I have created an xlog account for a few days, but I have been hesitant to write because I do not understand web3 and have doubts about the services it relies on. Unlike platforms backed by big companies like Github, the decentralized storage of web3 has raised a question mark ❓ about the stability of its data. This article will attempt to explore IPFS as a cornerstone of web3 and try to understand its usability.
There are already many articles on the internet discussing the theoretical basis of IPFS, such as What is IPFS? This article is enough, which explains the basic concepts and principles of IPFS. However, they do not emphasize the availability of files. In my opinion, availability includes storage and network accessibility. IPFS's distributed storage allows data of a Block (256KB) to be stored on different storage entities, such as cloud service provider disks, personal hard drives, etc., which seems to increase data backup and resilience against natural disasters. The distributed storage entities are distributed in different network environments, with different network channels for visitors, allowing IPFS content to have better network accessibility.
Now, here comes a question: where exactly does your IPFS data exist?
Currently, there is no visualization tool for IPFS data storage. If the stored data of an address/user A is on the personal hard drives of B/C/D, is A's data not very secure? If it happens to be stored on the laptops of enthusiasts E/F/G, does that mean access will be unavailable if the network is disconnected?
Additionally, there are discussions about storage, such as if IPFS files have more traffic, backups will increase, but if there is less traffic, there may be no one retaining them, naturally becoming inaccessible.
These are just some thoughts on the usability of IPFS. I am just getting started and have not studied it systematically yet. I hope everyone can provide guidance!
Arweave#
According to Zhihu, it is mentioned that Arweave is a good solution for permanent storage. But it seems to have much less popularity compared to IPFS?