How to host a decentralized website
Decentralized websites rely on decentralized networks rather than centralized servers to preserve and verify data integrity. Decentralized websites offer a more private, secure and censorship-free alternative to standard websites by using peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, cryptography and blockchain.
This article will explain how to host a decentralized website, and the benefits and challenges of decentralized hosting.
What is decentralized web hosting?
A web server distributes the website’s files to its clients in a standard web site hosting network setup. This allows larger organizations or governments to decide what content to display, taking away the freedom that the World Wide Web initially provided. This gave rise to decentralized web hosting – a new approach to hosting websites that stores website files on different nodes or computers instead of a single central server.
With decentralized web hosting there is more security, redundancy and censorship resistance. Blockchain technology, peer-to-peer networks, and other distributed systems are used in decentralized web hosting to guarantee that website files are continuously available, regardless of network outages or other disruptions. It is a topic of great interest to those concerned about internet censorship, privacy and the centralization of web hosting infrastructure.
Web3, or decentralized hosting, is important because it represents a fundamental change in how websites and web applications are hosted and accessed. The traditional web hosting model has several disadvantages, including the potential for downtime, security vulnerabilities, and the risk of censorship or control by third-party intermediaries.
In addition, Web3 hosting offers new business models and revenue streams, such as micropayments and decentralized content distribution networks, along with higher security, resilience and resistance to censorship.
How to host a decentralized website
Creating and distributing website files across a network of nodes requires Web3 technologies and tools when hosting a decentralized website. The following explains how Web3 hosting works:
Create site files
First, use Web3 tools and technologies to create the web page files. Use systems like Swarm – a distributed storage system built on the Ethereum blockchain – or the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), a P2P network for storing and sharing data.
Choose a domain name
Once the website files are created, choose a domain name for the website. To register a domain name on the blockchain, use a decentralized naming system such as the Ethereum Name Service (ENS).
Save files on the network
Network file storage is the next step. Use IPFS or Swarm to store network files. To do this, the files must be split into smaller parts and distributed around the network. Ensuring that files are stored in different locations increases their security and resilience.
Point domain name to website files
The domain name must point to the website files when they are stored on the network. To do this, a Domain Name System (DNS) record must be created that links the domain name to the network location of the website’s files.
Test website
Once the domain name has been pointed to the site’s files, test the site to confirm that everything is working as it should. Access the website using a Web3-compatible browser, such as Brave.
Related: A Beginner’s Guide to the Privacy-Focused Next-Generation Brave Browser
An example of a decentralized website includes OpenBazaar, which is a decentralized e-commerce platform that enables users to trade goods and services directly among themselves. It uses the Bitcoin blockchain for transactions, and the IPFS network to store and share user and product data.
How does a decentralized website work?
A decentralized website, also known as a Web3 website, works differently than traditional websites hosted on centralized servers. This is how it works:
- Website creation: With Web3 tools and technologies such as Solidity, IPFS and Swarm, a user develops a website. The website’s files are divided into small pieces and stored on separate network nodes.
- Domain registration: With a decentralized naming system, such as ENS, the user registers a domain name for their website, which is then kept on the blockchain.
- Website Access: A user uses a Web3-compatible browser, such as Brave, to request access to a website. To retrieve the web page files, the browser requests them from the network.
- File retrieval: The network’s nodes work together to find the web page files and deliver them to the user’s browser. This process does not experience delays because there is no need to wait for a central server to respond if the files are stored in multiple locations, making this process fast and efficient.
- Smart Contracts: To manage user interactions, the Website may use smart contracts, which are self-executing computer programs that run on the blockchain. Payments, voting and data storage are just a few of the operations that smart contracts can automate.
- Delivery of content: Without the use of intermediaries or centralized servers, the content of the website is sent directly to the user’s browser. This reduces the risk of data breaches and hackers because the user’s data is not kept on a single server.
Related: What is decentralized storage and how does it work?
Advantages of decentralized web hosting
Decentralized web hosting offers several advantages over traditional centralized hosting, including increased security, reduced costs, and greater control and privacy. More security is offered via decentralized hosting for users and site owners. Website files are spread across a network of nodes, making them more resistant to hacking and server outages than centralized servers. Since there is no single point of failure, this also reduces the chance of data breaches and other security risks.
Traditional hosting can be more expensive than decentralized hosting as it requires more expensive server infrastructure and maintenance. Small businesses and individuals who want to host a website without paying a lot of money may find this especially useful.
In addition, decentralized hosting gives website owners and users more control and privacy. That said, users can control their data and decide how it is shared and used because no single entity is responsible for the network. This can help prevent privacy breaches like data mining – the process of discovering patterns and insights from large data sets using machine learning and statistical methods.
Challenges related to decentralized web hosting
While decentralized hosting offers several advantages, it is important to consider the technical, infrastructural and regulatory challenges before deciding whether it is the right choice for your website.
Decentralized hosting requires a level of technological knowledge that many website owners may not have. Decentralized websites can be more challenging to set up and keep up to date than a regular hosting service.
Also, Web3 hosting uses a network of nodes to store website files, but these nodes may have capacity and performance limitations. Compared to centralized hosting, this can lead to slower website load times and reduced scalability.
Decentralized hosting is a newer technology, so there isn’t much consensus on protocols and best practices yet. Because of this, it can be more challenging for website owners to choose a decentralized website hosting service that suits their needs.
The legal and regulatory landscape of decentralized hosting is still evolving for website owners and decentralized web hosting providers, which can cause uncertainty. It is necessary to address concerns about liability, data security and other legal matters before choosing a decentralized web domain.
Centralized vs. decentralized web hosting
Centralized and decentralized web hosting are two different approaches to hosting websites. Here are the key differences between the two:
Overall, decentralized hosting may be preferable for larger sites with more sophisticated security and scalability requirements, while centralized hosting may be a better option for small to medium-sized sites that do not require a high level of protection or control.
The future of decentralized web hosting
Decentralized web hosting is a means of developing a more open and democratic internet where users have more control over their data and avoid the privacy and security issues associated with centralized hosting.
The growing interest in blockchain technology, the development of decentralized infrastructure, increased use of peer-to-peer networks, increasing demand for privacy and security, and the rise of decentralized social media platforms are some of the most important trends and developments affecting the future of decentralized web hosting.
Blockchain technology, which offers a secure and decentralized method of data storage, is often associated with decentralized web hosting. One can expect to see more decentralized web hosting solutions across a wider range of sectors as blockchain technology gains popularity.
To support decentralized web hosting, developers build more complex decentralized infrastructure. This includes decentralized databases, content delivery networks and domain name systems.
Peer-to-peer networks, which enable users to share files and data without depending on a central server, are the foundation of decentralized web hosting. Users can expect additional uses for decentralized web hosting as peer-to-peer networks improve reliability and efficiency.
The need for privacy and security is growing, and more individuals are looking for alternatives to centralized hosting as their privacy and security concerns grow online. Decentralized web hosting appeals to many consumers because it provides a safer and more private way to store and distribute data.
Social media has come under fire for centralized user content and data processing. Decentralized web hosting makes it possible to build social media platforms that are more democratic and decentralized, giving users more control over data and content.
That said, with its ability to provide increased security, reliability and control over data, decentralized hosting is likely to become an increasingly popular choice for businesses and individuals in the future.
