Introduction: What Is AR.IO?
AR.IO is the world’s first permanent cloud network, built on the Arweave storage protocol and AO compute layer. It offers decentralized, tamper-proof, and universally accessible data storage, ensuring that data, applications, and digital identities remain timeless, secure and accessible everywhere. AR.IO connects users to the permaweb — a web where information lives forever, free from centralized control.
The AR.IO Network is open, distributed, and ownerless.The network runs on decentralized nodes called AR.IO Gateways, which serve as permanent cloud service providers capable of reading, writing, indexing, and querying data stored on the permaweb.These gateways provide a consistent and reliable interface for accessing permanent data, domain name services (ArNS), and applications, all through lasting web addresses.
Powered by the ARIO utility token, the network enables domain registration through the Arweave Name System (ArNs), supports staking, and rewards gateway operators–thereby creating strong incentives for participation. Together, these elements form the backbone of a permanent cloud network built to preserve data and expand the web’s possibilities.
Why Traditional Websites Don’t Last – and Why They Fall Short for Small Businesses
Small businesses rely on websites to connect with customers. But traditional hosting and domains are fragile and risky:
- Domain expiration: Domains are leased yearly. Missed payments can cause loss of your website address to competitors or squatters. Over 30% of small businesses experience unintended domain lapses within five years, losing traffic and trust.
- Recurring hosting costs: Monthly or annual fees add up, straining budgets. Hosting providers may shut down or delete sites for non-payment, payment issues or outages, causing sudden downtime.
- Consequences: Lost customer trust, vanished SEO rankings, broken brand identity, and costly recovery efforts. “Maria’s bakery lost its website and customer data when her hosting provider shut down during a payment dispute.” This is a common story and risk for many small businesses.
AR.IO’s Solution to the problem: Hosting That’s Permanent, Decentralized, and Affordable
AR.IO leverages Arweave and AO to offer:
- One-time payment: Pay once to register your domain, own it permanently and host your website forever. No renewals, no hidden fees.
- Permanent domains: ArNS lets you own domains like mariasbakery.ar outright, with no renewals and no risk of expiration .
- Tamper-proof storage: Data is immutable,stored forever and distributed across global nodes(decentralized nodes), ensuring 100% uptime and protection from censorship or deletion.
- Easy management: No Coding required, with no-code builders and simple upload interfaces. This decentralized approach reduces costs, increases reliability, and simplifies management.
What This Guide Covers
This guide walks you through four easy phases to build and maintain your permanent website on AR.IO:
- Register your permanent domain via ArNS
- Build your website with no-code tools
- Upload your website to AR.IO’s decentralized gateway
- Update your website content anytime
Visual Representation: Workflow Diagram “A Step-by-Step linear workflow for creating and maintaining a permanent website on AR.IO. Each phase builds on the previous, ensuring seamless integration.”
Step 1: Register Your Business Domain on AR.IO
Your domain is your permanent address on the permaweb.
- Visit the AR.IO Domain Portal.
- Search for your desired name (e.g., mariasbakery).
- Check availability and validity (6–51 characters, no leading/trailing hyphens).
- Choose to buy outright or lease (1–5 years). Buying is one-time payment.
- Connect your Arweave wallet (e.g., Wander formerly ArConnect) or pay with credit card.
- Confirm the transaction and wait 1–2 minutes for blockchain verification. Tips:
- Keep your domain short and brand-aligned.
- Register common misspellings to protect your brand.
Example: Maria bought mariasbakery.ar for $50 with a credit card—no renewals needed.
This images below gives a graphic view so you can understand much more even as you visit the website.
Step 2: Build Your Website Without Coding
Use simple tools and website builders to create your site.
Google Sites (Free, Multi-Page)
- Design your site at Google Sites.
- Export your site as static files using tools like HTTrack or SiteSucker.
Carrd.co (Affordable, Single-Page)
- Build a sleek site at Carrd.co for $19/year.
- Export your site as ZIP containing HTML, CSS, and JS files.
Starter Template We provide a simple starter template to jumpstart your site: GitHub: AR.IO Small Business Starter Template Includes homepage, contact form, and image gallery with easy customization.
