CloudFlare's IPFS Gateway Makes it Easy To Create Distributed Web Sites

CloudFlare has introduced a new gateway that allows you to easily access content stored on IPFS, or the InterPlanetary File System, through a web browser and without having to install a client. From a report: With this announcement, CloudFlare also explains how you can use their gateway to create static web sites that are served entirely over IPFS. This allows users to create web sites containing information that cannot be censored by governments, companies, or other organizations. [...] With CloudFlare's IPFS Gateway, it is very easy to access files stored in IPFS using any web browser. To open a file stored on IPFS you would simply connect to the web address https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/[hash] URL, where hash is the hash of the file stored on IPFS.

Re:

[Shikaku]

You mean like you are when you pay for hosting? Or your ISP even if you didn't pay your hosting but are doing it yourself? A third party is required to even access the internet, let alone host something on there.

They will probably censor some stuff

[Anonymous Coward]

Stuff that's blatantly illegal in the USA AND toxic to Cloudflare's reputation will probably be blacklisted from this service as soon as someone complains an Cloudflare verifies it's illegal.

I'm thinking k1dd13 pr0n.

Stuff that's arguably illegal in the USA will probably be blacklisted from this service by court order.

I'm thinking copyright violations.

On the other hand, people hosting stuff that helps freedom-fighters in countries where the freedom fighters have the sympathy of the US government and the gene

So...

[Anonymous Coward]

Just Block cloudflare-ipfs.com

et voila

censored.

passphrase === 'grievous'

Ad?

[DaMattster]

Is this an ad for CloudFlare? I wouldn't touch CouldFlare with a 10ft pole.

Re:

[SpzToid]

What is so bad with CloudFlare? What's your beef?

I use their free DNS because I can refresh it globally at-will; I develop websites. They have other features that look nice, but frankly I haven't been able to get around to implementing much else from CloudFlare.

Re:Ad?

[DontBeAMoran]

What's your beef?

That expression is not politically correct. You should say "What's your textured soy protein?"

I feel so out of date!

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

I used to think if the access point is through a top level domainname, like https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ [cloudflare-ipfs.com] the ISPs or the governments controlling the ISP can block access to it.

Looks like that is not the case. Dont know how people circumvent the simple blocks based on ip addresses.

Re:

[teknopurge]

Becuase the content is not hosted by Cloudflare - it's just a proxy. You can use many other means to access IPFS data.

Re:

[BWS]

$100 the GFW will be able to block it for 99% of the people in 3 years.

Re:

[SuricouRaven]

Easy to block a TLD, but all IPFS gateways are interchangeable. If that one is blocked you just use the gateway at ipfs.io, or birds-are-nice.me, or one of several others. Or you can run your own IPFS node, with your own local gateway. So blocking a TLD doesn't achieve anything.

No censorship?

[DogDude]

"This allows users to create web sites containing information that cannot be censored by governments, companies, or other organizations."

... except Cloudflare, of course.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

CloudFlare isn't the only IPFS gateway, they are just the largest one announced, by far.

Opera Unite

[technosaurus]

Older versions of Opera had this built in and many more features. It was ahead of its time and eventually dropped, but this is still not a good replacement. Unite could have been really awesome by now if they kept it going after the WebKit and then Blink switch.

Troy Hunt's use of Cloudflare's caching

[MatthiasF]

Anyone interested in the IPFS model should read Troy Hunt's explanation earlier this month on how he brought down costs on his popular websites (Have I Been Pwned, Pwned Passwords, etc.).

https://www.troyhunt.com/serve... [troyhunt.com]