Build your first IPFS static website: from folder to CID
Prepare a portable static site, publish the right directory, and check that every page and asset survives the move to IPFS.
IPFS Website / START HERE
A website addressed by its content.
An IPFS website starts with familiar web files. The difference is that a release can be identified by its content, rather than only by the server that happens to deliver it.
Start with the files a reader needs
For a content-focused website, the public artifact can be a directory of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and images. Give each clean route its own entry document, include every required asset, and test the folder through a static HTTP server. The source repository is not automatically the deployment artifact: private drafts, environment files, and build dependencies should stay out of the public release.
Use a CID as a release identifier
A content identifier, or CID, identifies content using a structured addressing format. Treat the root directory CID as a record of the particular website release you approved. Do not confuse it with a memorable domain name, an availability guarantee, or proof that the application is safe. Changing the release requires recording the new content identity and checking its files again.
Keep retrieval and retention explicit
Decide which node or service will retain the release and how readers will retrieve it. Pinning and gateway delivery solve different parts of the problem. A browser opening a warm cached page is not a complete test of availability for a new visitor. Keep a release manifest and test the route that your audience will actually use.
Add complexity only when the site needs it
You do not need a blockchain wallet, a token, or a smart contract merely to publish a static website. A CMS can help authors, and a static generator can help maintain templates, but both should end in a public artifact you can inspect. Add application services deliberately rather than inheriting unexplained dependencies from a theme.
Technical reference: IPFS content-addressing documentation. Review the relevant configuration before applying it to a production environment.
COMMON QUESTIONS
IPFS Website: the details
Is an IPFS website automatically permanent?
No. Plan for retained, reachable copies. A content address alone is not a commitment by someone to store and serve the files indefinitely.
Does every visitor need IPFS software?
An HTTP gateway can deliver content to an ordinary browser. The resulting trust and verification properties depend on the delivery route and client.
FIELD GUIDES
Go deeper in the Website Lab
DNSLink and IPFS gateways: connect a domain without breaking releases
Understand what DNSLink changes, what HTTPS delivery still needs, and how to test a custom domain before switching its published release.