DIY Guide: Community Based Mutual Hosting

Community Based Mutual Hosting

1. Introduction

Your eternal digital presence is hosted on many personal computers owned by people like you. As long as there is one person still treasures the value of the community, your data will survive. It is the most robust and resilient way to preserve our data in the long run.

InterPlanet File System is an opensource peer-to-peer storage system that can slice your data into pieces and disperse numerous copies to many hosting computers.

Here, we are going to show you how to make your personal website or blog into an eternal digital presence.

2. Overview

It takes only 3 steps:

  • Make a static mirror of your website by using HTTrack
  • Upload to IPFS
  • List the link on the community for mutual hosting

3. Make a mirror website

3.1 Download HTTrack (FREE)

Go to the HTTrack website download page:


3.2 Install HTTrack

Double click on the .exe file and install HTTrack to your computer.

3.3 Configure HTTrack to download

Warning: Please do NOT scrape our website for testing. You may get permanently banned from visiting our website, because it will cause a massive traffic surge. Please configure it with your own website.

2RunHTTrack

Set the project name and download the destination folder

3HTTrackProject

Provide your website address. Use https if it has SSL.

4HTTrackSetWebsite

Set the Options->Limits->Maximum external depth to 0, to avoid excess download.

5HTTrackSetOptions

Click Next and start the download

6HTTrackDownloading

Finish the download

7HTTrackComplete

3.4 Check the static website

Go to the download folder and click the index.html file

8WebsiteFolder

Check if the static site works.

4. Upload to IPFS

4.1 Download IPFS

Go to: https://ipfs.io/#install

It links to the github download page. Choose the Windows version (the latest version number may be different)

4.2 Install IPFS**

12Install_IPFS

4.3 Upload to IPFS

Run IPFS and right click the icon and choose Files.

13RunIPFS

Click Files, and drag and drop the folder of your static website to the IPFS.
Warning: Do NOT use “Add” or “Import” to upload the folders. IPFS has some faults on the features.

Find out your website hash value.

QmNgPvgJTvXTTkR9pXnyDCY3TaTtBPm5xCjLe634AychjW

And test it on the web browser:

https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmNgPvgJTvXTTkR9pX … e634AychjW

5. List the link on the community for mutual hosting**

Post your website hash to our community.