Deploying Sites

Deploy static sites to decentralized storage networks (IPFS, Filecoin, Arweave).

Deployment Methods

Web App Coming Soon

The web application interface (GitHub Integration and Upload Folder methods) is currently in development. In the meantime, use the CLI or SDK methods below to deploy your sites.

GitHub Integration

Coming Soon

This feature will be available once the web app launches.

Deploy directly from a GitHub repository:

1. Go to Sites → Deploy Site
2. Choose GitHub
3. Connect your GitHub account
4. Select repository and branch
5. Configure build settings
6. Choose storage network
7. Click Deploy

Auto-deploys on every push to the selected branch.

Upload Folder

Coming Soon

This feature will be available once the web app launches.

Deploy a local build folder:

1. Go to Sites → Deploy Site
2. Choose Upload Folder
3. Drag and drop your build folder (or browse)
4. Choose storage network
5. Click Deploy

CLI Deployment (Available Now)

Deploy via command line:

# Deploy to IPFS
af sites deploy ./dist --network ipfs

# Deploy to Arweave
af sites deploy ./dist --network arweave

# Deploy to Filecoin
af sites deploy ./dist --network filecoin

Storage Networks

Alternate Futures supports three decentralized storage networks. Each has different strengths, costs, and use cases.

Choosing the Right Network

Not sure which network to use? Use this decision guide:

Quick Decision Tree

Are you building an NFT project or need permanent, immutable storage?
  → YES: Use Arweave
  → NO: Continue...

Is this a production website that updates regularly?
  → YES: Use IPFS (with optional Arweave backup)
  → NO: Continue...

Do you have large files (100GB+) and need low cost?
  → YES: Use Filecoin
  → NO: Use IPFS (easiest to start)

By Use Case

Personal Portfolio (Developer/Designer)

• Primary: IPFS (~$0.01/month for 100MB) or Arweave (~$0.60 one-time)
• Why: Show off your work with a unique, decentralized URL
• Like: GitHub Pages but with custom domains and decentralized
• Bonus: Content can't be taken down, great conversation starter

React/Vue/Svelte App (SPA)

• Primary: IPFS (~$0.15/month for 1GB)
• Why: Fast global CDN, frequent updates, easy deployments
• Like: Vercel or Netlify but decentralized
• Perfect for: SaaS frontends, admin dashboards, web apps

Static Blog (Astro/Hugo/Jekyll)

• Primary: IPFS with Arweave backup
• Why: Fast loading (IPFS) + permanent archive (Arweave)
• Cost: ~$0.05/month + ~$1.50 one-time for 250MB
• Like: Medium or Ghost but you own everything forever

Landing Page (Marketing Site)

• Primary: IPFS (~$0.02/month for 50MB)
• Why: Frequent A/B testing, fast worldwide delivery
• Like: Netlify but potentially cheaper for static content
• Perfect for: Product launches, email capture, announcements

Documentation Site (Vitepress/Docusaurus/MkDocs)

• Primary: IPFS (~$0.08/month for 500MB)
• Why: Regular updates, versioning, fast search
• Like: Read the Docs but decentralized with version history
• Bonus: Every deployment gets a permanent CID for version linking

E-commerce Storefront (Headless Commerce)

• Primary: IPFS (~$0.20/month for 2GB)
• Why: Fast product pages, frequent inventory updates
• Like: Shopify frontend on Vercel, but decentralized
• Perfect for: Headless Shopify, product catalogs, storefronts

Company Website (Corporate Site)

• Primary: IPFS with custom domain (~$0.10/month for 1GB)
• Why: Professional presence, SSL included, global CDN
• Like: Any traditional web host but censorship-resistant
• Perfect for: About pages, team bios, contact forms

NFT Collection Website

• Primary: Arweave (~$0.60 one-time for 100MB)
• Why: Must be permanent, immutable, and verifiable
• Cost: ~$0.60 one-time for 100MB of metadata/images
• Industry standard for NFT projects (OpenSea expects Arweave)

Conference/Event Site (Temporary)

