An Ethereum dApp frontend on IPFS: separate hosting from execution
Map the frontend, wallet, RPC endpoint, and contract before publishing an Ethereum interface as a content-addressed release.
IPFS Website dApp / FRONTEND ARCHITECTURE
Host the interface. Understand the whole app.
A dApp frontend can be delivered through IPFS while its live behavior still depends on wallets, network services, and blockchain programs. Make every boundary visible.
Separate the frontend from execution
The files distributed through IPFS describe and implement the browser interface. Ethereum contracts or Solana programs execute within their respective networks, not inside IPFS. A frontend release may include public configuration, but it does not include the entire operating state of the application. Record its expected network, contracts or programs, and runtime services alongside the release CID.
Make the first visit read-only
Let a visitor understand the application without connecting a wallet. Explain the supported network and the action the application enables before asking for authorization. Connection, signing, approval, and submission should have distinct states and accurate labels. A rejected request should leave the interface usable instead of reopening a prompt until the visitor accepts.
Treat browser origin as a design input
Application behavior can depend on the origin under which a page is served. Storage, permissions, wallet interaction, and API restrictions deserve testing on the intended hostname. Shared path gateways and origin-isolating gateway arrangements are not interchangeable browser contexts. Define a supported delivery route and test it rather than assuming a local development success transfers everywhere.
Test failures that static hosting cannot solve
An unavailable RPC endpoint is different from a missing script. A returned transaction identifier is different from an observed successful outcome. Handle wrong networks, rejected requests, uncertain submission states, and unavailable observers explicitly. Keep administrative tokens and signing secrets out of the public bundle, and use appropriate test environments before a production release.
Technical reference: Ethereum technical introduction to dApps. Review the relevant configuration before applying it to a production environment.
COMMON QUESTIONS
IPFS Website dApp: the details
Does IPFS run smart contracts?
No. In this architecture IPFS distributes the frontend and public assets. Contract or program execution belongs to the chosen blockchain network.
Does a frontend CID prove that a dApp is safe?
No. It identifies a content release, not its correctness, contract security, or the trustworthiness of runtime services.
FIELD GUIDES
Go deeper in the Website Lab
A Solana website on IPFS: design the frontend around transaction states
Prepare a static Solana interface with explicit clusters, wallet behavior, RPC dependencies, and a transaction flow that handles uncertainty.