Host a web app manifest and serve it from a URL

Put a .webmanifest at a public address served with the right content type — what turns a page into an installable app.

You can host:

Free to use. Your WEBMANIFEST file is live at your-name.99helpers.site in about ten seconds.

What is a .webmanifest file?

A web app manifest is the JSON file that tells a browser how your site should behave when installed to a home screen — its name, icons, colours and display mode. It's the difference between a bookmark and something that looks like an app.

What people use WEBMANIFEST files for

  • Making a page installable as a progressive web app
  • Defining home screen icons and splash colours
  • Setting standalone display mode
  • PWA examples and templates

What opens a WEBMANIFEST file

  • Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox
  • Lighthouse, which audits it
  • Any browser, which displays the JSON
  • PWA build tooling

How to host a WEBMANIFEST file

  1. 1

    Drop your WEBMANIFEST file in

    Drag it onto the box at the top of this page, or click to choose it. Files up to 25 MB are supported, and nothing is uploaded until you publish.

  2. 2

    Pick an address

    Type a name and we'll tell you straight away whether it's free. That becomes the link: app-manifest.99helpers.site

  3. 3

    Publish and share

    Create a free account — that step exists so the file is yours to update, replace or delete — and the link is live within seconds.

The same three steps work for any file — see how file hosting works on 99helpers.com.

What happens when someone opens the link

The browser displays the JSON. Linked from a page's head it makes the site installable, since it's served with the correct manifest content type.

Why host a WEBMANIFEST file instead of emailing it?

A manifest has to be served with the right content type or browsers ignore it — a common stumbling block on static hosts, and handled here.

Worth knowing before you publish

  • Icons referenced by the manifest need hosting too — upload the whole set as a folder alongside your page.
  • A manifest must be same-origin with the page that references it, so host them together as one site.
  • Lighthouse in Chrome devtools will tell you exactly what a manifest is missing.

WEBMANIFEST hosting questions

Can I reference this manifest from my own site?
It has to be same-origin with the page for installation to work, so hosting your page and its manifest together as one site is the reliable approach.
Is it served with the right content type?
Yes, application/manifest+json — which is what browsers require before they'll honour it.
Why isn't my site installable?
Usually a missing icon size, no start_url, or the manifest not being same-origin. Lighthouse in Chrome devtools lists what's missing.

Put your WEBMANIFEST file online now

It takes about ten seconds, and you only make an account once the file is ready to go live.

Hosting guides for related formats

WEBMANIFEST is one of over 211 formats you can host — see free file hosting for any file type for the full list, or read the hosting guides for other file types.