Launching a Website on Sui Using Walrus

This guide provides step-by-step instructions to deploy a static website on the Sui blockchain using the Walrus decentralized storage system. It assumes you have a pre-built website (e.g., in a build or dist directory) and are familiar with basic command-line operations.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have the following:

1. Pre-built Website: A directory containing your static website files (e.g., index.html, CSS, JS). This could be the output from a web framework like React, Vue, or plain HTML.
2. Rust Installed: The site-builder tool requires Rust. Install it by following the instructions at https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install.
3. Sui CLI Installed: The Sui command-line interface is needed for interacting with the Sui blockchain. Follow the official Sui installation guide at https://docs.sui.io/guides/developer/getting-started/sui-install.
4. Walrus CLI Installed: Install the Walrus CLI, which includes the site-builder tool, by following the setup instructions at https://docs.walrus.site/walrus/intro.html#installing-the-walrus-cli. Alternatively, download the pre-built site-builder binary for your operating system from https://github.com/MystenLabs/walrus/releases.
5. Sui Wallet with Testnet SUI: Set up a Sui wallet (e.g., Sui Wallet browser extension) and fund it with Testnet SUI tokens:
   • Download Sui Wallet: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/sui-wallet/opcgpfmipidbgpenhmajoajpbobppdil
   • Request Testnet SUI from the faucet: https://faucet.testnet.sui.io/
   • Switch your wallet to Sui Testnet.
6. Walrus Testnet WAL Tokens: Obtain Testnet WAL tokens for storage payments from the Walrus faucet: https://faucet.testnet.walrus.site/.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prepare Your Website Directory

Ensure your website files are in a single directory (e.g., ./my-site). The directory must include an index.html file as the entry point. If it doesn’t, you can use the --list-directory flag during publishing to generate a file browser.

• Verify your directory structure. For example:

  my-site/
  ├── index.html
  ├── css/
  │   └── styles.css
  ├── js/
  │   └── app.js
  └── assets/
      └── image.png
  

Step 2: Configure the Walrus Site-Builder

The site-builder tool uses a configuration file (sites-config.yaml) to manage settings. If this file doesn’t exist in your project directory, the tool will use default settings, but you can create one for advanced customization.

1. Optional: Create a Configuration File
   • Create a sites-config.yaml file in your project directory.
   • Example configuration:

     title: "My Walrus Site"
     description: "A decentralized website on Sui"
     

   • For advanced settings (e.g., custom headers, routing), refer to the official documentation: https://docs.walrus.site/walrus-sites/advanced.html.

Step 3: Publish Your Walrus Site

Use the site-builder tool to publish your website to Walrus, which stores the files as blobs and creates a Sui object for metadata and ownership.

1. Run the Publish Command

   • Navigate to your project directory:

     cd my-site
     

   • Execute the publish command, specifying the directory and storage duration (in epochs, where 1 epoch ≈ 2 days on Walrus Testnet):

     site-builder publish --epochs 100 ./my-site
     

     • --epochs 100: Sets the site to remain active for approximately 200 days (100 epochs × 2 days). The maximum is 183 epochs (~1 year).
     • Replace ./my-site with the path to your website directory.
     • If your directory lacks an index.html, add the --list-directory flag:

       site-builder publish --epochs 100 --list-directory ./my-site
       

2. Output

   • The command generates a Walrus blob for each file and a Sui object ID for the site (e.g., 0x407a3081...).
   • Note the Sui object ID from the output, as it’s required for updates or SuiNS integration.
   • You can view the site on Sui Explorer: https://suiscan.xyz/testnet by searching for the object ID.

Step 4: Access Your Walrus Site

Walrus Sites are accessed via portals, which retrieve files from Walrus and metadata from Sui. You can use a public portal or host your own.

1. Using a Public Portal

   • Access your site via a portal like https://walrus.site.
   • The URL will be in the format: https://<object-id>.walrus.site, where <object-id> is the Base36-encoded Sui object ID (e.g., https://2hzpawjycxuiuh36047yocxapc69g8ercrypa7ccsk8ek4iqu6.walrus.site).
   • To convert the Sui object ID to Base36, refer to the Walrus documentation or use a Base36 converter tool.

