How to Host a TON Site

1 Overview

TON Sites are decentralized websites hosted on the TON Network. Unlike traditional websites that use IP addresses and TCP/IP, TON Sites use:

ADNL Address - A unique cryptographic identifier (instead of IP address)
RLDP Protocol - Reliable Large Datagram Protocol over UDP
Built-in Encryption - ADNL handles encryption, so HTTPS is not needed

Architecture

User Browser -> TON Gateway -> TON Network (ADNL) -> Your Proxy -> Web Server

Why TON Sites?

Censorship-resistant hosting, no domain seizure risk, payments in TON, and true ownership of your web presence.

2 Prerequisites

Server Requirements

Public IP Address - Your server must have a white/public IP
UDP Port Open - Inbound and outbound UDP traffic on port 3333 (configurable)
Web Server - Apache, Nginx, or any HTTP server running on localhost
Linux Recommended - Ubuntu 20.04+ or Debian 11+

Optional: TON Domain

Purchase a .ton domain at dns.ton.org
Domains are NFTs - you fully own them
Without a domain, your site is accessible via raw ADNL address (*.adnl)

Firewall Check

Make sure your firewall allows UDP traffic. On Ubuntu: sudo ufw allow 3333/udp

3 Quick Start

The easiest way to host a TON Site is using tonutils-reverse-proxy.

1 Download the Proxy

          # Download for Linux (AMD64)
wget https://github.com/tonutils/reverse-proxy/releases/latest/download/tonutils-reverse-proxy-linux-amd64
chmod +x tonutils-reverse-proxy-linux-amd64
        

For ARM64, Mac, or Windows, visit the releases page.

2 Start Your Web Server

Make sure your website is running on http://127.0.0.1:80. For testing:

          # Quick test with Python
echo "Hello TON!" > index.html
python3 -m http.server 80
        

3 Run the Proxy

Option A: With .ton domain

./tonutils-reverse-proxy-linux-amd64 --domain your-domain.ton

Scan the QR code with Tonkeeper/Tonhub and confirm the transaction to link your domain.

Option B: Without domain (ADNL only)

./tonutils-reverse-proxy-linux-amd64

Your site will be accessible via *.adnl address shown in the terminal. Example: u7erdj5q...egcrtz.adnl.website

4 Verify Your Site

Access your site through a TON gateway:

https://your-domain.ton.run

Success!

Your TON Site is now live! Keep the proxy running to serve requests.

4 Domain Setup

Buying a .ton Domain

Visit dns.ton.org
Search for your desired domain name (minimum 4 characters)
Connect your wallet (Tonkeeper, Tonhub, etc.)
Place a bid or buy directly (domains are NFTs sold via auction)
Once purchased, the domain NFT appears in your wallet

Linking Domain to Your Site

If you already have a domain and ran the proxy without --domain flag:

Go to dns.ton.org
Click on your domain
Edit the "Site" record
Paste your ADNL address (from proxy output)
Confirm the transaction

DNS Propagation

Changes may take a few minutes to propagate across the TON network.

5 Advanced Configuration

Configuration File

After first run, a config.json file is created. You can customize:

        {
  "proxy_pass": "http://127.0.0.1:80/",  // Your web server
  "network_config_url": "...",            // Liteserver config
  "external_ip": "auto",                  // Or your public IP
  "port": 3333                            // UDP port
}
      

Running as a Service (systemd)

Create /etc/systemd/system/ton-proxy.service:

        [Unit]
Description=TON Site Reverse Proxy
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=www-data
WorkingDirectory=/opt/ton-proxy
ExecStart=/opt/ton-proxy/tonutils-reverse-proxy-linux-amd64
Restart=always
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
      

        sudo systemctl enable ton-proxy
sudo systemctl start ton-proxy
      

Multiple Domains

Run the proxy multiple times with different --domain flags, or configure your web server to handle multiple virtual hosts.

Custom Headers

The proxy adds these headers to requests:

X-Adnl-Ip - Client's IP address
X-Adnl-Id - Client's ADNL ID

6 FAQ

How much does it cost to host a TON Site?

The proxy software is free. You only need to pay for your server (VPS from $5/month) and optionally a .ton domain (varies by auction, typically 1-5 TON for common names).

Can I use Cloudflare or other CDN?

TON Sites use ADNL/RLDP over UDP, not HTTP/TCP. Traditional CDNs won't work directly. However, gateways like ton.run already provide edge caching.

My site shows "contract is not initialized"

This means the .ton domain exists but has no site record configured. Go to dns.ton.org, select your domain, and set the "Site" record to your ADNL address.

My site shows "failed to find address in DHT"

Your proxy server is offline or unreachable. Check that: (1) the proxy is running, (2) your server has a public IP, (3) UDP port 3333 is open in firewall.

Can I host dynamic websites (PHP, Node.js)?

Yes! The proxy forwards HTTP requests to your local web server. You can run any backend (PHP, Node.js, Python, etc.) on localhost:80.

How do I update my site content?

Just update your web server files like any normal website. The proxy forwards requests to your web server in real-time. No blockchain transaction needed for content updates.

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