Flux decentralized compute service adds storage

The Flux Web 3.0 decentralized and cryptocurrency-based compute network is adding storage services based on IPFS, the Inter-Planetary File System.

Web 3.0 is a concept being pushed by blockchain and cryptocurrency enthusiasts as an open and accessible alternative to what they see as the centralized and supplier-dominated internet of today – which they call Web 2.0.  What Filecoin is to decentralized storage, Flux is to decentralized compute, but now it is stepping on Filecoin’s turf.

Co-founder Daniel Keller said: “At Flux, we have made it our mission to offer business and developers operating on Web2 cloud services the same experience in a Web3 environment, and the launch of FluxIPFS is our latest step in doing so… We have added FluxIFPS to the Flux platform to strengthen our current portfolio of product offerings and further establish Flux as the one-stop shop for those looking to launch decentralized applications in a cloud environment.” 

IPFS is a content-addressed peer-to-peer file sharing network based on linked IPFS hosts, each holding a part of a file. Every file has a unique ID in an IPFS global namespace.

Keller wants users to be able to “deploy decentralized applications using familiar tooling found in Web2 cloud services, like decentralized file storage.” It would operate in way similar to BitTorrent with an F-drive concept.

The company is bringing FluxIPFS to its ecosystem to provide this file storage for NFTs, static web pages, file services, and images. This move brings it into competition with Filecoin, Storj, and other decentralized storage providers.

Dazz Williams, IPFS development lead, said: “Business leaders are looking for ways to speed up their digital transformation and we are pleased to offer a decentralized file-sharing network to help protect against infrastructure damage, offer immunity from data corruption, and provide an invaluable backup in the Web3 space. We will continue to help Flux grow the quality of its product portfolio by developing even greater capabilities through IPFS.”

FluxIPFS is in beta and more will be revealed by Flux in coming weeks. There is no information about the file access protocols to be used or file IO speed. Don’t bother searching for FluxIPFS  in the Flux website; it’s not present, except briefly in a roadmap webpage.

The Flux network

The Flux network uses a native POW (Proof-of-Work) coin (Flux cryptocurrency) to power its ecosystem, providing incentives for hardware hosters. The network is based on Fluxnodes’ decentralized infrastructure, FluxOS cloud operating system, Zelcore self-custody multi-asset wallet and blockchain app suite, and Flux blockchain for on-chain governance, economics, and parallel assets to provide interoperability with other blockchains and DeFi (Decentralized Finance) access.

FluxNodes are operated in a decentralized manner by individual holders, and geographically spaced all over the world, so that applications are accessible by users at all times and locations. Operators of Flux nodes can choose from three tiers of hardware requirements to stand up after providing the necessary Flux capital soft-locked in their wallet. Flux says its ecosystem technology allows anyone to be rewarded for providing hardware to the network, from anywhere in the world. 

Check out a 19-page white paper to find out more.

Bootnote

DeFi is a general term for peer-to-peer financial services on public blockchains, such as  Ethereum. Flux is mined using the ZelHash algorithm. ZelHash is a GPU minable implementation of Equihash 125_4, harnessing ASIC/FPGA resistance, developed by Wilke Trei of lolMiner.