Decentralized storage provider, Bluzelle has released its long-anticipated file storage solution, an extension of its existing data storage solution.
According to the network’s official announcement, the newly added feature is targeted at NFT marketplaces, which will now be able to take advantage of the decentralized storage network. As a result, NFT marketplaces will now be able to store their NFT files, which had previously been incompatible with the existing storage system as it was limited to data storage only.
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This latest update has further positioned Bluzelle as an all-encompassing storage provider, as it can now host all types of files requiring high security, unmatched availability and censorship resistance.
For instance, the decentralized protocol can host any content based on NFT standards, including 3D digital art pieces, video reels of special moments represented in NFT form, in-game items, and other collectibles.
Bluzelle Eliminates the Old Limitations Attributed to Decentralized Storage
Prior to the inception of Bluzelle, solutions for decentralized storage were faced with a number of drawbacks, most of which were related to poor usability and high transactional costs.
Most notably of these, users were often required to pay separately for each storage node within a given network, simply because files are mostly stored on a single node within the network. Likewise, the speed rate of retrieving files from the network is relatively slow, in addition to the high cost of file retrieval.
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On the more advanced front, decentralized storage providers like IPFS had to battle with a native challenge, being that there are few guarantees of continued file immutability. In other words, there is no certainty that file recovery will be possible after a period of time, especially for files with passive engagement.
Furthermore, if a node within the storage network shuts down, or is no longer operational, then file recovery becomes highly challenging, or nigh impossible. In other cases, files stored on a faulty node may crash alongside the node.
In response to the issue, Bluzelle has provided lasting solutions to the majority of these drawbacks, thanks to its advanced replication technology that ensures files are saved across multiple nodes simultaneously.
With the implementation of the aforementioned feature, Bluzelle is able to achieve a faster retrieval speed rate, alongside a lower retrieval cost, all while remaining fully decentralized. “On Bluzelle, you pay once and get backups across all nodes for the same price,” the network’s website reads.
Speaking on the speed of retrieving files within the network, Pavel Bains, CEO of Bluzelle said that “the concurrent design produces significant performance gains for streaming large files, and frees users from having to pay for additional speed.”
Bluzelle, unlike the previous solutions, is also able to achieve continued immutability for every file stored on the network. This is made possible by the replication technology which makes files available across more than one network node.
In this way, a file can still be recovered, regardless of whether a node, or two, or more go down, further ensuring the immutability of the files stored within the network. Currently, there are approximately 50 operational network nodes on the Bluzelle network, and while this number is projected to grow with further adoption, end-users can download files from across any and all of these nodes simultaneously.
Why the Focus on NFT Marketplaces?
One major attribute that makes NFTs special is their ability to stay immutable over a long period of time. While some native NFT platforms are able to achieve true immutability, there are several DEX platforms and marketplaces that are not able to do the same.
Hence, by acting as a decentralized storage facility for NFT-related content, the platforms mentioned above are able to integrate Bluzelle, which can then help bridge the gap left by the lack of immutability. Moreover, the efficient and easy-to-use architecture implemented means that Bluzelle excels at providing uncensorable and resilient public file storage.
“Time and time again in crypto we see solutions that are not as decentralized, not as secure or not as advanced become the norm. Why? Because people care about usability above all, and this factor will always trump any kind of ideological or nice-to-have criteria. This is why our file storage solution aims to be decentralized without sacrificing usability. Too many engineers get lost in designing a cool piece of tech for its own sake, few of them care about how the end-user will perceive it,”
Bains explained regarding the need to focus on NFT marketplaces.
So far, Bluzelle has been adopted by notable NFT marketplaces like Mintable, with more integrations in the works.
Speaking on their experience with Bluzelle so far, Zack Burks, founder and CEO of Mintable, explained that most people are not aware that, unlike Bluzelle, the majority of decentralized storage facilities for NFTs out there do not guarantee immutability.
"Most people are not aware that most NFTs will disappear in a year or more once either their website is taken offline, it gets censored, or if it's on IPFS, it will just get deleted from lack of use,”
Burks noted.
Burks added that Bluzelle, on the other hand, has permanent file storage that is decentralized across the planet, and even if 50-years pass, an end-user will still be able to recover files within the network.
Ultimately, by extending its offering with the introduction of a file storage system, Bluzelle now ranks among the very few decentralized storage protocols capable of solving issues related to immutability for NFT storage.
On The Flipside
- Bluzelle is still at the early stages of adoption, so there are only limited operational nodes, numbering around 50, which poses a slight risk to the network’s claims of immutability.
- The NFT verse is still actively evolving, making it hard to predict what a sustainable future will look like for most creators.
Why You Should Care?
The bulk of DEX platforms and marketplaces still have issues with immutability, high retrieval costs, and retrieval speeds, all of which have been addressed by Bluzelle’s newly built file storage technology.
