There are some exciting initiatives in the works here at Blurt [Decentralized] headquarters.
In the near future Blurt will be looking to build out IPFS clusters, something I'm super excited about. I've been interested in IPFS as a decentralized image storage option for many years and am now looking to be involved with Blurts IPFS endeavors!
What is IPFS?
IPFS is short for InterPlanetary File System, it's a protocol that allows for a distributed media file sharing.
The InterPlanetary File System is a peer-to-peer hypermedia protocol designed to make the web faster, safer, and more open.
An IPSF Cluster works to provide data orchestration across a swarm of IPFS daemons by creating and tracking a global pinset distributed amongst multiple peers. If we can eventually have 1,000 Raspi's out there each acting as a node sharing a global pinset that supports media files for our blockchains, that again is an incredibly decentralized solution.
To me it boils down to running light weight web 3.0 infra that can be distributed across many many micro processing machines in peoples homes. No need for big data, or the corporations and countries that attempt to "govern" them, creating an incredibly redundant and censorship resistant web.
To learn more about IPFS you can checkout their website here - https://ipfs.io/
Supporting Censorship Resistant Technology
If we can pull off un-censorable RASPI nodes I will be happier than a pig in shit. Raspberry Pi's are relatively affordable micro computers that can easily exist in all corners of the world, creating an incredibly decentralized and censorship resistant network of nodes.
The key point there is censorship resistant, if the Blurt or other blockchains can live, spread out over thousands of light weight nodes in people's living rooms, that is much harder to shut down vs targeting a few corporately owned data centers.
This is the ultimate underground web 3.0 revolution. This is a solution that may be fit to ride us through a worst case scenario apocalypse situation. After all the Raspberry Pi can easily be run on solar energy, the kits are already available.
Raspberry Pi's are also super compact with various case options. I've chosen this clear 9 layer acrylic case by Smraza, as I like being able to see inside and monitor for dust. It's also equipped with a fan to blow cool air directly onto a heatsink below, plus the vents on the sides and bottom should do the trick to keep it within a normal operating temperature. Fingers crossed..
The reviews and tests were decent. Regardless I'll keep an eye on temperatures and look for other heatsink solutions down the road if needed.
Here's to moving forward together, towards a more decentralized web 3.0 future 👊
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Thanks a lot for this explanation about RasPi & IPFS, I kept reading it recently but never realized how powerful it is.
Reading your post made me really excited about the future of blockchain tech and also for Blurt.
I hope to see a successful implementation of RasPi nodes. Cheers!
Agreed, distributed technology can be very powerful. I think here the power comes in the affordability, and portability of these little machines, and then the fact you can turn them into Linux servers. Excited for the future!
When you said "affordability", it made me curious... how much does it take to build this set-up (including all accessories)?
1000 USD?
Much less! My bill today for a Pi 4 (4 GB) + Case Kit + 64GB Card was apx $140 CAD
Oh wow! That's really cheaper than what I thought.
This is only for RasPi node set-up, right?
There will be another set-up to run your Witness right?
Separate for now as far as I know. The witness will continue to run on a VPS located in a data centre in Germany, while the Raspi will be used to help build an IPFS cluster. From my somewhat limited experience it's best a practice to keep witness operations on a separate server. Keep it simple, less that can go wrong :p But maybe this will change in the future..
Thanks for sharing the details. I hope that Blurt will be priced at a higher value so Witnesses like you can earn a better to cover your initial expenses.
Blurt-on!
Very interesting information, as well as technical and informative, full of hope for the near future. It also invites me to think that even I as a small user can dream of being able to open a node.
If I ask you: What are the minimum requirements in technology to have a witness node in blurt? What can you answer me, easily and simply, for a user who does not know the area.
Good Vibes. :)
Really just a VPS with 4gb of RAM like the hetzner CX21 cloud server :+1: