DeWeb: A Faster, Resilient Solution for Decentralized Hosting

Today’s internet freedoms are at growing risk. Central hosting providers can control your data — and restrict access to it instantly. Governments also play an increasing role in online content censorship for political, social, and religious reasons.

For a long time, onion services on TOR were the best options for hosting censorship-resistant applications. Many users worldwide have relied on .onion services to host content and guarantee access to critical resources, even in regions affected by internet censorship.

However, onion services have a fundamental problem that’s often overlooked: they rely on centralized hosting solutions. This means that your onion services are hosted on a single server, creating a single point of failure.

In this article, we’ll explore how DeWeb addresses these issues by offering a fully decentralized, replicated, on-chain hosting solution that enhances privacy and resilience.

How DeWeb Solves the Centralization Problem

As mentioned, the Decentralized Web, powered by MassaLabs, presents a faster, more reliable alternative to onion services by eliminating the need for centralized servers. Here’s how it works:

Unlike onion services, DeWeb websites are not stored on a single server. Instead, all websites uploaded to the Massa blockchain are fully replicated across every node in the network, ensuring 100% uptime. This approach leverages Decentralized Storage to distribute website data securely and efficiently. If an onion service’s central server is compromised, the entire operation goes down, causing infrastructure downtime. With DeWeb, this risk is eliminated. Data replication across the blockchain removes any central points of failure, providing strong resilience against typical web threats.

Moreover, DeWeb not only removes the need for servers but completely eliminates the need to run or maintain any infrastructure. Once your website is stored on-chain, it will continue running without interruption, making it a reliable option for users seeking decentralized hosting solutions.

DeWeb also offers an improved user experience with domain names. On TOR, users rely on lists of .onion addresses, whereas DeWeb provides a Massa Name Service (MNS). MNS are on-chain, fully replicated, and immutable NFTs that users can mint for unique domain names, allowing fast, secure access to decentralized websites. These Massa domains simplify navigation and enhance security by preventing DNS hijacking — ensuring that what you request is exactly what you get.

DeWeb’s optional immutability is also a standout feature. In today’s world, applications face frequent attacks due to poor security practices, resulting in serious losses. At MassaLabs, we believe that user security should come first. That’s why we built DeWeb with immutability in mind.

Immutability of the DeWeb-hosted websites, stored in Smart Contracts, means that a malicious actor cannot modify the website. This is a significant improvement when comparing DeWeb to onion services.

Indeed, if a malicious actor or abusive authority gains access to the central server where your application is hosted, they can do anything they want with your website. They can siphon your data or hijack your frontend to carry out malicious tasks like personal information theft.

DeWeb’s immutability by design and the absence of central servers guarantee that this will never happen to you or to the users visiting your website. This fully unlocks the possibility to host completely decentralized applications, or dApps, that do not depend on anyone to run. In simpler terms, once they’re “on-chain,” they live on-chain.

Comparison Table: DeWeb vs. TOR Onion Services

Conclusion

Both TOR and DeWeb are essential for maintaining privacy, fighting censorship, and supporting global access to information. However, DeWeb stands out as a safer, faster, and more reliable alternative to onion services. Built on the Massa blockchain, DeWeb ensures high availability, security, and resilience without relying on central servers.

For users searching for decentralized hosting solutions for privacy or looking for an alternative to traditional web hosting, DeWeb provides an innovative approach that meets these needs effectively.

For more information, follow MassaLabs on social media or visit the DeWeb landing page.

• Website: massa.net
• Massa Foundation website: https://massa.foundation/
• Documentation: https://docs.massa.net/
• Source code and tutorials: github.com/massalabs/massa
• Telegram: t.me/massanetwork
• Discord: discord.gg/massa
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MassaLabs
• Reddit: reddit.com/r/massa/
• Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UChVfdvYpn0eFk4B-T7TGmOg