Building Websites for Safe Network (2024)

[happybeing]

In earlier versions of Safe Network we were able to build static websites and upload them to Safe Network for access with the custom Safe Browser app. I’m hoping there will be a Browser again but as yet it isn’t in the Roadmap (maybe a partner app? who knows). But I’m going out on a limb here!

So I’m resurrecting my dWeb blog which showed how you could build a website blog and deploy it simultaneously to the web and to the Safe Network web.

This does though depend on the publishing approach applied to Safe Network and supported by a browser - i.e. one that supports static websites built with existing tools.

I proposed such an approach here last week, so it should be possible but as yet we don’t know what if any plans there are in this area. Of course anyone could build such a browser, but it is too much for me to take on, so for now I’m just hoping MaidSafe have something like this up their sleeve.

Progress so far

I started by updating what I had in react-static which you can see at dweb.happybeing.com to check it still works and then began turning that into a Svelte static blog which also works but is just a test website for now at svelte.happybeing.com.

Publii (move over Safepress)

Then I came across a little gem (on Mastodon of course), called Publii which would also be ideal and in minutes had a test website up at publii.happybeing.com

Publii is very like a WordPress CMS, but as a desktop app - so no servers - and could make it very easy to build websites and deploy them to Safe Network. The UX is a little clunky but once you get going it is a brilliant way to create a blog. Publii also has a WordPress like marketplace for themes and plugins. Publii itself is GPL and runs on Linux, Windows or Mac. So Publii is effectively SafePress which was on my todo list years ago - remember that?!

If you want to try it out see:

The Static CMS with GUI for Secure, Fast, and GDPR Compliant Websites.

[Traktion]

I’ve actually been doing something similar too - I’ve been updating IMIM to work with the latest sn_client/sn_node too: Blogging with IMIM and Safe Network | by Paul Green | Level Up Coding

I got it working today and sn_httpd now pulls files from my local test network. Combined with the I Am Immutable Client, it’s rendering the static blogs nicely.

Note, it’s pretty warty atm, but I’m having fun poking about in rust.

[fergish]

Fantastic!!

These are things that, all by themselves, will open up use cases that have fallen away with the de-privatization of the internet space.

Short step to the fabulousness of reviving the old message-board revolution on a whole new level of access.

[Guybrows]

It’s going to be so much easier this time with AI to assist me.