How Decentralised Storage Works

From Centralised Clouds to a New Way of Storing Data

Today, most of us save files in one of two ways:

• On our personal devices (laptop, USB, phone memory)
  
  
• Or on cloud storage like Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud
  
  

At first, cloud storage felt revolutionary. Instead of worrying about losing your laptop, you could log in from anywhere and still access your files. But here’s the hidden truth: these services are centralised. All your files live in giant data centres owned and controlled by a single company.

That means:

• If their servers go down → you lose access.
  
  
• If they decide to suspend your account → your data is locked.
  
  
• If hackers attack those servers → your data is at risk.

This dependency creates a fragile system. And that’s where decentralised storage comes in, a system designed to give control back to users, not corporations.

‍What Is Decentralised Storage?

In simple words, decentralised storage is like a global hard drive made up of thousands of computers connected.

Instead of trusting one company’s servers, your files are broken into pieces and stored across many independent computers (called nodes) around the world.

No single person or company has your full file. The network ensures it can always be rebuilt and retrieved only by you.

How It Actually Works

1. Splitting the File (Sharding)

When you upload a file to a decentralised network, it doesn’t stay whole. Instead, it gets cut into many small chunks. Think of it like taking a big puzzle and breaking it into smaller pieces.

Each chunk is then encrypted and labelled with a unique digital fingerprint (called a hash).

2. Distributing the Pieces

Those encrypted chunks are sent to multiple computers (nodes) across the world. Each node stores just a fraction of your file, not the whole thing.

For example:

• Node A stores chunk 1
  
  
• Node B stores chunk 2
  
  
• Node C stores chunk 3
  …and so on.
  
  

This means no single person can see or control your full file.

3. Redundancy for Safety

The network doesn’t rely on just one copy. It stores multiple copies of each chunk across different nodes.

So even if a few nodes go offline, your file is still safe and retrievable.

4. Retrieving the File

When you need your file back:

• The network fetches the different chunks from various nodes.
  
  
• It reassembles them like putting the puzzle back together.
  
  
• You get your complete original file.
  
  

All of this happens in seconds without you even noticing the behind-the-scenes process.

5. Incentives: Why People Store Your Data

You might wonder: why would random computers store your files?
The answer: crypto incentives.

Storage providers (node operators) are rewarded with tokens for offering space and bandwidth.

• On Filecoin, they earn FIL tokens.
  
  
• On Storj, they earn STORJ tokens.
  
  
• On Arweave, miners get AR tokens.
  
  

This creates a self-sustaining economy where people are motivated to keep the system running.

Real-World Examples of Decentralised Storage

1. IPFS (InterPlanetary File System)
   
   
   
   • Works like a decentralised version of the web.
     
     
   • Files are accessed using their hash (fingerprint), not a URL.
     
     
   • Once uploaded, files are permanent and cannot be secretly changed.
     
     
2. Filecoin
   
   
   
   • Built on top of IPFS, but adds an economic layer.
     
     
   • People get paid to rent out their spare storage space.
     
     
3. Arweave
   
   
   
   • Focuses on permanent storage. Once data is uploaded, it stays forever.
     
     
   • Used by apps to keep history, documents, or even entire websites permanent.
     
     
4. Storj
   
   
   
   • A decentralised cloud storage system where users rent space from node operators.
     
     
   • Works similarly to Dropbox but is decentralised.
     
     

Why Decentralised Storage Matters

1. Privacy
   In centralised systems, companies scan and analyse user data (for ads, profiling, or surveillance).
   In decentralised systems, your data is encrypted and only you have the keys.
   
   
2. Security
   Hackers can target one server and steal millions of accounts.
   In decentralised storage, data is spread across thousands of nodes almost impossible  to hack in one go.
   
   
3. Censorship Resistance
   Centralised companies or governments can delete content.
   With decentralised storage, once data is uploaded, it’s extremely hard to erase.
   
   
4. Reliability
   If Google’s data centre goes down, millions lose access.
   In decentralised networks, even if hundreds of nodes fail, your data remains safe because of redundancy.
   
   
5. Permanence
   Some systems (like Arweave) promise “permanent storage.” Imagine archives, research, art, or history stored forever beyond censorship or corruption.

Everyday Use Cases

• Web3 Apps: Many decentralised apps use IPFS to store metadata for NFTs or files.
  
  
• NFT Marketplaces: Instead of storing art files on a centralised server, they use decentralised storage to ensure the NFT image is never lost.
  
  
• Enterprises: Companies can use it to back up sensitive data securely.
  
  
• Media & Journalism: Journalists in censored countries upload reports that cannot be erased.
  
  
• Personal Use: You can use apps built on top of Storj or Filecoin just like Dropbox, but without handing your data to a corporation.
  

Challenges of Decentralised Storage

It’s powerful, but not perfect yet:

• Speed: Centralised services like Google Drive are often faster since they use dedicated servers.
  
  
• Adoption: Most regular users don’t know how to use decentralised storage yet.
  
  
• Cost Models: Permanent storage (like Arweave) requires new economic models that are still evolving.
  

But just like Bitcoin was once “too complicated” and is now mainstream, decentralised storage is moving in the same direction.

The Future of Storage in Web3

As more people realise the risks of handing over all their data to tech giants, decentralised storage will grow. It’s not just about where data lives, it’s about who controls it.

Web3 is built on ownership. Your wallet holds your tokens, your NFTs, and your identity. Decentralised storage is the missing piece; it ensures your files and data are truly yours.

In the future, when you save a photo, write a blog, or create digital art, it won’t just live in one company’s server. It will live across a global, censorship-resistant network that belongs to no one and serves everyone.

Final Thoughts

Decentralised storage changes one of the most basic things we do online: saving data.

• Instead of relying on a single company, we rely on a global network.
  
  
• Instead of trusting corporations, we trust math and cryptography.
  
  
• Instead of risking deletion, we secure permanence.
  
  

It’s a quiet revolution, but it may prove to be one of the strongest pillars of Web3’s future.

At Blockmob Labs, we design and build Web3 solutions that rely on privacy, ownership, and decentralisation. If you want to explore how decentralised storage can power your next dApp, NFT project, or enterprise system, we can help.

Visit blockmob.io and let’s build the future of data together.

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