Introduction

Welcome to the AR.IO Developer Journey! This guide is designed to walk you through the essential concepts and tools you need to build on the permanent web. Whether you're a developer looking to store data permanently, a creator wanting to host decentralized applications, or an entrepreneur exploring new possibilities, this journey will help you understand how Arweave and AR.IO work together to create a truly permanent internet.

The permanent web represents a fundamental shift from traditional web hosting where data can disappear, be censored, or become inaccessible. Instead, it offers a decentralized, immutable storage solution where your data, applications, and digital identities are preserved forever. This isn't just about storage—it's about creating a more resilient, open, and user-controlled internet.

Throughout this journey, you'll discover how to upload data to Arweave using various methods, from simple no-code solutions to advanced developer tools. You'll learn about AR.IO's gateway network that makes this permanent data easily accessible, and explore concepts like tagging, manifests, and the Arweave Name System (ArNS) that bring organization and discoverability to the permaweb.

Ready to get started? Let's begin by understanding what Arweave is and how it forms the foundation of the permanent web.