configuration Recommendations

Choose foreign resources without regional blocks as the handshake target
Use up-to-date Sing-box or Mihomo core versions with built-in support for ShadowTLS version 3
Configure strict control over session key lifespans to prevent repeated traffic analysis
Combine the ShadowTLS transport with Shadowsocks 2022 protocols to enhance cryptographic strength