Arweave: Secure Data Storage using Blockchain

kimutai (37)in #blockchain • 6 years ago

It is evident that with the advancement of technology, individuals and institutions have been facing many challenges with data storage and it has become increasingly expensive to secure data. Due to these challenges, Arweave was conceived: to offer a solution through blockchain.

Arweave is a new data storage protocol created on a blockchain-like configuration called the blockweave that offers high output, low cost, non-volatile on-chain data storage solutions on the foundation of proof of access mechanism. The block-chain configuration is designed to create accessible on-chain storage in a cost friendly way. As a distributed storage service provider, blockchain technology is a vital part of Arweave’s project because the blockchain is key to all of its operations.

Arweave is built on the following technologies:

• Blockweave; The block-chain configuration is designed to create accessible on-chain storage in a cost friendly way. This design is enabled to automatically minimize the amount of hashing required for consensus with the increase of the amount of data stored as a result reducing the total cost of the data storage.

• Proof of access; Arweave is designed to operate with Proof of Access and Proof of Work as an agreement mechanism. After noting that the current consensus mechanisms were unreliable, the Arweave team came to the recognition that one can create positive externality to form consensus instead of a negative one. Proof of Access Mechanism (POA) is an innovation that enables a positive externality of storing data. When using POA, miners don’t need to store data in all blocks but instead provide many replications by storing data in previous blocks to generate new blocks.

Create next block by hashing transactions from the recall and current block

• Wildfire; This is the company’s self-planning network topology system. Wildfire makes sure that miners are properly motivated to share data as fast as possible with fellow miners in the ecosystem as a plan to build a positive status. This guarantees availability of data whenever access is demanded.

Relationship between peers in the Wildfire system

• Blockshadows; Arweave developed Blockshadows with a plan to provide a network that permits for longterm on-chain data storage and support unlimited sized blocks with a plan to increase transaction throughput. Through the use of blockshadow’s, Arweave incompletely decouples transactions from blocks and instead sends a minimal block ‘’shadow’’ that enables miners to regenerate a complete block.

Why Arweave?

Usual blockchains have shown a number of common problems with storage of data. Such problems need new third-party procedures to be implemented on in-between existing blockchains because payments are too high for on-chain storage to be possible. Therefore, the usual blockchains often have erected costs to access data and information and this information is never stored permanently. With an increase in demand for the data storage, there grows a need for a decentralized low-cost data storage plan. Arweave focuses on the development of a community that can adapt and fit in the emerging trends in blockchain technologies.
Recently, many Governments are taking measures to restrict access to politically sensitive information on the internet. Similarly, media houses and recently established organizations, where physical and unchangeable duplicates were held, now contrarily accessed the information easily and then get rid of it. It has become common for media houses to update the information in their article from time to time and this provides a number of benefits over the former system, most particularly, the ability to provide real-time updates about current issues.

Token
AR is the official Arweave network token which will be on the Blockweave platform. AR is a native token since Arweave will have its own wallet and blockchain: Mainnet set to go live on 8th June, 2018.

Token metrics

Total Tokens: 65 million in total
ICO supply: 20.6%
Hard cap: 8.7 million USD

The Team
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Conclusion

Arweave has launched a new data storage protocol that provides low-cost data storage, high-throughput, and non-volatile data storage solutions. In order to achieve this, Arweave’s protocol was designed on blockweave which is basically a new blockchain-like data structure; support unlimited sized blocks through blockshadowing; a new agreement mechanism called proof of access mechanism that reduces dependency on proof of work, and a self-planning network topology system called wildfire. Just like the Bitcoin ecosystem, Arweave’s technical advancements in isolation are not very multifaceted. Nevertheless, when combined to form the complete network, the developing behavior is extremely powerful.
The Arweave’s team has noted from their test net results that a secure, reliable and permanent data storage is possible on a public network protocol. In addition, to secure data storage system, the Arweave’s blockweave enables unlimited sized blocks which makes a secure throughput cryptocurrency without having to rely on complicated agreement mechanisms.

Arweave’s platform is built on a solid, a firm and a concrete foundation of the internet through its REST API and a number of revenue generating businesses are being developed using Arweave’s mainnet. The relationship between Arweave and other popular cryptocurrencies, secure transactions, and smart contract protocols will enable a low cost and permanent data storage to be simply integrated into the technologies of a stack of reorganized requests. With the advancement in technology, a wholly globalized world of information and financial exchange needs a secure and permanent data record. The Arweave’s team have enabled a basis of those permanent records through a combination of cryptography and disseminated systems. They are optimistic that Arweave will mold itself into a crucial acquaintance to the current internet protocols, for example, the World Wide Web (WWW). Arweave has a longterm plan to work with other companies to build a more open and transparent future.