Planet is a tool for creating and hosting decentralized websites. It simplifies the process of content decentralization by using ENS (Ethereum Name Service) instead of domain names and IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) instead of servers. This eliminates the need for complex command-line operations typically required for decentralized content.
I first learned about Planet from a article titled Web3 Innovation Does Not Exist by Lyric Manager in May 2023. In the article, the author mentioned the challenges of acquiring users for Web3 products, even for dedicated projects like Planetable, which had very few users.
Curious, I looked into Planet’s founder, Livid, who is also the founder of V2ex. I explored more resources, such as Jiang Hong’s podcast small talk #3: From IPFS to the Open Web, Feng Yan Feng Yu's podcast, and his keynote speech How to Own Your Own Cyber Space?. It seems Livid’s goal was to return the data back to users including data management. He was tired of managing v2ex users' data, and Planet appears to be a bridge or a boat, offering people the chance to explore a different world.
In March of this year, I remembered an article by Vitalik on TPS and went to his website to find it, only to discover that vitalik.ca was gone, with only vitalik.eth.limo accessible. He later explained in a podcast that his server provider had shut down, making vitalik.ca unusable. He said:
What I created depended on another company’s existence. When that company shut down, my work disappeared too. But ENS is a smart contract, and it points to a hash representing my homepage link; in the IPFS system, my homepage is also a link. The content is on IPFS—not blockchain, but similar technology—so even one person can ensure it’s available for a hundred years.
This is why I use Planet to create websites. It feels like owning my little piece of the digital world. Although these sites aren’t as flashy as modern ones, IPFS doesn’t store data permanently, and without usage, data might be cleared. Using pinning services still depends on third parties. But what’s important to me is that a single person can maintain this site, ensuring it exists for a long time. The point isn’t about how great these technologies are; it’s about reducing dependence and increasing individual independence. Charlie Munger once said
I did not intend to get rich. I wanted to get independent, I just overshot!.
I see Planet as a tool that allows individuals to become more independent in the digital world, even if only 25,000 ENS names have set a content hash at July 26, 2024.
I think that after three generations, we’re likely to be forgotten. Decentralized websites might prevent that, providing a place for our families to find us. A hundred years from now, when my descendants are living on Mars and a child asks their grandparents, "Who was your grandfather?" my grandchildren can tell them, "Our grandfather had a website—you can check it out; we’ve read it since we were kids."