HostDec
Decentralized Hosting
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Get answers about NFT domains, IPFS, the HDEC token and the desktop app. If you can't find your answer, write to us in the community.
HostDec is a decentralized domain protocol based on NFTs on the Arbitrum One network. It combines three layers: a smart contract on Arbitrum that registers domains as ERC-721 NFTs, a DApp at hostdec.com to manage everything, and IPFS to store your site's content.
The core idea is simple: your .hostdec domain is an NFT you own, and your site lives on IPFS. No one can take it away or censor it.
Traditional domains are rented annually from centralized registrars that can suspend them, transfer them, or not renew them. With HostDec:
✔ You pay once and the domain is yours forever.
✔ The domain lives on the blockchain — no middlemen.
✔ No one can cancel or censor it.
✔ It's a transferable NFT: you can sell it or give it away.
Arbitrum is a Layer 2 network on top of Ethereum. This means it inherits Ethereum's security but with minimal fees (sometimes cents) and confirmations in seconds.
Registering a domain on Ethereum mainnet would cost tens of dollars in gas. On Arbitrum One (Chain ID: 42161), the cost is negligible.
To register a domain you need three things:
1. MetaMask (or another compatible wallet) configured on Arbitrum One.
2. HDEC tokens to pay for the registration (the price varies by domain length).
3. A little ETH on Arbitrum to pay the gas for transactions (minimal amount).
Yes, but as a subdomain of HostDec. With the Browser, .hostdec domains are resolved natively without extensions or additional configuration.
Domain names must follow these rules:
✔ Letters a-z (lowercase)
✔ Numbers 0-9
✔ Hyphens - in the middle
✖ Cannot start or end with a hyphen
✖ Minimum 3 characters
The price varies according to the length of the name, measured in HDEC tokens:
| Length | Example | Price | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 characters | btc.hostdec | 10,000 HDEC | Premium |
| 4 characters | defi.hostdec | 1,000 HDEC | Rare |
| 5–6 characters | pablo.hostdec | 500 HDEC | Standard |
| 7+ characters | myblog.hostdec | 100 HDEC | Common |
From the DApp you can type the domain name you want to register. The system will automatically check whether that name is already in use or still available.
If the name is free, you'll be able to register it directly from the application.
You can also check the domain status in the Arbitrum blockchain explorer.
Step 1 — Search the name: Type the domain name you want in the DApp and the system verifies whether it's available.
Step 2 — Confirm payment: If the domain is free, confirm the operation from your wallet.
Step 3 — Blockchain registration: Once the transaction is confirmed, the domain is registered in your name.
Done! The domain is yours and you can use it to point to your website or decentralized content.
No. Domains are perpetual NFTs. Once you register one, it's yours as long as you hold the NFT in your wallet. There are no renewals, fees or expiry dates.
You can only lose it if you transfer or sell the NFT to someone else.
Yes. Once you register your domain, you can update your website's content whenever you want from the DApp.
This allows you to modify or improve your page over time without losing your domain.
A CID (Content Identifier) is a cryptographically generated identifier based on the content. In IPFS, every file or folder has a unique CID.
A key property: if the content changes, the CID changes. This guarantees that when you visit a CID, you always get exactly that content. Example CID: QmXyz123... or bafy....
The recommended services are Pinata (pinata.cloud) or Web3.Storage. Both have free plans and allow you to upload entire folders.
The process is: create an account → upload your folder with the site files → copy the root directory CID → paste it into the HostDec DApp.
The contract manages two types of CID per domain:
Web CID (getCIDWeb): This is the CID of the published site. It is served when someone browses to yourdomain.hostdec. It can be updated at any time without restrictions.
Metadata CID (getCurrentCID): This is the CID of the NFT metadata. It uses a circular buffer that stores version history. It has a cooldown before it can be updated.
Yes. The system stores a history of the changes you make to your domain's content.
This way you can review previous versions and see how your site has evolved over time.
