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Quick Start

1. Create

1.1 Filename

Create a text file called earth.txt. Always use lower-case formatting for the filename.

1.2 Encoding

Make sure that the earth.txt file is UTF-8 encoded to avoid issues with special characters and multiple languages.

2. Place

2.1. well-known Directory

In principle, the earth.txt file should be placed under the /.well-known/ path of your website. For example:

https://example.com/.well-known/earth.txt

2.2. Root Directory

If the /.well-known/ directory cannot be used for technical reasons, or if you want to use a fallback option, the earth.txt file can also be placed in the root directory of your website. For example:

https://example.com/earth.txt

The earth.txt file can be placed in both locations of a website at the same time. Hence, the final directory structure for your website could look like this:

example.com/
├── index.html
├── earth.txt
└── .well-known
    └── earth.txt

3.1. Head

Place a reference to the file using a “help” tag to the <head> section of your website. For example:

<link type="text/plain" rel="help" href="https://example.com/earth.txt"/>

3.2. Button

Embed a earth.txt button to your site and link it to your earth.txt file.

4. Serve

4.1. Internet Media Type

The earth.txt file should have an Internet Media Type of text/plain.

4.2. Protocol

The earth.txt file must be served over HTTPS.