Summary

Unlike traditional centralized storage servers operated by a single entity or organization, decentralized storage systems save data files on geographically distributed nodes connected through a peer-to-peer (C2C) network.

Using blockchain to maintain a decentralized storage network ensures data files are protected from errors, counterparty risk and single points of failure impact, thus helping to improve storage security.

Introduction

In 2006, British mathematician Clive Humby proposed: " Data is the oil of the new era.” In an age where our personal data is deeply intertwined with our online experiences, this statement is more relevant than ever.

Today, the private data that is the building block of our digital identities is often stored in a centralized manner. Although centralized storage solutions are more accessible, users do not have full control over the data they wish to share and how they share it, and therefore may be more vulnerable to risks such as data loss, privacy breaches and cyberattacks.

However, the arrival of Web3 has changed the way we interact online, and blockchain technology has played a role in this transformation significant role.

Apps powered by blockchain can run independently without the participation of a trusted third party, thus creating a decentralized ified Internet, where users have more control over their data and online experiences. Additionally, with the emergence of decentralized storage, users can access and store their data in a distributed manner rather than using a single centralized server.

Centralized storage and decentralized storage

Centralized storage

Over the years , centralized data storage has been the only storage solution available, which involves keeping data on a server or a group of servers, usually co-located and managed by a single vendor.

In this way, data is easy to access and manage. For example, cloud storage is typically a centralized solution that stores data on servers maintained by a single organization such as Amazon, Google, or Dropbox.

To ensure the security of centralized data storage, during the process of data transmission from your computer to the centralized storage server, Usually 128-bit SSL technology is used for encryption. When the data is transmitted to the centralized storage server, it can also be encrypted using 256-bit encryption.

Decentralized storage

However, centralized data storage also has limitations. On the one hand, encryption keys are held by the storage platform, no matter how stringent the security measures, raising potential concerns about accessibility, transparency, and control. Additionally, because all data is stored in one place, hackers can easily target single points of failure in an attempt to steal large amounts of data.

Decentralized systems, on the other hand, store data in geographically dispersed computer networks rather than in a single Place. This allows large amounts of data to be stored without relying on a central server or provider, avoiding potential censorship and privacy intrusion issues.

How does decentralized storage work?

Decentralized storage involves multiple computers connected to a C2C network such as BitTorrent or the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) protocol Or store data on the node.

Data uploaded to the decentralized storage system will be split into small blocks and then sent to multiple nodes on the corresponding network. node for storage. If you need to retrieve your data file, the network will piece together the shard components from the various nodes where the file is stored and then reassemble them for you to download.

In addition, nodes in a decentralized storage system cannot view or change files because the cryptographic hashing mechanism will affect the data stored on the network. All data on the computer is automatically encrypted. Users must use their personal private keys to access their data and prevent unauthorized entities from retrieving related data information.

Advantages of decentralized storage over centralized storage

Decentralized data storage It can alleviate some of the problems faced by traditional centralized storage servers. Compared with centralized storage networks, several advantages of decentralized storage networks are as follows:

Data security and privacy are better High

For traditional centralized storage networks, because all data is stored in one place, it is more vulnerable to network attack. On the contrary, for a decentralized storage system, security is higher because the data is stored on multiple nodes instead of a single server.

This makes it more difficult for hackers to break into decentralized storage networks and steal information. Additionally, users do not need to submit personal information to store their data in the decentralized system, so they are additionally protected by anonymity.

There is no single point of failure

While centralized data storage networks are easier to access and manage, they are also more prone to transmission errors, which can lead to data loss. The decentralized storage network is composed of multiple connected nodes and has higher redundancy and fault tolerance. Therefore, even if a node fails, users can still access data through other nodes on the network.

Data download speed is faster

Centralized storage may encounter bottlenecks if traffic exceeds network processing load. Decentralized storage relies on blockchain technology to distribute storage nodes of data files around the world, thus potentially reducing bandwidth usage.

Lower cost

Since the decentralized storage system has many nodes hosting data, it has larger storage space than the centralized storage system. As a result, decentralized storage platforms tend to be cheaper, especially for smaller users who cannot benefit from economies of scale.

Higher data integrity

Data Integrity refers to the ability of data to maintain the same quality throughout its life cycle. Maintaining data integrity is challenging for centralized storage systems because if the server fails or the web page is moved to another address, the stored data will be unavailable. In contrast, decentralized storage allows users to access data indefinitely and maintains data integrity through hashing.

What are the limitations of decentralized storage?

Although decentralized data storage has advantages over centralized systems, there are also some limitations that may contradict the above advantages. sex. For example, because decentralized storage systems rely on a network of nodes to store and retrieve data, access speeds may be slower than centralized storage systems.

From the perspective of data ownership, although a decentralized storage system may be more secure than a centralized storage system, it is also unable to Avoid security risks and other risks, such as malicious nodes that could compromise the security of data stored on the network. In addition, decentralized storage systems require network infrastructure to function properly. Therefore, if the network is interrupted, the availability of data stored on the network may be affected.

At the same time, decentralized storage currently lacks standardization. Different protocols may use different encryption methods and authentication mechanisms, making it difficult to ensure interoperability. Additionally, risks associated with encryption processes and key management in decentralized storage systems remain to be addressed.

Conclusion

Although decentralized storage is still an emerging technology and has not yet been adopted on a large scale, it is expected to promote the development of the Web3 revolution. As users seek a more economical, efficient, and secure data storage mechanism, the popularity of decentralized platforms such as BitTorrent may be faster than expected.

Additionally, the prevalence of data breaches, rising storage costs, and censorship in the traditional data storage space may lead more users to switch to Decentralized storage products. However, although decentralized storage may help solve some problems of centralized storage, it still has certain limitations. At present, centralized storage is still an attractive solution for many users. Even if decentralized storage becomes increasingly popular, centralized storage will still occupy a considerable market share.

Further reading

• What is Binance Oracle?

• What is a decentralized application (DApp)?

• "Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Beginner's Guide"

• How to safely store digital currency

• What is BNB Greenfield?

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