The HDEC token is the currency of the HostDec protocol. It is used to pay for domain registrations. Each domain has a price in HDEC based on its length.
It is the mechanism that gives value to the ecosystem and distributes costs proportionally: shorter (and more valuable) domains cost more HDEC.
This is a standard ERC-20 security mechanism. For the HostDec contract to transfer your HDEC, you must first grant it permission (allowance) by executing the approve(CONTRACT_ADDRESS, price) function.
The DApp does this automatically before executing registerDomain(). You only need to confirm the approval transaction in MetaMask.
It depends on the length of the name you want:
— Domain of 7+ letters: 100 HDEC (most accessible price)
— Domain of 5–6 letters: 500 HDEC
— Domain of 4 letters: 1,000 HDEC
— Domain of 3 letters: 10,000 HDEC
You also need a small amount of ETH on Arbitrum to cover gas.
Prices are defined in the smart contract. Any change to the prices would require updating the contract, which implies full transparency: any change would be visible on-chain.
The DApp shows current prices in real time by querying the contract directly.
You can verify the main HostDec contract on Arbiscan. The contract address is:
0x45d1021512d607b0a81425f2547d6279a7ea5987
The source code is verified and public, so you can audit exactly how the pricing and registration logic works.
The HostDec contract is deployed on Arbitrum One (Chain ID: 42161) at the following address:
0x349d141cfe8fffb17443fcc1671bf75fe4db6e14
It follows the ERC-721 standard. The source code is verified on Arbiscan and publicly accessible.
Read functions (READ):
getCIDWeb(tokenId) — CID of the website.
getCurrentCID(tokenId) — Current CID of the metadata.
getRecentHistory(tokenId) — Circular buffer history.
hasCIDWeb(tokenId) — Whether the domain has content.
Write functions (WRITE):
setCIDWeb(tokenId, cid) — Links a CID to the domain.
updateMetadata(tokenId, cid) — Updates metadata (with cooldown).
registerDomain(name) — Registers a new domain.
The contract emits two main events:
DomainRegistered(owner, name, tokenId, price, timestamp) — Emitted every time a new domain is registered.
CIDWebUpdated(tokenId, cid, updatedBy, timestamp) — Emitted every time the web CID of a domain is updated.
You can listen to these events in real time to integrate HostDec with other applications.
The UpdateTooSoon error occurs when you try to call updateMetadata() before the required cooldown period has passed.
The desktop application lets you access and browse .hostdec domains directly from your computer, similar to how you use any web browser.
You can download and run it from the official website or from the GitHub repository. Once launched, the application automatically resolves .hostdec domains and displays their content in your browser.
Currently the desktop application is available for Windows.
Versions for macOS and Linux are under development and will be available soon.
You can download the application from the Browser section at hostdec.com or from the official GitHub repository.
When you navigate to yourdomain.hostdec, the app executes this logic:
1. Extracts the keyword from the domain.
2. Calls contract.getTokenId(keyword) to get the tokenId.
3. Calls contract.getCIDWeb(tokenId) to get the CID.
4. Serves the content from https://ipfs.io/ipfs/{cid}/{subpath}.
All of this happens in milliseconds, transparently for the user.
The HostDec Marketplace is built on the OpenSea Seaport protocol, ensuring compatibility with the entire NFT ecosystem.
As a domain owner you can list your domain at any ETH price you choose. Anyone can buy it by paying in ETH and receiving the NFT in their wallet. You can also cancel the listing at any time.
Marketplace transactions are carried out in ETH (on the Arbitrum One network). The DApp shows the conversion price in USD in real time so you can reference the value.
Remember: the initial domain registration is paid in HDEC, but secondary buying/selling on the Marketplace is done in ETH.
When you transfer the NFT, the new owner receives full control of the domain. This includes the ability to update the web CID and metadata.
The previous content on IPFS is not automatically deleted (IPFS is permanent as long as it is pinned), but the new owner can link a new CID and change what is served on the domain.
Join the HostDec community on Discord or Telegram. Our team and the community can help you with any inquiry.