Step 3: Upload Your Website to the Permaweb and Create a Manifest (Using Maria’s Bakery as an Example)
Make your website permanent and accessible.
- Organize your website files: Maria gathers all her bakery website files—index.html (homepage), other HTML pages, CSS, images of her cakes, and JavaScript—into a folder called marias-bakery-site.
- **Go to ArDrive Web App **: Maria opens ArDrive in her browser and logs in using Wander (previously ArConnect).
- Create or open a public drive: She clicks “New” → “New Drive”, names it “Maria’s Bakery Website,” and sets it to Public.
- Upload her website folder: Inside her public drive, Maria clicks “Upload” → “Upload Folder”, selects her marias-bakery-site folder, ensures “Public” is checked, and clicks “Upload.” She approves the AR token payment in Wander.
- Create a manifest file: After uploading, Maria clicks the red +New button and selects Advanced → New Manifest. She chooses the same folder as her index.html file, names the manifest (e.g., “permasite”, “mariasbakery”), and confirms. She approves the transaction in Wander. The manifest icon will appear yellow while it’s being confirmed. When it turns green, her permasite is live!
- Preview and copy the manifest TXID: Maria clicks the manifest file, uses the Preview icon to open her site in a new tab, and tests all pages and navigation. She then copies the manifest’s Data TX ID—this is the permanent reference she’ll use for her domain.
Note: When previewing from the manifest, Maria will see a long, random-looking URL. Once she links her ArNS domain, her site will be available at her chosen human-readable address (e.g., mariasbakery.ar.io). Visitors will only need to use this clean domain, not the long TXID URL.
Step 4: Link Your Domain with ArNS (.ar Domain)
Connect your permanent website to your official AR.IO domain (e.g., mariasbakery.ar).
- Go to ArNS App: Log in using Wander (previously ArConnect).
- Manage your .ar domain: Find your domain (e.g., mariasbakery.ar) under “Manage” and click “Edit.”
- Update your domain’s target: In the “Target ID” field, paste the manifest TXID you copied from ArDrive. Click “Save” and approve the transaction (uses a small amount of tokens).
- Test your domain: After a few minutes, visit your website (e.g., https://mariasbakery.ar or https://mariasbakery.ar.io) in your browser. Your website should now load at your official AR.IO domain, and you can see your live site!
Note: When previewing from the manifest, you’ll see a long, random-looking URL. Once you link your ArNS domain, your site will be available at your chosen human-readable address (e.g., mariasbakery.ar.io).
Best Practices:
- Backup all versions (e.g., bakery_v1.zip , bakery_v2.zip).
- Track transaction IDs in a spreadsheet for easy reference.
- Test locally before uploading.
“e.g Maria adds a seasonal holiday menu by editing her Carrd.co file, re-uploading it, and updating her domain’s pointer.”
Understanding the Technology: Arweave, AO, and AR.IO
- Arweave is a novel blockchain-like protocol called a blockweave. It stores data permanently by linking each new block to a previous random block, incentivizing miners to store all data securely and efficiently.
- AO (Actor Oriented) is a decentralized compute layer on Arweave, enabling smart contracts and decentralized applications. AR.IO operates on AO, leveraging its compute and storage capabilities.
- AR.IO builds on Arweave and AO to provide user-friendly gateways, domain services (ArNS), and token incentives (ARIO) for a permanent web ecosystem.
Final Thoughts
AR.IO empowers small businesses to own their online presence forever—secure, affordable, and easy to manage. Maria’s Bakery now has a website that won’t disappear, saving money and preserving customer trust.
Ready to start?
- Register your domain at AR.IO
- Build your site with no-code tools
- Upload and link your site for permanent hosting
Your website should last as long as your business does.
About the author
Ishioma Light is a writer and community builder focusing on Web3 tech, growing, scaling, sustaining and influencing communities with strategy, content, engagement, incentives and community building. Follow Ishioma on X and Linkedin.
Disclosure: This is a guest post submitted by an external contributor. The views expressed are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Permaweb Journal.