The release of BitTorrent File System (BTFS) is a milestone in web3 development. The distributed file sharing protocol promises to usher in a new era of censorship-resistant and always-accessible file storage. The mining-for-revenue model BTFS is pioneering also provides incentives for network users to supply storage, creating a robust economy in which data provision scales to match demand. 

The newly launched file sharing protocol, which has been years in the making, will create one of the largest decentralized networks on the web, with as many as 100 million users thanks to BitTorrent's market saturation. BTFS adds a host of new capabilities, however, such as the ability to serve data to decentralized applications (dApps) that operate on the TRON blockchain, which connects to BTFS via TronGrid gateways. More than 1,000 TRON nodes will keep dApps and their data connected at all times, without introducing central points of failure.

Why Decentralized Storage Matters

Centralized storage has hit a ceiling. Siloing data in sprawling central databases is a recipe for disaster, be it through hacking or opaque data sharing with third parties. Web users, weary of having their data stolen or sold to the highest bidder, want greater control over their digital identity. Distributed storage enables dApps to store data off-chain while ensuring that it is always accessible. It also frees them of the burden of safeguarding customer data.

Users can authenticate to dApps and web platforms using a digital key, which serves as a replacement for maintaining multiple user accounts and having to create unique passwords for each service they access. Data can be encrypted and stored on decentralized network nodes in such a manner that it can only be retrieved by its owner.

The goal of fast and low-cost distributed file storage has been at the heart of the web3 movement, and has attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in investment. It's proved a tough nut to crack, though, as projects like Sia, Stork, and IPFS have discovered. The latter is powering Filecoin, the long-awaited file storage network whose launch has been repeatedly delayed.

In beating Filecoin to launch, BTFS has a chance to prove the superiority of its distributed storage protocol, and to build an unassailable lead. If BitTorrent File System does succeed, it will owe a lot to the mining revenue system that has been painstakingly integrated into the protocol.

UX Will Drive the Shift to Decentralized Storage

UX has been one of the toughest challenges faced by distributed storage protocols. How do you create an interface that is easy to master, despite interacting with a complex system that has a lot of moving parts? If the UX trade-offs for accessing distributed storage are too high, users won't switch and the web3 movement will founder.

The designers of BTFS have agonized over the UI that comes with the file sharing protocol, so as to ensure that Hosts and Renters can easily join the network. Parameters such as payout frequency, storage price, bandwidth price, bandwidth limits, maximum storage length, and maximum storage capacity can be toggled by an intuitive interface, with no command line knowledge required. They've also made it easy to switch to BTFS; simply pressing the BTFS button within BitTorrent's Windows client will connect users to the network.

It's Now or Never for Distributed Storage

2020 will be a defining year for distributed storage. The launch of BTFS and the impending release of Filecoin will open distributed storage protocols to the masses. The web is groaning under the weight of centralized storage, which makes huge demands on internet infrastructure. Meanwhile, broader web trends, including deplatforming and account closure, as part of "cancel culture," are making the case for decentralized applications that cannot be shut down and whose users cannot be frozen out.

With production-ready distributed storage now a reality, the stage is set for the transition to occur. The centralized web isn't going away anytime soon, but it's about to be complemented by a distributed alternative that can take the strain. With BTFS lowering the barriers to entry, demand for distributed storage is set to soar. It's only a matter of time.