Portal (Public Open Relay To Access Localhost)
AI and Websites
The emergence of AI Code assistants such as Codex, Gemini, and Claude code is fundamentally altering the paradigm of website creation. Websites that previously required the segmented labor of a few to dozens of individuals to be serviceable can now be completed by a single creator working alone. This signifies that the web is no longer the exclusive domain of large organizations but is evolving into the sphere of the creative individual.
AI has lowered the barrier to programming, inaugurating an era where anyone with an idea can directly build their own service. However, a significant gap still persists between the act of creating a web presence and the act of making it publicly accessible. This is not due to technical limitations but rather to the artificial barriers created by the modern structure of the web.
Centralized Web Environment
The contemporary web environment is highly centralized, contrary to its designation as the World Wide Web. Gigantic platforms monopolize public IP addresses and domain systems, restricting individuals' free hosting under the pretext of accessibility and convenience.
Within this structure, most creators are halted by the barriers of domain names and infrastructure. They can build a website, but they are unable to present it to the world. Consequently, individuals are largely confined to consuming content within the framework of massive platforms, and the right to directly host and operate their own ideas is not guaranteed.
Portal: Public Open Relay To Access Localhost
Portal originates from this critical awareness. How would the world change if anyone could connect the service running on their computer to the world? Portal directly connects the local environment to the web, enabling individuals to easily deploy their own services. To achieve this, Portal possesses the following characteristics:
Portal separates web hosting from content creation. Here, the host no longer functions as a platform operator but merely as a relay, mediating the content of individuals. The individual is always the subject of the content, and Portal only relays end-to-end encrypted connections; it neither stores nor controls personal data. This means that the ownership and the reward structure of the service are entirely vested in the creator.
Portal is easy for anyone to use. App developers do not require complex cloud configurations or server infrastructure knowledge for deployment on Portal. By importing the SDK and adding a few lines of code, their local server is extended into a public service accessible from anywhere in the world.
Portal is a completely open-source project, not controlled by any specific central server or administrator. Anyone with a public IP address can deploy a Portal instance directly, allowing it to relay the content of other creators. Creators are free to select a Portal they trust or even operate their own Portal node.
YouTube and the Web
Examining the centralization of the modern web, YouTube offers a crucial lesson. Historically, the broadcasting industry was a centralized model that monopolized both the creation and distribution of content. However, by opening the domain of content creation to individuals, YouTube established an ecosystem of unprecedented scale, involving millions of creators. Anyone could become a broadcasting station with just a camera, and in terms of content diversity, speed, and scale, the traditional broadcasting system could not keep pace with YouTube.
Portal extends this revolution to the domain of web hosting. By restoring the authority to publish to the world—an authority previously monopolized by massive clouds and platforms—to the individual, it will completely liberate the creation and distribution on the web.