The current internet has one fundamental weakness: websites and web assets are stored on centralized servers. Even many decentralized applications (dApps) host their front-end or content using traditional hosting services like AWS or Cloudflare. That means if a server is taken down, blocked, or altered, the application can become inaccessible—even if its smart contracts remain intact on-chain. This partly defeats the purpose of decentralization.
@Walrus 🦭/acc addresses this gap by enabling decentralized websites through a concept known as Walrus Sites, allowing developers and creators to host the full web experience in a trustless, censorship-resistant way.
What Are Decentralized Websites?
Decentralized websites are web pages whose assets—HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, and media—are stored in a decentralized storage network rather than on a single centralized server. Instead of pulling files from a traditional hosting provider, users fetch these files from a network of storage nodes that collectively maintain availability and integrity without a central authority.
Walrus Sites take this idea further by anchoring crucial metadata on the Sui blockchain, while the actual site assets are stored on Walrus.
This hybrid model combines:
On-chain coordination and ownership via Sui
Off-chain decentralized storage via Walrus
Strong data availability guarantees backed by protocol design
How Walrus Sites Work
When someone builds a Walrus Site, the process looks roughly like this:
1. Site Files Upload
Builders package static files—HTML, CSS, JS, images—and upload them to Walrus. Each file becomes a unique blob with a cryptographic identifier that proves its content and authenticity.
2. Sui Object Metadata
A Sui smart contract object is created holding references (blob IDs) to these resources. This ties web assets to blockchain logic and ownership.
3. Decentralized Hosting
Storage nodes across the Walrus network host encoded fragments of the site. Because of erasure coding and redundancy, even if some nodes go offline, the site remains retrievable.
4. Access via Portals
Users can browse Walrus Sites through portals like wal.app, or via service workers that fetch resources directly from the Walrus network, preserving decentralization.
5. Domain Naming
Walrus Sites can integrate with SuiNS (Sui Name Service) for human-readable names, replacing complex identifiers with familiar website addresses.
Why This Matters — Beyond Static Pages
Decentralized websites aren’t just “static pages in a new wrapper.” They are building blocks for a trustless web that can serve real Web3 applications:
Censorship resistance: No single authority can take the site offline or alter content.
Immutable content: Cryptographically verifiable blobs ensure that users receive exactly what was published.
Ownership and control: Site metadata tied to blockchain accounts means creators truly own and control their content.
Composability: Sites can integrate smart contracts directly via on-chain references, enabling interactive or personalized web experiences.
This makes decentralized websites ideal for a range of use cases including:
NFT project homepages
Decentralized applications with rich front ends
Community hubs that must stay online regardless of central censorship
Personal websites owned and updated solely by their creators
Walrus Sites are static by design, but that doesn’t mean they must be limited. Developers can link wallet interactions, smart contract calls, and on-chain state to make highly interactive and personalized web experiences without legacy hosting.
Real Early Adoption & Ecosystem Tools
The ability of Walrus Sites to host decentralized websites is already encouraging builders. Tools like Walpress APP provide interfaces for users to build and publish censorship-resistant sites by combining SuiNS domain resolution and Walrus storage, giving creators control over their digital presence in a Web3 environment.
In addition, decentralized portal services like Walrus Host help improve performance and accessibility for decentralized websites by caching and resolving site data through friendly domain names.
Challenges & Future Potential
While Walrus Sites make decentralized hosting practical, the model isn’t a direct replacement for traditional hosting in every context. For example:
Static web apps fit best right now
Dynamic server-side logic still depends on on-chain or off-chain execution layers
However, as the ecosystem evolves, integrations with wallets, smart contracts, and blockchain naming systems mean decentralized websites could become the default choice for trust-minimized front ends of Web3 services.
Conclusion
Decentralized websites represent a foundational shift in how the web can operate—moving control from centralized providers to the actual creators and users. Walrus Sites, backed by decentralized storage and Sui blockchain metadata, make this shift practical and increasingly accessible to developers today.
By enabling:
Censorship resistance
Cryptographically verifiable content
Blockchain-backed ownership
Seamless integration with decentralized apps
Walrus is not just hosting files — it is helping redefine what “the web” can be in a trustless world.
