Basic Concepts of Blockchain#
- Blockchain is a decentralized technology that maintains an immutable public ledger through multiple computer nodes.
- Blockchain ensures the security and transparency of data, avoiding the risks of a single centralized entity controlling the data.
The Relationship Between Bitcoin and Blockchain#
- Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency based on blockchain technology. It records every transaction through the blockchain, ensuring that the ownership and transaction history of each Bitcoin are immutable.
- The blockchain provides a public, transparent, and unmodifiable ledger, ensuring the decentralized nature of Bitcoin.
Decentralized Storage and IPFS#
HTTP is a location-based protocol
For example, when accessing information on the internet now,https://hogehoge.com/aaa/hello.htmlis accessed through a specified URL. This URL means "the file hello.html in the aaa directory on the hogehoge.com host server," which specifies the "location" (server name, directory name, file name) of the information you want to retrieve. This method of accessing information by specifying the "location" of the desired information is called "location-based," and HTTP is a location-based protocol.
IPFS is a content-based protocol
To fundamentally solve these problems, IPFS adopts a content-based protocol. For example, if you want to read a book, like Kamen Rider's "Idiot Wall," you rarely care where to get it, as long as you can understand it. Whether you buy it at a local bookstore, on Amazon, or borrow it from a library, you can read the same content. The same goes for information on the internet. If the content is the same, then from which server? In most cases, it doesn't matter where you get it, such as what file name it comes from. Therefore, we can design a system that allows users to access information by directly specifying the content itself (e.g., "this information") rather than the "location" of the information. This is why it is "content-oriented."
- Decentralized storage refers to data being stored on multiple nodes rather than managed by a single central server. This enhances the security and reliability of the data.
- IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) is a protocol for decentralized storage that splits data into small chunks and stores these chunks on different computers around the world.
- Each node stores a part of the data and ensures the integrity and accessibility of the data through content addressing (using the hash value of the file for identification).
Crossbell Blockchain Platform#
- Crossbell is a decentralized Web3 blockchain platform primarily used for managing and storing social content.
- It utilizes blockchain and NFT (non-fungible tokens) to represent and protect content ownership, with users' social behaviors and content recorded on the blockchain to avoid centralized platforms controlling the data.
- Crossbell's content is stored via IPFS, ensuring decentralized storage and persistence of data while ensuring data immutability.
How to Determine Data Storage Nodes#
- IPFS Nodes: Any computer running IPFS node software can become a storage node. These computers collectively maintain and store parts of the files over the network.
- Data is split into small chunks and distributed across multiple nodes, with the storage location determined by the file's hash value rather than specified by a central authority. Even if some nodes go offline, other nodes can still provide the data.
- Joining and Leaving Nodes: Any computer can choose to join or leave the IPFS network. Nodes that leave no longer store file chunks, and other nodes will supplement the storage.
Summary#
- Blockchain technology provides decentralized and immutable characteristics, ensuring the security and transparency of data.
- Decentralized storage ensures high availability and security of data through distributed networks (like IPFS), without relying on a single storage node.
- Crossbell is a Web3 platform based on blockchain and decentralized storage, giving users complete control over content and social data.