Welcome to the small web

A red shrine with grass and a stone

An introduction to the movement that's called the "small web."

Originally written by Parimal Satyal

Edited by Blue Ingram

Modern Internet's Walled Gardens

The web used to be a place for small, personal websites full of diverse expression. Nowadays, the internet has become largely monolithic with most new websites being created for businesses.

A giant colloseum overshadowing a small shrine
Giant temples overshadowing the small shrines.
A shrine to a folk-god, small but loved still.

A push for regained independence

However the small web is a movement is trying to change that. Focusing on encouraging people to make small, personal websites sharing what they love presented how they like.

Websites can be more than just products.

There is a common implication that websites only serve to either deliver a product to its users, or provide a service of some kind. However, that ignores that, at its core, the internet's main purpose is to connect us all with eachother, and the sites we make are how we reach out to others.

Multiple shrines dedicated to different gods, not competing or crowding eachother out.
  • Creative expression
  • Demystifying the web
  • Sharing the things you love
  • Post content without relying as much on social media.
  • Hone your web developer skills, putting them immediatly into practice.

Reasons to make your own personal website

There are many reasons to join the small web movement and create own website! if you'd like to get started, feel free to download the source code for this site and mess around with it!

Comparison of webhosts

  • Name:
  • Price:
    • Free - $5
    • Free
    • Free - $5 (for lowest tier)
    • Free - $5
  • Features:
    • Social media-like site following.
    • Free dynamic hosting.
    • Linking owned domain is free.
    • Drag-and-drop site editor for Mobile.
  • Drawbacks:
    • Limited to a single site.
    • Can only be used for hobbyist reasons and must complete a screening process.
    • Requires some technical experience. No free subdomain offered.
    • No direct HTML or CSS editing. Strawpage branding.
  • Good for complete beginners:
Hosting site Price Features Drawbacks Good for beginners?
neocities.org Free - $5 Social media-like site following. Limited to a single site.
leprd.space Free Free dynamic hosting. Can only be used for hobbyist reasons and must complete a screening process.
digitalocean.com Free - $5 (for lowest tier) Linking owned domain is free. Requires some technical experience. No free subdomain offered.
straw.page Free - $5 Drag-and-drop site editor for Mobile. No direct HTML or CSS editing. Strawpage branding.