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Becoming a Provider

Setting up a DeWeb provider instance allows you to provide an access to decentralized websites through your own domain. Follow these steps to get started.

Important Notice

Depending on your country and jurisdiction, serving on-chain content publicly might have legal implications. We strongly recommend you getting to know your local regulations to ensure proper compliance.

Providers operate independently and can set their own content policies. Each provider can use the blocklist/whitelist system to comply with local regulations by selecting the websites they wish or not to serve.

Step 1: Download the Binary​

  1. Visit the DeWeb Releases page on GitHub.

  2. Download the binary file matching your operating system and architecture:

    • Linux: deweb-server-linux-{arch}
    • Windows: deweb-server-windows-{arch}
    • MacOS (Darwin): deweb-server-darwin-{arch} For Apple Silicon (M1,M2,...), choose arm64, and for Intel, choose amd64.

    If your target or architecture is missing, please open an issue to request it.

Step 2: Extract the Binary​

  1. Extract the downloaded file if it is in a zip format.

Step 3: Configure the Server​

  1. Create a configuration file named deweb_server_config.yaml in the same directory as the server binary.
  2. At a minimum, set the domain field in the configuration file. For example, if you own the domain example.com and will make your DeWeb instance available on it, set the domain to example.com.

Example Configuration​

domain: "example.com"
network_node_url: "https://buildnet.massa.net/api/v2"
api_port: 8080
allow_list:
  - "massaNameService"
  - "AS1S...19b3"
block_list:
  - "massaNameService"
  - "AS1S...4x3o"

The allow/block lists allow you to control which websites are accessible through your provider. If there is any website in the allow list, all other websites are blocked. You can use MNS domain names or smart contract addresses in these lists.

For more detailed settings and options, refer to the Server Configuration page.

Recommendation

We recommend running your own node and using your node's URL as the network_node_url. For instructions on how to run a node, refer to the Run a Node documentation.

Step 4: DNS Configuration​

To serve DeWeb properly, you need to configure your DNS provider to handle subdomains for MNS domains. In your domain provider panel, set the following DNS records:

  • A Record for IPv4: *.example.com pointing to your server's IPv4 address.
  • AAAA Record for IPv6: *.example.com pointing to your server's IPv6 address.

Step 5: Set Up HTTPS and Web Server​

DeWeb requires HTTPS to be properly served. You will need an HTTPS certificate for *.example.com and a web server (like Nginx, Apache, etc.) to handle the HTTPS and proxy the requests to your DeWeb server.

General Steps​

  1. Obtain an HTTPS Certificate: Get an SSL certificate for *.example.com. You can use services like Let's Encrypt to get a free certificate.
  2. Configure Your Web Server: Set up your web server to:
    • Listen on port 80 and redirect HTTP requests to HTTPS.
    • Listen on port 443 for HTTPS requests.
    • Proxy requests to your DeWeb server running on localhost:8080.

For specific configurations, refer to the documentation of the web server you are using (e.g., Nginx, Apache).

Step 6: Copy the Files to the Server​

Copy the extracted binary and the configuration file (deweb_server_config.yaml) to your server. You can use tools like scp or any other method you prefer to transfer files to your server.

Step 7: Run the Server​

  1. Open your terminal.

  2. Navigate to the directory where the binary and configuration file are located.

  3. Run the server with the following command:

    ./deweb-server

    (On Windows, use deweb-server.exeinstead of./deweb-server)

Step 8: Access the Server​

Your DeWeb instance will be accessible from the domain you configured. For example, if you set the domain to example.com, you can access your DeWeb welcome page by visiting http://deweb.example.com.

Optional: Step 9 - Register Your Provider​

You can register your DeWeb provider in the Provider Registry. This registry allows users to find DeWeb providers easily, offering a more decentralized solution as they can choose the provider they want. Additionally, it facilitates communication on important updates to providers.

Work in Progress

DeWeb is still a work in progress, and we are actively listening to feedback. If you encounter any issues or have suggestions, please let us know through our issue tracker.