• Primary: IPFS (~$0.05/month for 500MB)
• Why: Short-term hosting, then can unpin to stop costs
• Like: Quick landing page for events, cheaper than keeping domain alive
• Bonus: Keep it pinned forever as a historical record for ~$0 more

Large Media Archive (500GB Videos/Photos)

• Primary: Filecoin (~$15/month)
• Why: Most cost-effective for large datasets
• Cost: $15/month vs ~$75/month on IPFS or $3,000 on Arweave
• Perfect for: Video galleries, photo archives, backups

Open Source Project Demos

• Primary: IPFS (~$0.05/month for 200MB)
• Why: Each PR can have its own CID for preview deploys
• Like: Vercel preview deployments but with permanent CIDs
• Perfect for: Interactive demos that need to stay accessible

Whistleblower/Leak Platform

• Primary: Arweave (~$3 one-time for 500MB)
• Why: Permanent, immutable, no server logs, no centralized control
• Like: WikiLeaks-style platforms but truly uncensorable
• Perfect for: Document dumps, investigative journalism, transparency initiatives
• Bonus: Content-addressing means identical documents have same CID (deduplication)

Activist/Political Campaign Site

• Primary: IPFS (~$0.05/month for 300MB)
• Why: Can't be seized, no single hosting company to pressure
• Like: Traditional website but immune to takedown requests
• Perfect for: Protest organizing, political dissidents, human rights advocacy
• Bonus: Mirror across multiple gateways for resilience

Privacy-Focused Blog (Anonymous Author)

• Primary: IPFS (~$0.03/month for 150MB) or Arweave (~$1 one-time)
• Why: No server logs tracking visitors, no centralized owner
• Like: Medium but without corporate surveillance
• Perfect for: Journalists in dangerous regions, anonymous researchers
• Security tip: Use Tor + IPFS gateway for true anonymity

Encrypted Document Archive

• Primary: Filecoin (~$3/month for 100GB) + client-side encryption
• Why: Cheap long-term storage, data encrypted before upload
• Like: Encrypted cloud backup but decentralized
• Perfect for: Legal documents, medical records, sensitive research
• Security: Encrypt files locally before uploading (server never sees plaintext)

Alternative Social Network/Forum

• Primary: IPFS (~$0.20/month for 2GB)
• Why: No central authority can ban users or censor content
• Like: Reddit/Mastodon but without moderators or corporate control
• Perfect for: Free speech platforms, controversial discussions
• Note: Frontend is decentralized, but consider decentralized backend too

Government/Corporate Watchdog Site

• Primary: Arweave (~$6 one-time for 1GB)
• Why: Permanent record that can't be altered or deleted
• Like: Archive.org but immutable and censorship-proof
• Perfect for: Tracking policy changes, preserving deleted tweets/posts
• Bonus: Every version has verifiable timestamp on blockchain

Network Comparison

Feature	IPFS	Filecoin	Arweave
Cost Structure	Monthly	Monthly	One-time
Price	~$0.15/GB/month	~$0.03/GB/month	~$6/GB once
Update Frequency	✅ High	⚠️ Moderate	❌ Immutable
Speed	✅ Fast	⚠️ Moderate	✅ Fast
Permanence	While pinned	Contract-based	♾️ Forever
Best File Size	Any	Large (100GB+)	Any
Mutability	✅ Via IPNS	✅ New deals	❌ Immutable
NFT-Ready	⚠️ Needs pinning	⚠️ Needs pinning	✅ Perfect

Understanding the Networks

IPFS (InterPlanetary File System)

What it is: A peer-to-peer network where files are identified by their content, not location.

How it works:

1. Your files get a unique ID (CID) based on their content
2. Files are "pinned" to ensure they stay available
3. Content is retrieved from the nearest available node
4. Like BitTorrent, but for websites

Pros:

• ✅ Fast global distribution via CDN gateways
• ✅ Easy to update (IPNS support)
• ✅ Most similar to traditional hosting
• ✅ Great ecosystem and tooling

Cons:

• ❌ Requires active pinning (monthly cost)
• ❌ Content disappears if unpinned
• ❌ Not truly permanent

Best for: Frequently updated sites, fast propagation

Pricing: ~$0.15/GB/month

Real Example: A 500MB React app costs ~$0.08/month. If you update it weekly, IPFS makes sense because updates are easy.

