Overview
Arweave is a decentralized storage network designed for the 'permaweb'—a permanent, decentralized web of pages and applications. Unlike other storage networks that require ongoing monthly payments, Arweave uses a one-time fee to store data for hundreds of years.
Key Concepts
- Blockweave: A variation of blockchain where each new block is linked to both the previous block and a random 'recall block' from the past.
- Proof of Access (PoA): The consensus mechanism that requires miners to prove they have access to old data to mine new blocks.
- Endowment Model: A portion of the storage fee is put into an endowment that pays out to miners over time to ensure data persistence.
Use Cases
Arweave is widely used for archiving historical data, hosting permanent NFT assets, and building 'unstoppable' web applications.