Swarm is a decentralised storage and communication network run by peer-to-peer Bee nodes. Upload data, get back a content hash — a permanent address derived from the bytes themselves. Anyone with the hash can retrieve the content from any Bee node or public gateway.
Storage is bought as postage stamps: prepaid batches purchased with xBZZ on Gnosis Chain. Batches have a TTL and expire unless topped up. If every batch covering a chunk expires, that content can be pruned.
# File & media storage
Fixed, content-addressed URLs for any file — images, video, PDFs, datasets, ML artifacts, NFT assets.
# Decentralised websites
Publish a static front-end straight to the network. No server, no CDN, no DNS lock-in.
# Blogs & dashboards
Stable URLs whose contents update via feeds. Personal blogs, public dashboards, status pages.
# Live video & streaming
Early proof-of-concept work on HLS over Swarm exists — expect to integrate and tune it yourself.
# Chat, comments & messaging
Real-time chat, threaded comments and peer messaging. Real-time delivery needs a GSOC subscription (see back).
# dApp front-ends
Host a static front-end for an Ethereum dApp on Swarm. On-chain contracts with content-addressed UI for a fully decentralised stack.
- Not a database. Opaque blobs addressed by hash — no queries, no indexing, no search. Model structure in the app layer.
- Not permanent without payment. Content lives only while a valid postage stamp covers its chunks.
- Not instantly consistent. Uploads propagate asynchronously.
deferred:true(default) returns once data is pushed;deferred:falsewaits for read-back. - Not free to write. Every upload needs a funded light node and a stamp paid in xBZZ. Reads have a small free tier on gateways.
- Not a smart-contract platform. It stores data, it does not execute code. Complements Ethereum, does not replace it.
- Stamp batch expiry. Past expiry, chunks become eligible for pruning — not deleted instantly, but can vanish. Monitor and top up.
- Dynamic pricing. Stamp cost tracks a price that can rise — top up so batches outlast your needs.
- Feed writes are append-only. Each index slot writes once; always resolve the current index before writing.
- Feed slots hold ≤ 4 KB. For larger payloads, upload as a file first, then write the reference into the feed.
- The public gateway blocks unreviewed sites. A fresh upload can show "Forbidden" — view it at bzz.limo/bzz/<hash>/ or via your own node.
- Capacity & lifetime are non-deterministic. Both depend on chunking and dynamic pricing — monitor and top up.
Upload via Beeport
Run a Bee light node
Guided setup with Claude Code
Fund your node → fund.ethswarm.org
A node without funds won't run. Top it up on Gnosis from any EVM chain, any token — one transaction.
Deploy a website → justdeploy.bzz.link
Guided deploy walkthrough — Browser · Desktop app · CLI. Mirror: justdeploy.eth.limo