IPFS Application | How to build a modern static website in the simplest way?

By using DWS, you can pin your data on our IPFS servers and easily link your own domain to that data. In addition, DWS provides website templates and CMS to help manage website content. We also plan to release serverless services including forms, e-commerce, and authentication.

1. Why do we choose IPFS as the main storage for static websites?

The Interplanetary File System (IPFS) is a protocol and peer-to-peer network for storing and sharing data in a distributed file system. IPFS uses content addressing to uniquely identify each file in a global namespace that connects all computing devices. (From Wikipedia)

IPFS is not a blockchain network where data is immutable based on a consensus algorithm, but the data stored on IPFS is hashed with a unique identification (CID). Since this unique CID is changed when a part of the data is changed, the data on IPFS is considered immutable. If our server is connected and the web content is changed, the original data will not be affected. We have a bunch of IPFS servers that ensure that the data is always available.

A static website means that there is no script server and database system like PHP behind the website, but just pure HTML, CSS and Javascript. This also means that attacking the script server and database will not affect the content of the static website. The only way to modify a static website is to directly change the content on disk which results in a different CID.

The domain is configured to be linked with the CID where the website content is stored. Whenever the CID that the domain points to does not change, the website content also does not change. The domain is configured in such a way that the website content does not change and is absolutely secure.

There are thousands of IPFS servers across multiple countries, so it is difficult to perform a DDoS. We actively change the gateway to achieve high performance. The IP addresses of IPFS servers are hidden from hackers, so it is difficult to perform a DDoS attack. Please note that we not only use our own IPFS servers, but also pin users' data on other IPFS providers.

Why modern static websites will become the future of content management

The Internet started with simple websites using only HTML, CSS, and Javascript (what we call static websites). Then, the trend was to use server-side programming languages ​​such as Perl, Java servlets, PHP, Ruby, and Python to easily update website content. However, we are back to using only static web pages.

The first reason to use static web pages is fast loading speed, which is very important for user experience and website ranking on search engines. For websites using server-side programming languages, it will take some time to render the web page and fetch data from the database. If the website is static, it will be returned to the customer immediately.

The second reason is the high cost of maintaining and scaling server-side servers. This approach is cheaper when using static web pages and serverless functions provided by third parties, such as CMS, authentication, e-commerce, and forms. With serverless services, you pay only when users are online. In addition, serverless services always support scalability well.

1. How DWS helps deploy modern static websites on IPFS

DWS helps you upload your website content to IPFS and pin that content on our IPFS servers. You can point your own domain to our IPFS gateway. The following diagram illustrates the process, and details can be found in the DWS Docs.

2. Deployment Process on DWS

To quickly build a website, DWS provides static website templates and CMS to help update website content easily.

3. Website templates on DWS

We believe that DWS will change the way we manage website content in a static manner and the way we store this data on the Internet in a decentralized protocol.

For non-IT people who don't know how to program, how to quickly create a personal website or blog for free. The stages of building a website will include the following steps: website design, choosing a domain name, placing content on the website, optimizing SEO, and improving website speed. The cost of building an eye-catching and high-speed website is usually not cheap. And how to quickly update web content.

The DWS service provides a solution that optimizes all steps of building a free website with basic functionality.

Here are the steps to create a free personal website and blog:

1. Visit the DWS website: https://dws.datochain.com

2. Register and log in to the DWS system

3. Find a website template that fits your purpose

4. Select Preview to view the website template, then select Deploy to install it

5. When deploying, select the website name (without the tag)

6. When the success message appears, switch to the home page to view the Deployment status. If the installation is successful, the system will send an email notification. Click to go to the website settings page. The deployment time is about 5 to 10 minutes.

7. Click to enter the settings interface

8. Select "Settings" to set the title, description and logo

9. Select "Go to CMS page" to edit content

10. The deployed website will be located at the subdomain address (for example: https://namhuong.datochain.com). You can point your domain to the above address according to the instructions in the "Domain Name" section.

If you want to know more about DWS, please continue to follow us!

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