{"id":77362,"date":"2025-11-07T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dhblog.dream.press\/blog\/?p=77362"},"modified":"2026-08-04T07:16:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T14:16:13","slug":"what-is-the-open-web","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/what-is-the-open-web\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is the Open Web? Open Web \u2190\u2192 Walled Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TL;DR:<\/strong> The Open Web is the part of the internet built on open standards that let you build, move, and integrate without a single vendor\u2019s permission; walled gardens trade that freedom for convenience and control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treat openness as a spectrum: Your stack can be more or less open at each layer, and those choices compound. Use the Openness Audit to score vendors across two dimensions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. User Autonomy (control, data portability, platform independence); and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Transparency (operations, governance).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Bottom line:<\/strong> Choose tools that make leaving possible so staying is always your choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    In August 2025, headlines swirled<\/a> about Perplexity, an AI company saying, essentially, \u201cWhat if we just\u2026 bought Chrome?\u201d Was it a stunt? Maybe. (A federal judge ruled in September 2025 that Google wouldn\u2019t have to sell Chrome, removing the forced-sale path that prompted the bid.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But it was also a reminder that whoever controls the gateway \u2014 the browser, the app store, the feed, the AI assistant \u2014 controls what you see, how you build, and how easily you can leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That\u2019s the Open Web conversation in a nutshell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When we say \u201cOpen Web,\u201d we mean the part of the internet built on open standards and interoperable protocols: stuff anyone can implement and no single company can revoke. You can build on it, move across it, and connect to it without asking for permission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A \u201cwalled garden,\u201d on the other hand, is a closed platform where a single vendor sets the rules, limits movement, and holds your data behind a velvet rope. Sometimes that rope looks like great UX. But it\u2019s still<\/em> a rope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"If<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re a designer or developer juggling client sites, you already feel the stakes. A platform changes its pricing or rate limits, and suddenly you\u2019re spending a weekend rebuilding flows you shipped last year. And your client doesn\u2019t blame the platform; they blame you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is more than a moral philosophy\u2014it’s the difference between owning your stack and renting it month to month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    At DreamHost, we\u2019ve staked our business on the mundane-but-important idea that you should be able to move freely on the web, because that\u2019s what real ownership means.<\/strong> We advocate for open-source tools<\/a> and data portability because it\u2019s how you protect your time, your customers, and your margins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That\u2019s what we\u2019re exploring in this article, and it all comes down to the real meaning of the Open Web.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What is the open web?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The Open Web is all the parts of the internet built on open standards and standardized protocols (think HTML, CSS, HTTP, DNS), developed in transparent, multi-stakeholder processes \u2014 and usable without any one company\u2019s permission. In practice, that looks like tools you can self-host or move between providers, data you can export in common formats, and integrations that don\u2019t require a back-channel deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Open web vs. walled garden: What\u2019s the difference?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The Open Web is built on shared standards anyone can implement, so you can move your site, data, and integrations freely; a walled garden is a closed platform where one vendor sets the rules, limits movement, and mediates access, often via proprietary formats, opaque policies, and gatekept distribution (app stores, feeds, marketplaces). The UX inside a walled garden can be great, but the trade-off is platform dependence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/th>Open Web<\/th>Walled garden<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Control<\/strong><\/td>You can modify and extend your tools (themes, plugins, APIs)<\/td>The vendor decides what you can change<\/td><\/tr>
    Data portability<\/strong><\/td>Full exports in common formats (JSON, CSV, WXR)<\/td>Partial exports, proprietary formats, or none<\/td><\/tr>
    Integrations<\/strong><\/td>Open protocols and documented APIs: connect and go<\/td>Approved partners only, gated by the vendor<\/td><\/tr>
    Pricing transparency<\/strong><\/td>Documented pricing, renewals, and policies<\/td>Opaque policies that can change without notice<\/td><\/tr>
    Leaving<\/strong><\/td>A project with a checklist<\/td>A rebuild<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Why the open web matters to small businesses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    If you run a small business<\/a>, \u201copen vs. closed\u201d isn\u2019t a philosophy debate; it\u2019s how many late nights you\u2019ll spend fixing things you didn\u2019t break. The Open Web gives you room to move. You can switch tools, keep your data, and adapt without rebuilding the whole kitchen every time a vendor changes the menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here are some of the Open Web’s benefits for small businesses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n