TLDR:

• In decentralized web hosting, each node is responsible for keeping a portion of data secure and replicated across multiple nodes in the network.

• ENS allow users and applications to easily access, read and share crypto addresses to simplify blockchain UX and increase adoption.

• Decentralized web hosting enhances data availability and redundancy, ensuring continuous access even in the event of node downtime.

• Enhancing web security and resilience with IPFS and ENS promises a more robust and decentralized internet infrastructure.

In this post, we want to cover the following:

• Primer on IPFS and decentralized web hosting

• What is ENS? How does it work and potential use cases

• Deep dive into the Key Advantages of Deploying website on IPFS and ENS domain

• What is the future of decentralized web hosting?

• How to host a Decentralized Static Website using ENS and IPFS

Primer on IPFS & Decentralized Web Hosting

Decentralized web hosting is an essential component of the web3 ecosystem that refers to hosting websites, applications and other digital content without relying on centralized servers.

It entails using blockchain technology for a secure and transparent method of storing and sharing data. Content or data is stored on a peer-to-peer network like the IPFS (InterPlanetary File System), where every user is a node and each node participates in the computing and storage to the network.

IPFS powers a multidimensional use-case providing a clean and simple experience for uploading, retrieving and sharing files. When content is uploaded to the IPFS, they are designated a unique hash and randomly distributed to the various nodes in the network. The hash enables fast and easy retrieval by simple referencing. The combination of content-addressing and distributed computing makes IPFS both highly performant and reliable.

Decentralized web hosting offers numerous benefits over traditional centralized hosting. The lack of a single point of failure makes websites less vulnerable to censorship and attacks.

What is ENS?

The Ethereum Name Service, or ENS, is a decentralized naming service that runs on the Ethereum blockchain and provides an elegant solution to long crypto addresses and hashes.

ENS allows users to display long public addresses in a simplified way such that it is easier tired, share and recoverable. It helps transforms numbers like
0xfd7B0f4308B43761911A42F2Ca5cb3f45cB01407 into simple text like miracletree.eth.

In addition to crypto addresses and hashes, ENS can be used for transaction IDs, metadata and other kinds of data. ENS serves as an alternative to the Domain Name System (DNS) seen in centralized systems. DNS is basically a naming that converts the IP address of the web server into a human-readable string called a URL.

How does ENS Work?

ENS domains use a non-fungible token (NFT) to represent the unique address. The NFT helps provide a verifiable ownership and control over the domain. This enables it to take advantage of the use-case of ERC-721 standard allowing for transfer and sale of the domain in a secure and decentralized manner.

ENS architecture is made up of two smart contracts: the registry and the resolver. The ENS registry records domain names. It basically maintains a list of all domains and subdomains available through ENS. The Resolver converts the human-readable ENS domain names into its corresponding cryptographic address and vice-versa. The Resolver is responsible for receiving information about a name.

Any potential use case for ENS?

Decentralized web hosting - An interesting use-case of ENS is in the creation of decentralized websites. ENS launched the ENS manager, a user-friendly application that allow users easily search, query and register unique ENS names ending with “.eth”. With ENS manager, users can manage their names and records and perform subdomain management, allowing for secure, decentralized transactions.

Social Media Identity - ENS names can serve as digital identities, allowing users to link their online presence, social profiles, and other personal information in a decentralized manner. The ENS names could also be used on platforms for secure login and authentication.

Decentralized E-mail and Messaging - ENS facilitates decentralized messaging by mapping human-readable names (e.g., Ethan.eth) to users’ public keys, facilitating secure and encrypted communication on decentralized platforms. The decentralized infrastructure ensures that messages cannot be easily censored or intercepted by third parties.

Key Advantages of Deploying website on IPFS and ENS domain

Cost Savings - Deploying a website on IPFS and ENS domains often provides a cheaper option compared to traditional hosting services. These centralized websites require costly maintenance, upgrades and infrastructure costs. Decentralized web hosting on IPFS and ENS domains leverages a network of distributed nodes, reducing the need for such centralized infrastructure.

Enhanced security - These networks are more secure because they are distributed across the nodes, making them resistant to hacks and single point of failure.

Censorship Resistant - There is no single point of control.

Immutable - Decentralized web hosting refers to the property where data or content stored on the decentralization network cannot be altered. This is achieved through cryptographic hashing and consensus mechanisms typical of blockchain.

Data Ownership - With decentralized hosting, the website owners have more control over their own data. Users have the free authority to change their decentralized web service provider based on their perception without having potential downtimes, user experience issues, and loss of data.

Scalability - Deploying a website on IPFS and ENS domains offers a significant advantage in terms of scalability and efficiency over traditional centralized hosting solutions. These networks can easily and efficiently run better than traditional solutions, as new nodes can be added to the network as needed. Furthermore these solutions are designed to dynamically allocate resources based on current demand. When traffic spikes or additional capacity is needed, new nodes can be added seamlessly to the network, providing the necessary resources without significant delay.

Decentralized Content Delivery - Deploying a website on IPFS and ENS domains provides an advantage to users such that content is delivered from the node closest to the user, ensuring more efficient performance and reduced latency. There is also reduced server load and traffic in the network rather than on centralized servers.

Deploying your website on IPFS and ENS domains involves a series of important steps. At Miracle Tree, we are happy to assist with everything related to your decentralized website, allowing you to focus on building the core components of your project.

What is the future of decentralized web hosting?

In the future, we anticipate a broader range of applications for decentralized oracles and blockchain hosting services. Decentralized web hosting also will see increased adoption as more companies and builders recognize its unique benefits.

Decentralization brings significant benefits to applications, enabling easier scalability, improved user experience, and enhanced data integrity and security. As decentralized web hosting continues to gain momentum, it represents a major step forward that is set to grow and evolve in the coming years.

Closing Thoughts

In Web2, web hosting is primarily managed by centralized organizations. Decentralization offers many advantages, allowing companies and users to strengthen security, reduce dependency on central servers, minimize points of failure, and gain more control over their data.

In this blog post, we've delved into what decentralized web hosting is, how ENS and IPFS make it possible, the key benefits of decentralized hosting. We've also discussed the future of decentralized web hosting and its expanding potential.

What’s Next

We will have more to share soon about our roadmap and plans as an organization on our way to demystifying IPFS for every user. As a sneak peek, in the coming weeks, we will be publishing more detailed blog posts like this on the amazing work we are doing. Follow us on Twitter and join our Discord for updates.

In the meantime, feel free to read other guides if you have an idea or would like to start using our product. Feel free to reach out to us, and let’s work together to build an amazing decentralized application for your project.