{"id":5013,"date":"2020-03-30T06:15:53","date_gmt":"2020-03-30T06:15:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.verbat.com\/?p=2361"},"modified":"2024-05-24T06:44:56","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T06:44:56","slug":"interplanetary-file-system-rearchitecting-internet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.verbat.com\/blog\/interplanetary-file-system-rearchitecting-internet\/","title":{"rendered":"InterPlanetary File System (IPFS): Re-architecting the Internet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The global COVID pandemic outbreak has compelled millions to be cooped up at home and has turned to the internet for work, entertainment and other necessities. This has caused unprecedented stress on internet infrastructure. Initial stats indicate a surge of 50-70% in internet hits. Platforms like YouTube and Netflix has announced that they would lower video quality to reduce traffic on mobile <\/a>and broadband networks.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Heaven forbid what if the\ninternet just couldn\u2019t bear it anymore and it stops working? Let\u2019s all hope\nwith all the optimism in our heart that this won\u2019t happen. But if we are using\ndecentralized internet protocol, we could know for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How the\nInternet Works Now?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The internet works with a\nset of rules called protocols that describe how data moves around the network.\nOne of the protocols that serve as the heart of the web is the HTTP or\nHypertext Transfer Protocol invented by Tim Berners-Lee. It is an\napplication-level protocol that works on a principle of request-response cycle.\nIt is used to exchange data like images, video, audio, documents etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problems\nwith HTTP<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The biggest problem of all with HTTP is that it is centralised. The data is stored on a server owned by a few companies. The location-based addressing model of HTTP supports centralization as it is easy to find the file. But this doesn\u2019t work if we are disconnected to the larger global network or in case you want to minimise the load across the network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, this aspect of\ncentralisation gives immense power to the providers with our valuable data and\ndata access can be easily curtailed by governments and certain individuals (say\nhackers) if they wish to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next problem with HTTP is bandwidth. <\/strong>Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data that can be sent over a specific connection in a given time. It can be likened to how wide or narrow the pipe is (here the connection). With more and more devices demanding data, websites can crash. Remember the 404 error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re-architecting\nthe internet with IPFS<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

IPFS is a distributed\npeer to peer system for storage as well as access files, applications, websites\netc. Juan Benet the founder of protocol labs is the brain behind the\nInterPlanetary File System.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IPFS adopts two technologies\nfor its working i.e that of the git and that of the torrent. Here a system that\ncan manage store files and track the variations done to it over time much like\ngit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

IPFS is a distributed\nfile system i.e the data moves across the network like how data in torrent\nmoves around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s say you want your\nfriends to view an image you have uploaded on Facebook. You sent them a link.\nThey click on to the link and because HTTP is location-specific each of their\ndevice requests the same page on a Facebook server located on the other side of\nthe planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IPFS uses content\naddressing i.e it identifies the file by the content itself. The address has\nsome identifier of the content itself which is hashed cryptographically so that\nyou get an identifier of the secured file and no other file can come up with\nthe same hash and that uses the same file. So instead of asking one of the\nFacebook servers for the page, you contact other computers to share the page\nwith you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is, it can get the\nrequired page not only from Facebook but from anyone who has it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides, when you use\nIPFS, you not only download files from another device but also helps to\ndistribute them like a torrent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IPFS makes this happen\nfor not only webpages but also other file types a computer might store like\ndocument, email or even a database.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what\u2019s the deal with\nIPFS?<\/p>\n\n\n\n