permaweb

The permaweb is a decentralized, permanent layer of the web consisting of websites, documents, and applications stored on the Arweave network. It is designed to provide long-term data persistence, allowing content to remain accessible for as long as the network’s funding and infrastructure endure.

Technical overview: Arweave uses a blockweave data structure and a consensus mechanism known as Proof of Access. Content is stored in transactions that reference prior data, creating a tamper-evident archive. A one-time upfront fee funds a sustainability endowment intended to cover future storage costs, supporting the promise of permanence. Users upload content with cryptocurrency wallets and pay in AR tokens; data is retrieved through gateways or by direct interaction with the network, using content-addressable identifiers.

Scope and usage: The permaweb hosts static websites, archives, research papers, multimedia, and web applications that can be accessed via gateways such as arweave.net. It has been adopted for long-term archiving, digital heritage, journalism, and censorship-resistant publishing. Content is addressed by transaction IDs and can be linked through standard URLs directing users to a gateway or to the network’s data identifiers.

Governance and limitations: The system is distributed and designed so that content can be preserved without centralized control. Access depends on gateway availability and network reach, so content may be intermittently accessible if gateways are down or if data replication is limited. Permanence is contingent on the continued funding of the endowment and on the resilience of participating nodes. Legal, copyright, and moderation considerations apply to preserved material.

Relation to the broader web: The permaweb is described as a permanent web layer or archival layer that complements the traditional internet, with potential applications in long-term publishing, research, and digital preservation.