Documentation

What you can host on each decentralized storage network, file type support, and limitations.

How Weavefront Hosting Works

Weavefront deploys static sites to decentralized storage networks. You upload an archive (.zip or .tar.gz) or a single file, and Weavefront pushes it to the target network. The content is then served through a gateway URL.

All three supported networks are static-only. There is no server-side execution. Your site must be pre-built before uploading — think HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, and other assets that run entirely in the browser.

Supported Content

Fully Supported

HTML / CSS / JavaScript — static sites, SPAs, landing pages, portfolios
Client-side frameworks — React, Vue, Svelte, Next.js (static export), Astro, SolidJS, etc.
Static site generators — Hugo, Jekyll, 11ty, Gatsby, Zola — build locally, upload the output
Images — PNG, JPG, SVG, WebP, GIF, AVIF, ICO
Fonts — WOFF2, WOFF, TTF, OTF
Documents — PDF, plain text, Markdown (pre-rendered)
Media — MP4, WebM, MP3, OGG, WAV
WebAssembly — .wasm modules loaded by JavaScript
JSON / XML / YAML — configuration files, data files, manifests
dApps — fully client-side decentralized apps that connect to smart contracts via Web3 providers

Not Supported

PHP, Python, Ruby, Node.js — no server-side languages; there is no runtime on these networks
Databases — no MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or any backend database
Server-side APIs — no Express, Django, Flask, Rails, or similar frameworks
Server-side rendering (SSR) — Next.js SSR, Nuxt SSR, or any runtime rendering will not work
Dynamic server features — no .htaccess, server rewrites, CGI, or WebSocket servers

If your framework supports static export (e.g. next export, nuxt generate), you can build it locally and upload the static output folder.

Deploy Targets

IPFS (Pinata)

Content-addressed storage. Files are pinned and served via IPFS gateways. Content persists as long as it is pinned.

HTML CSS JS Images WASM Directories PHP SSR

Content is addressed by CID (Content Identifier). Updating a site produces a new CID. Gateway URL format: gateway/ipfs/{cid}

Arweave (ArDrive Turbo)

Permanent, on-chain storage. Data is stored forever and cannot be deleted or modified once uploaded.

HTML CSS JS Images WASM Directories PHP SSR

Content is addressed by transaction ID. Storage is permanent — think carefully before uploading. Gateway URL format: arweave.net/{tx_id}

Filecoin (Lighthouse)

Decentralized storage backed by Filecoin deals. Content is pinned and served through Lighthouse gateways.

HTML CSS JS Images WASM Directories PHP SSR

Content is addressed by CID. Lighthouse handles Filecoin deal-making. Gateway URL format: gateway.lighthouse.storage/ipfs/{cid}

Comparison

Feature	IPFS (Pinata)	Arweave	Filecoin (Lighthouse)
Persistence	While pinned	Permanent	While deal is active
Deletable	Yes (unpin)	No	Yes
Cost model	Subscription (Pinata plan)	One-time payment	Per-upload (Lighthouse plan)
Directory uploads	Yes	Yes	Yes
Max file size	Pinata plan limit	ArDrive Turbo limit	Lighthouse plan limit
Best for	Websites, dApps, mutable content	Permanent archives, immutable sites	Large files, data storage

Upload Formats

Weavefront accepts the following upload formats via the deploy endpoint:

.zip — standard zip archive containing your site files
.tar.gz / .tgz — gzipped tar archive
Single file — upload a single HTML file or any other static asset

Archives are extracted server-side. If the archive contains a single root directory, Weavefront uses its contents directly. The maximum upload size is configurable (default: 50 MB).

Tips

Build your site locally before uploading — npm run build, hugo, zola build, etc.
Zip or tar the output folder (e.g. dist/, build/, public/), not the source
Make sure index.html is at the root of your archive for gateway serving
Use relative paths for assets — absolute paths may not resolve on all gateways
For SPAs, include a fallback index.html — gateways don't support server-side rewrites
Arweave uploads are permanent — double-check your content before deploying