Filecoin

What it is: A blockchain-based storage marketplace where you make "deals" with storage providers.

How it works:

1. You create a storage deal with a miner
2. The miner stores your data and provides cryptographic proofs
3. You pay for the storage duration
4. Compatible with IPFS for retrieval

Pros:

• ✅ 5x cheaper than IPFS for large files
• ✅ Cryptographic proof your data is stored
• ✅ Decentralized marketplace
• ✅ IPFS-compatible

Cons:

• ❌ Slower than IPFS for small files
• ❌ More complex setup
• ❌ Deal negotiation required

Best for: Long-term archival, data preservation, large datasets

Pricing: ~$0.03/GB/month

Real Example: A 200GB video archive costs ~$6/month on Filecoin vs ~$30/month on IPFS.

Arweave

What it is: A blockchain that offers permanent, pay-once storage that lasts forever.

How it works:

1. You pay a one-time fee upfront
2. Your data is stored permanently on the "blockweave"
3. Economic incentives ensure miners store it forever
4. Cannot be updated or deleted

Pros:

• ✅ Truly permanent (200+ year guarantee)
• ✅ One-time payment (no recurring costs)
• ✅ Built-in CDN
• ✅ Perfect for NFTs and archives
• ✅ Censorship-resistant

Cons:

• ❌ Higher upfront cost
• ❌ Cannot update or delete content
• ❌ Not suitable for frequently changing sites

Best for: Permanent storage, immutable content, NFTs

Pricing: One-time fee (~$6/GB)

Real Example: NFT metadata (1MB) costs ~$0.006 once and is stored forever. If a traditional CDN costs $0.01/month, Arweave pays for itself in 7 months and then it's free forever.

Cost Comparison Examples

Here's what different project sizes cost across networks:

Small Blog (100MB)

• IPFS: $0.015/month → $0.18/year
• Filecoin: $0.003/month → $0.036/year
• Arweave: $0.60 once (free after that)
• Winner: IPFS for frequent updates, Arweave for long-term

Medium Website (1GB)

• IPFS: $0.15/month → $1.80/year
• Filecoin: $0.03/month → $0.36/year
• Arweave: $6 once
• Winner: Filecoin after year 1, Arweave after ~3 years

Large Archive (100GB)

• IPFS: $15/month → $180/year
• Filecoin: $3/month → $36/year
• Arweave: $600 once
• Winner: Filecoin for almost all cases

NFT Collection (500MB metadata)

• IPFS: $0.075/month → Needs permanent pinning
• Filecoin: $0.015/month → Needs permanent deals
• Arweave: $3 once → Permanent, immutable, verifiable
• Winner: Arweave (industry standard for NFTs)

Build Configuration

Framework Detection

Automatic detection for:

• React/Vite - dist/
• Next.js - .next/
• SvelteKit - .svelte-kit/output/client/
• Nuxt - .output/public/
• Astro - dist/
• Hugo - public/

Custom Build

Specify custom build settings:

build:
  command: npm run build
  output: dist
  environment:
    NODE_ENV: production

Custom Domains

Coming Soon

Custom domain management via the web interface is in development. For now, see Custom Domains for manual DNS configuration.

Point your domain to your deployment:

1. Go to site settings
2. Click Add Custom Domain
3. Enter your domain (e.g., example.com)
4. Configure DNS:
   • A Record: Point to gateway IP
   • CNAME: Point to deployment URL
   • DNSLink: Point to IPFS CID
5. Wait for propagation (~24 hours)

See Custom Domains for detailed instructions.

Deployment History

Coming Soon

Deployment history viewing via the web interface is in development. Use the CLI to view deployment history: af sites list --history

View all deployments for a site:

• CID/Transaction ID - Unique identifier
• Timestamp - When deployed
• Status - Success, failed, pending
• Size - Total deployment size
• Cost - Deployment cost

Roll back to any previous deployment with one click.

Next Steps

• Storage Management - Manage storage across networks
• Custom Domains - Configure DNS
• CI/CD Integration - Automate deployments