Honk FM

Project Status: Active Development
Technology Stack: SvelteKit, Internet Computer Protocol (ICP), CanDB
Repository: ~/repos/honk-fm
Live Site: honkfm.org | edjug-6yaaa-aaaal-arr5q-cai.ic0.app

Links

dApp IC canister

Overview

HonkFM is a fully decentralized fileboard and meme media platform built on the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP). All boards, threads, posts, files, and logs live directly on-chain using a horizontally scalable CanDB backend. The goal is to remove centralized points of failure in hosting, moderation, and identity, ensuring free, censorship-resistant discourse can persist long term.

Originally spun out of the HonkFM meme radio project and /pol/ threads during the COVID era, the current version has grown into a full-featured forum + media platform with native audio playback, imageboards, and a DAO-governed future via an SNS.

Origin Story

HonkFM started on 4chan as a creative response to global events, with anons collaborating on musical content and memes. Early versions lived on sites like wpol.live and as more traditional web deployments. As the scope grew - from a meme radio station into a broader community hub - the project migrated to the Internet Computer to take advantage of fully on-chain storage, cheap bandwidth, and built-in DAO tooling.

Key Features

• Fully on-chain fileboard – Boards, threads, posts, attachments, and logs are all stored directly on ICP canisters using CanDB.
• Meme music & media library – Classic HonkFM tracks and new uploads are served straight from on-chain storage.
• Anonymous and authenticated posting – Anyone can post anonymously; Internet Identity integration adds optional persistent accounts.
• Customizable user profiles – Avatars and markdown profile pages stored as chunked files on-chain.
• Role-based access control – Admin tools for exports, deletes, fake-user generation for testing, and maintenance mode.
• Event logging – Fine-grained audit logs for user and admin actions, surfaced in a dedicated logs view inside the dApp.

Verified artists & NFTs (planned)

In future iterations, verified artists will be able to mint NFTs directly from tracks they upload to HonkFM. The goal is to let artists “NFT-ize” specific songs or releases, tying on-chain ownership and provenance to files already stored in the HonkFM library, without changing the core free-listen fileboard experience for everyone else.

Architecture & Tech Stack

Backend

• Motoko canister smart contracts running on ICP.
• CanDB multi-canister database for horizontally scalable storage.
• Index canister that manages three primary maps:
  • App Map – loader animations, ad assets, site metadata, and event logs.
  • File Map – boards, threads, posts, file metadata, and file chunks.
  • User Map – usernames, roles, principals, status, profile markdown, and avatar metadata/chunks.
• Automatic scaling – new service canisters are spawned around a 475 MB heap limit per partition, with cycle management handled programmatically from the Index canister.

Frontend

• SvelteKit + TypeScript for the application shell and routing.
• shadcn-svelte for composable, accessible UI components (dialogs, menus, tables, tabs, etc.).
• Markdown-first content using Mdsvex and svelte-exmarkdown, both for static pages (like the in-dapp About/Tech pages) and user-generated markdown content.
• Vite-based tooling for fast dev builds and hot module reloading.

Identity, Testing & Reliability

• Internet Identity integration with environment-aware providers (developer II locally, identity.ic0.app in staging/production).
• Vitest-powered E2E tests runnable via npm run ci, which spins up local canisters, deploys the app, and exercises core flows.
• Verifiable / reproducible builds workflow, making it possible to compare the deployed Wasm hash against the open-source code.

Governance & Roadmap

HonkFM is designed to evolve into a Service Nervous System (SNS) DAO where the community controls upgrades, moderation frameworks, and treasury usage. The whitepaper outlines:

• Censorship resistance – no traditional web server to subpoena or deplatform; the dApp can only be shut down via governance or by exhausting cycles.
• DAO-governed moderation – stake-based moderator roles, transparent moderation logs, and community oversight.
• Competitive Threads & Board Rewards – mechanisms for DAOs to fund high-signal contributions via stake-weighted voting.
• Treasury management & outreach – longer-term waymarks focused on sustainable funding and growing the ecosystem around HonkFM.

Today, the live deployment already runs entirely on ICP canisters, with SNS integration and advanced governance mechanics planned as future milestones.

Development Status

HonkFM is under active development with a production deployment at honkfm.org. Current work focuses on refining the fileboard UX, expanding moderation and logging tools, and preparing the codebase and community for an eventual SNS decentralization swap.