In early 2023, Dom initiated a community project to develop a decentralized file storage server application (dapp) for the Internet Computer platform. https://twitter.com/dominic_w/status/1641456421769461768
I noticed that several impressive dapps were created by the community.
I have a feature request to explore the possibility of Dfinity creating a decentralized file storage system that allows end-users to easily set up their own personal file storage space with just one click from the NNS dapp.
I believe it would be fantastic to have feature like this available through NNS.
If, on average, each user needs 5-15Gb/year of personal storage, this could generate an annual demand of $25-75/year per user. Assuming there are currently only around 500,000 active internet computer users in need of personal decentralized storage, this could result in an annual demand of $12.5 million to $37.5 million/year. This demand could be equivalent to 9-25 quadrillion computational cycles/year (where 1 XDR is valued at USD1.3, and 1 XDR corresponds to 1 trillion cycles).
Iām actually building something like this. Hereās the link to a channel within our discord server. There, youāll find the white paper: Personal Daoš„
The person i responded to requested a feature from Dfinity, i made this person aware that the feature they requested is currently under development and i referred them to where they can find more details on it. It directly relates to this forum post- literally.
Hey there, can you tell me where they are, because I canāt find them. I was looking for this very thing yesterday and today, but after looking at the IC ecosystem page HERE, I was only able to find two under the tools/infrastructure tab. One is IC Drive, that had me log in via my II then asked me create an account with a username, but just hangs after that. Their X(Twitter) which wasnāt listed on the site says āupgradingā?.
The other is DappBox, but when you click on their link, it takes you to a canister address, but the page is totally blank for me. They have no X(Twitter) or Github updates since April.
If you have other decentralized cloud storage options in the IC that are currently functional, Iād love to check them out. But, it doesnāt give me a warm fuzzy feeling that cloud storage providers that I will be entrusting with my data with havenāt been active for months at a time, or arenāt working at all.
One is IC Drive, that had me log in via my II then asked me create an account with a username, but just hangs after that. Their X(Twitter) which wasnāt listed on the site says āupgradingā?.
The other is DappBox, but when you click on their link, it takes you to a canister address, but the page is totally blank for me. They have no X(Twitter) or Github updates since April.
If you have other decentralized cloud storage options in the IC that are currently functional, Iād love to check them out. But, it doesnāt give me a warm fuzzy feeling that cloud storage providers that I will be entrusting with my data with havenāt been active for months at a time, or arenāt working at all.
You are correct; I share the same perspective on this matter. The feature of file storage that I mentioned earlier is not the same as the file storage developed by that dapp. Hereās the issue:
The canister used to host storage in those projects isnāt āsovereignā file storage. Since the canister to host the code is owned by the project developers or, if itās already sold on the SNS, itās owned & controlled by the SNS. Therefore, end-users never have 100% control over their own file storage.
There is a trust issue with file storage dapps related to project sustainability, commitment, and funding.
Given that file storage is crucial, especially for storing sensitive data, the file storage feature I envision allows users to have 100% ownership and control of their canister. This āsovereignā file storage would involve publicly available code that users can deploy themselves using dfx and then connect to their NNS for management. The challenge with this type of āsovereignā file storage is the practicality of code maintenance, which is nearly impossible for non-technical users. This is why such file storage code should be managed by a trusted non-profit entity with strong funding support.
Those above the reason I believe Dfinity is the ideal entity for this role.
Iām gonna bookmark this post for 6 months from now. By then, Iāll have an alpha version of a decentralized data storage application ready. Iāll invite you to join
Hi @ajismyid my partner and I made the third one. It was called Moxy. I still have all the code for that, but Moxy was just one part of a larger service layer that Iāve been working on.
Edit: Fwiw I think @rabbithole product is shaping up really nicely.
@ajismyid I understand your concerns well and fully support them. Even my application, driven by enthusiasm and the desire to return control to users, cannot now provide this. Despite my good intentions, I have sole control of the entire application and only transferring control to the SNS DAO can change the situation. If you are good with code, then there is nothing stopping you from deploying the rabbit hole in your canister now, I recently made the application repository public. But Iām already thinking about creating a separate wasm that can turn any userās canister into a rabbit hole.
Thank you, @LightningLad91 and @rabbithole, for your responses. I appreciate and admire your good intention to create public file storage dapp.
Letās take a step back to provide some context for this thread. This feature request is closely related to the ongoing discussion about hyperinflation concerns, which can be found in these threads: Handling of Node Provider rewards and Node Provider Inflation Spiral.
Currently, Dfinity is marketing ICP as a Cloud Service protocol. However, it seems somewhat unusual that it doesnāt offer the easiest way for users to create basic services like personal cloud storage. This lack of user-friendly services has contributed significantly to the current issue of low usage and demand for ICP in real-life applications. This, in turn, has led to challenges in managing node provider rewards, creating an inflationary spiral.
While itās true that individuals with coding skills can create their own storage solutions using your code, my main request is for Dfinity to facilitate the creation of personal storage for non-technical users. This could have a substantial impact on increasing demand for ICP. This is the primary reason for my feature request.
I understand that this may be ātoo big to askā request, considering Dfinityās resource constraints in developing critical infrastructure. However, Dfinity should consider to explore collaborating with open-source developers like you to maintain the public product and service code by providing ongoing funding support.
If this basic service can generate substantial demand for personal storage, it could help alleviate some of the hyperinflation concerns discussed in above mention thread.
Yes! I think it is correct. The use of decentralized storage and decentralized cloud in a simple way has always been done by third-party projects, and it is usually difficult to trust third-party projects. I think DFINITY needs to do something. In NNS, it is easier for people to trust and pay, but it has never been the case!
People are worried that the decentralized storage of third-party projects will be permanently lost due to the break of the capital chain.
@ajismyid I respect your desire for a resilient, trustworthy storage solution.
I believe many of the individuals who replied in this thread intend for their product to provide one-click deployments of personal storage canisters that donāt require any coding skills.
I can assure you they are doing this. I was asked to submit a grant request to continue building out our storage application after the bounty ended. Unfortunately, I was not able to justify the personal time commitment required to do so. Thatās why Iāve resorted to working on it as a hobby.
I would like to see DFINITY continue to improve the developer experience. If they keep doing this they will improve developer confidence and increase the size of the developer community. With enough skilled developers they could outsource this work while growing the ecosystem.
A thread update, it looks like Daniel the CTO of the Swop already made the prototype closest to what I ask for this Feature Request thread. Excited to see how it will go.
