Intro to Arweave
Arweave is a decentralized protocol that enables anyone to pay once and store any type of data permanently. The core protocol site is Arweave.org. As a collectively owned hard drive that never forgets, Arweave allows us to remember and preserve valuable information, apps, and history indefinitely. Only Arweave (this site) is a community resource. We're focused on growing the Arweave ecosystem by connecting and helping founders get started, providing educational material, hosting events, and building products and services built on Arweave to expand awareness.
Go to ArweaveHub.com for the latest events happening & more.
The Permaweb
On top of the Arweave network lives the permaweb: a global, community-owned web that anyone can contribute to or get paid to maintain.
The permaweb looks just like the normal web, but all of its content – from images to full web apps – is permanent, retrieved quickly, and decentralized – forever.
Just as the first web connected people over vast distances, the permaweb connects people over extremely long periods of time.
No more 404s. No more stealth edits. No more web apps that decline in quality.
What do Permaweb links look like?
Here's an example of a Permaweb link on Arweave:
You'll notice how long the link is. The reason for this is that each link on the permaweb represents a transaction on the blockweave (Arweave's version of a blockchain). In addition to this, you'll see arweave.net displayed, this is what's called the gateway, or "doorway" into the Permaweb. Gateways provide the pathway to the content you're looking for.
Can I explore the Permaweb?
Yes you can. Currently, it is a bit more like exploring a database as it is still very early regarding indexing (or searching) on the Permaweb. Because each upload or interaction with the Permaweb is associated with a wallet, you can explore wallets and see what is being uploaded. One way to do this is to go to viewblock.io/arweave.
The most fun way to explore the Permaweb is via decentralized apps built on Arweave. Check out bazar.arweave.dev.
Check out a video on the Permaweb here.
More details about Arweave
There are plenty of ways to explore and learn more about Arweave and the Permaweb. We're building out a lot more resources, in the mean time, be sure and listen to the Permaweb Pioneers podcast, check out ArweaveHub.com, and head over to Permaweb.news for the latest in the ecosystem.
If any questions arise, send us a tweet @onlyarweave :)
$AR
AR is the Token that powers the Arweave network. For information about where to purchase AR, check out a list of exchanges here.