2. Optional: Host Your Own Portal

   • Clone the Walrus Sites repository: https://github.com/MystenLabs/walrus-sites.
   • Follow the instructions to set up a local portal: https://docs.walrus.site/walrus-sites/portal.html.
   • Run the portal locally to serve your site at http://localhost:3000.

Step 5: Optional: Assign a SuiNS Domain

For a human-readable URL, integrate your site with SuiNS (Sui Name Service).

1. Register a SuiNS Name

   • Purchase a SuiNS name (e.g., my-site.sui) via the SuiNS interface: https://suins.io/.
   • Use your Sui wallet to complete the transaction on Testnet.

2. Link the SuiNS Name to Your Site

   • Update the site’s Sui object to point to your SuiNS name using the site-builder tool or Sui CLI.
   • Example command:

     site-builder update --sui-ns my-site.sui --object-id 0x407a3081...
     

     • Replace my-site.sui with your SuiNS name and 0x407a3081... with your site’s Sui object ID.
   • Your site will now be accessible at https://my-site.walrus.site.

3. Verify on Sui Explorer

   • Check the SuiNS mapping on https://suiscan.xyz/testnet to ensure the name resolves to your site’s object ID.

Step 6: Update Your Walrus Site (If Needed)

To update your site (e.g., modify index.html or add new files):

1. Edit Files

   • Update the files in your website directory (e.g., ./my-site/index.html).

2. Run the Update Command

   • Use the site-builder update command with the site’s Sui object ID:

     site-builder update --epochs 100 ./my-site 0x407a3081...
     

     • Replace 0x407a3081... with your site’s object ID.
     • This updates only the modified files, preserving unchanged blobs.

3. Verify the Update

   • Access the updated site via the same portal URL or SuiNS domain.
   • Check the Sui Explorer to confirm the updated object metadata.

Step 7: Monitor and Maintain Your Site

• Check Blob Storage: Use the Walrus Explorer to verify your blobs: https://explorer.walrus.site/.
• Extend Storage Duration: If your site’s epoch duration is nearing expiration, extend it by executing a Sui transaction to add more epochs. Refer to https://docs.walrus.site/walrus/using.html#extending-blob-lifespan.
• Integrate with Smart Contracts: For advanced use cases (e.g., linking your site to NFTs or dApps), use Sui’s Move language to interact with your site’s Sui object. See https://docs.walrus.site/walrus-sites/move.html.

Additional Notes

• Cost Efficiency: Walrus uses the WAL token for storage payments, which is significantly cheaper than traditional Web2 storage or other blockchain solutions like Filecoin or Arweave.
• Decentralization: Your site’s files are stored as blobs across Walrus’s decentralized nodes using the Red Stuff encoding algorithm, ensuring high availability and resilience.
• Programmability: Walrus Sites are Sui objects, allowing integration with smart contracts for dynamic features like NFT-linked personalized sites.
• Troubleshooting: If you encounter issues, check the Walrus documentation https://docs.walrus.site/ or join the Walrus Discord for community support: https://discord.com/invite/walrusprotocol.

Key Links

• Walrus Documentation: https://docs.walrus.site/
• Walrus Sites Guide: https://docs.walrus.site/walrus-sites/intro.html
• Sui Documentation: https://docs.sui.io/
• SuiNS: https://suins.io/
• Walrus Explorer: https://explorer.walrus.site/
• Sui Explorer: https://suiscan.xyz/testnet
• Walrus CLI Releases: https://github.com/MystenLabs/walrus/releases
• Walrus Sites Repository: https://github.com/MystenLabs/walrus-sites
• Testnet Faucets:
  • Sui: https://faucet.testnet.sui.io/
  • WAL: https://faucet.testnet.walrus.site/
• Walrus Discord: https://discord.com/invite/walrusprotocol

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