Thread by @masonnystrom

Web3 – the decentralized internet – requires democratizing many of the existing services and infrastructure.

Key services include:
• Web Hosting and Data Storage
• Domain Name System
• Internet Access

A thread on the protocols creating Web3👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
messari.io/article/the-or…

In this piece, I examine the existing challenges to decentralizing the internet and specifically the Internet Infrastructure Stack.

Continue in the thread as I briefly review the existing services and protocols tackling these issues, or jump to the piece for the full story.

1. Data storage and web hosting are vital services for companies.

AWS is the elephant in the room, accounting for about 32% of the market. Beyond the concentration, once AWS revokes hosting services other cloud and storage providers are also likely to reject the entity/website.

Decentralized protocols like @Filecoin, @ArweaveTeam, and @SiaTechHQ services are growing.

Filecoin in its short timespan already stores 4.7222 PIB.

@viamirror mints content as NFTs and hosts the data on Arweave.

Sia makes it simple to upload content to their hosting platform, and as a result, anyone can now read my original Web3 Manifesto on Sia’s Skynet.

The Sia Skynet is an open protocol that allows for the decentralized hosting of applications and data.
siasky.net/vACrMFMiyDIsC2…

The distribution of applications is also controlled by Apple and Google via their app stores.

Skynet has created the Skynet App Store which can be used to view and download any applications built on Skynet. siasky.net/hns/skyapps/#/…

2. Domain Name System

Web3 enthusiasts have been trying to decentralize the domain name system even before the term was coined in 2018 by Gavin Wood.

Blockchains inherently make for great asset registries and one of the largest digitally native assets are domain names.

Domain names are digital assets that map IP addresses to more human-readable names (e.g. 13.57.64.34 to Messari.io)

@ensdomains (ENS) is a domain name registry that maps a readable name (e.g. name.eth) to an Ethereum address.

Compared to early domain name registry attempts like Namecoin, ENS isn’t replacing DNS but rather seeks to integrate Ethereum into the existing DNS system.

@unstoppableweb (Unstoppable Domains) creates blockchain domains that, similar to ENS, replace crypto addresses with a human-readable name.

Additionally, Unstoppable Domain addresses can be used for websites that point content from a decentralized storage network to a domain.

@HNS (Handshake) aims to replace the global DNS root with one governed and distributed by a blockchain system.

Handshake, unlike the existing DNS system, doesn’t require a centralized body to determine which IP addresses are valid or map to a specific website.

Handshake is integrating with platforms like Sia’s Skynet in order to provide both a decentralized DNS and hosting service.

The combination of decentralized file storage/ hosting and DNS helps create a world where information cannot be censored by rent-seekers or governments.

3. Last mile connectivity is a key component of decentralizing internet services and systems.

Last mile is a general term for the final leg of a delivery network that brings a service to end-users. For example, Cable television is a last-mile service.

@andrena_wifi (Andrena) enables a wireless network in towns where consumers own hardware devices that deliver internet to nearby users.

The goal is to substitute predatory Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like Comcast with a community-owned and open internet service provider.

@AltheaNetwork (Althea) organizes a network of antennas to provide internet access to communities.

Neighbors setup antennas and get paid for hosting the hardware. The infrastructure is owned by the community that share revenue from people who use the internet services.

Web 3.0 is a paradigm shift towards a more democratized Internet – an Internet that is governed by the collective rather than by corporations and special interests.
messari.io/article/the-or…