TON launches new file-sharing and storage solution

• TON Storage is a new file sharing and data storage platform on the TON blockchain.
• An incentivised node ecosystem means users can file and store data for perpetuity.
• Users will utilise smart contracts to pay nodes using Toncoin, the native token on the TON blockchain.

The TON Foundation, the group behind the development of The Open Network (TON) blockchain, has launched a new decentralised file sharing and data solution dubbed TON Storage.

TON Storage works similar to available peer-to-peer file sharing platforms where “torrents” are used. However, it employs the TON blockchain to allow for the decentralised transfer of data and files of any size, doing away with the need for users to utilise centralised servers.

The storage system also means users can enjoy automatically backed up and encrypted file sharing, with an added layer of security provided by the blockchain.

Step towards open internet

According to Anatoly Makosov, a TON Foundation founding member, the official launch of TON Storage has been long overdue.

“This technology can be used by both individual users and services with a multimillion-dollar audience,” he said in a statement. TON Storage is a step towards actualizing the vision of having a decentralised, open internet, he added.

As traditional torrents do not offer guarantee of storage, but with TON Storage, that changes. This is because of an incentivized ecosystem that allows for files to exist virtually forever. To achieve this, the new file sharing and data storage technology will deploy a smart contracts-based node system.

An agreement between a user and a node will see the user pay for file storage using Toncoin – in essence making it possible to store files for as long as possible. Toncoin is the native cryptocurrency of the TON blockchain.

“Anyone can become a node operator on the TON network and receive payments from other users for hosting files – even if operating just one node. The accessibility of this new product will incentivise new, independent users to join the TON network, helping to grow the TON ecosystem even further,” TON Foundation team noted.