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Decentralized Storage

Decentralized storage refers to a method of storing digital data across a distributed network rather than on centralized servers. By leveraging blockchain and peer-to-peer technologies, decentralized storage ensures data immutability, censorship resistance, and long-term availability, empowering users with full control over their data without relying on any single authority.

In the SafePulse ecosystem, decentralized storage plays a critical role in storing verifiable documents, smart contract references, and other high-value data assets, enabling secure and verifiable interactions between users, smart contracts, and third parties. Two of the most widely used decentralized storage protocols are Arweave and IPFS (InterPlanetary File System).

Arweave

Arweave is a permanent, blockchain-backed storage protocol designed for long-term, immutable data storage. Data uploaded to Arweave is stored in a distributed network and guaranteed to persist forever through a one-time upfront fee. Each piece of data stored is assigned a unique transaction ID (TxID).

The TxID serves as a permanent reference to the stored data, allowing it to be retrieved, verified, and referenced by smart contracts, applications, or users at any time. Arweave’s storage model ensures that once data is uploaded, it cannot be altered or deleted, providing tamper-proof auditability critical for legal, institutional, and contractual documents.

Arweave employs a blockweave structure, an evolution of traditional blockchain, which links data together using a combination of cryptographic proofs and consensus mechanisms. This ensures both data permanence and efficient network scalability.

IPFS (InterPlanetary File System)

IPFS is a peer-to-peer distributed file system that addresses data by its content hash rather than its location. Unlike centralized servers where files are located at a fixed URL, IPFS retrieves data from any node storing that content, making the system resilient and decentralized.

Every file or folder uploaded to IPFS is assigned a Content Identifier (CID), a cryptographic hash of the file’s contents. The CID ensures integrity, meaning any modification to the file results in a different CID. This makes IPFS ideal for verifiable, tamper-resistant references in decentralized applications.

IPFS operates with a distributed hash table (DHT) to locate nodes storing the requested content. When a user requests a file via its CID, the network identifies peers hosting the file and retrieves it efficiently from multiple sources, ensuring redundancy and fault tolerance. Unlike Arweave, IPFS data persistence depends on pinning services or active hosting, as files may not remain available unless intentionally preserved.

Identifiers: Arweave TxID vs IPFS CID

  • Arweave TxID: A unique transaction identifier that permanently links to stored data on the Arweave network. Once uploaded, data associated with a TxID is immutable and guaranteed to persist indefinitely.
  • IPFS CID: A content-based cryptographic hash that identifies a file by its content. Changing the file changes its CID. Data availability depends on nodes hosting or pinning the content.

By combining Arweave and IPFS, SafePulse ensures both permanent and distributed storage options, allowing users to store critical documents securely, reference them in smart contracts, and verify them without relying on any centralized system. These protocols are essential for tamper-proof operations, verifiable credentials, and long-term digital record integrity.