TON blockchain launches decentralized file-sharing solution

Quick Take

  • The TON Foundation has announced the launch of TON Storage — a decentralized file-sharing and data storage solution — on The Open Network (TON) blockchain.
  • The move marks the “next piece of the puzzle” for the TON Foundation’s decentralized internet goals.

The TON Foundation, a non-commercial group of contributors behind The Open Network (TON) blockchain, has launched a decentralized file-sharing and data storage solution called TON Storage, taking on similar projects like Filecoin and Storj.

TON Storage works similarly to internet-based peer-to-peer file sharing that uses torrents. But instead, it relies on the TON blockchain network to transfer data files of any size, which are backed-up and encrypted without needing centralized web servers.

Traditional torrents lack long-term storage guarantees. TON Storage aims to overcome this by offering financial incentives to node operators on the network, with smart contracts ensuring users pay them a fixed amount in toncoin to host files for a certain amount of time.

“Anyone can become a node operator on the TON network and receive payments from other users for hosting files even if operating just one node,” the TON Foundation said in a statement. “The accessibility of this new product will incentivize new, independent users to join the TON network, helping to grow the TON ecosystem even further,” it added.

Telegram began exploring blockchain technology in 2018, developing the Telegram Open Network, as it was then known. It raised $1.7 billion in a private sale of toncoin tokens the same year, but Telegram abandoned the project following SEC investigations. In 2022, open-source developers saved and rebranded it as The Open Network with a functional mainnet.

In October, Telegram allowed users to buy usernames for its messaging app via the decentralized auction platform Fragment, based on The Open Network. With the launch of TON Storage, TON-secured sites can also be hosted on the network, a move that TON Foundation founding member Anatoly Makosov said marks “the next step in realizing our vision of a decentralized, open internet.”


© 2024 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

About Author

James Hunt is a reporter at The Block and writer of The Daily newsletter, keeping you up to speed on the latest crypto news every weekday. Prior to joining The Block in 2022, James spent four years as a freelance writer in the industry, contributing to both publications and crypto project content. James’ coverage spans everything from Bitcoin and Ethereum to Layer 2 scaling solutions, avant-garde DeFi protocols, evolving DAO governance structures, trending NFTs and memecoins, regulatory landscapes, crypto company deals and the latest market updates. You can get in touch with James on Telegram or 𝕏 via @humanjets or email him at [email protected].

Editor

To contact the editor of this story:
Tim Copeland at
[email protected]