Arweave is a blockchain focusing on storing data securely and permanently. Endowing storage is critical in this network. This blockchain has a goal to create a system that works like a hard drive. But the hard drive is owned by all users and never forgets the data that is stored on it.
One of the interesting concepts in this blockchain is Permaweb. It’s a community-owned web that lets everyone contribute to the network and get paid for maintaining it. The ultimate goal is to have a decentralized web that can be accessed by everyone and helps all people have a role in maintaining it. Permanency is the fundamental concept here, too. Every data on Permaweb is stored permanently.
What is Arweave?
Arweave is a decentralized protocol for storing data permanently. It’s based on a technology named blockweave. It focuses on sustainability and easy usage of the system and accessing data.
People can use this system by paying a single upfront fee. The protocol connects people who have spare storage to contribute to those who need secure and permanent data storage. People endow their storage to the system and get paid for that.
On the other end, business or individual users find access to permanent storage based on a decentralized network like Bitcoin.
A sustainable endowment is the backbone of the Arweave protocol. The system ensures the data is always available and accessible.
Permaweb is one of the useful concepts built on top of the Arweave protocol. In a nutshell, it’s a new web that web pages and applications live on it forever.
This blockchain works on a mining mechanism that helps people earn money from their spare storage. Besides, there are many tools and features available on the protocol that help people build decentralized applications to work on Permaweb.
The tools serve various needs of developers. UI hosting, database writes and queries, and smart contract development are available using these tools.
How does Arweave work?
Arweave protocol has a mechanism for sharing bandwidth and spare storage. It has a proof of access mechanism for the consensus. The fundamental mechanism is like what we have seen in peer-to-peer networks like BitTorrent, but it has some differences that make it unique. The protocol isn’t limited to bandwidth sharing and has a concept of karma for participants in the network.
The karma notion on this blockchain changes the game. Nodes that are operating in the network track the favors that other nodes have done for them. The best favor in the network is providing access to the Arwevae dataset by serving data to others when requested. The ultimate goal is to give control to node operators for serving each other. This mechanism isn’t enforced at the blockchain level.
The content policy in the protocol is interesting, too. The decentralized content policy system is designed to help all stakeholders be assured about their data. The most fundamental concept in this system is that no participant is forced to tore any content that they don’t like. It creates a system that secures data and resources of miners, users, and applications. For example, miners can run arbitrary computations on the data they store to delete the content they’re not comfortable with because they are subject to local regulations when they store and publish data.
Arweave network
As mentioned above, this protocol has many tools and features for serving data storage needs. There are some critical products in this community-owned blockchain that create the fundamental network.
Some of them are:
Permaweb
As mentioned above, Permaweb is the web layer built on the Arweave protocol. It has a set of modular and interchangeable protocols. This version of the web is designed to solve the memory problem of the current web. In simple terms, every content and data stored on Permaweb will stay there permanently.
Permaweb is connected to a network of gateways. This network makes it possible for web browsers to access the data on the blockchain level.
This version of the web is available to host decentralized applications. The applications live independently inside the Permaweb and are governed by their code. There are many tools available in this network that help developers build decentralized applications.
Next to the fundamental protocol of Arweave and the gateway servers, there is a query system available named GraphQL available for developers. Besides, the SmartWeave smart contracting system allows users to build incentive design elements and other crucial components.
Arweave Web Archive
One of the biggest challenges of users on the current web is that content and data will be completely deleted after a web page is gone. The Arweave web archive is here to solve some of the problems by letting people store their favorite websites. It has a browser extension that lets you archive your favorite sites forever on the Permaweb. The content will be store permanently on the decentralized network.
Ardrive
Storing data forever is interesting and attractive more many people. Imagine being able to your files forever from everywhere. Ardrive is here to offer the service as a pay once one. You just have to have an Arweave wallet, choose the storage you need on the platform and pay for it. Then you can upload your data and keep it forever.
Verto
Blockwave is the blockchain concept that Arweave is built on. Verto is a decentralized network of trading posts on this blockchain. It offers the opportunity of trading digital assets. You’ll need a wallet for connecting to the service and exchanging tokens. ArConnect is the suggested one here.
What problem is Arweave trying to solve?
Storing and managing data is a concept that still has some challenges in the tech world. There are many solutions out there, but each one has its own shortcomings. Trusting the centralized storage providers is a must in the current stats of this sector.
Arweave is here to solve many of these challenges by offering a protocol for storing data permanently. The decentralized network of storage providers helps this system become reliable and offers services to everyone.
Permaweb is the most interesting product of the protocol. It offers a web that keeps the data and content forever. Besides, people can store their favorite content from the current web on this permanently available web.
AR The Token
AR is the native token of the Arweave blockchain. It has many use cases and is somehow the main currency in the ecosystem. One of the simplest use-cases is buying and renting storage on the decentralized network of storage providers.
You can buy AR from supporting exchanges like Binance and pay for distributed data storage. On the other hand, miners receive AR tokens for their shared storage. AR token has a limited supply of 66 million.
Conclusion
Sharing storage and earning money from spare hard drives isn’t a new concept. But Arweave is here to offer a new experience with some interesting tools. People who store data and keep the network alive aren’t forced to store the data they don’t like.
It means the people and the community maintains the quality and usability of the content. Permaweb is the innovative solution from Arweave that can solve many of the challenges of the current web. It can work as a main memory for the whole website and application and keep its content permanently.
The services and tools from this blockchain are fascinating for solving storage challenges. As the users of the decentralized network grow, we can expect more services and faster growth for the whole ecosystem.
Arweave Links
- Web: https://www.arweave.org/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArweaveTeam
- Discord: https://discord.gg/3Dad8J7
