MaidSafe - distributed data storage and processing system

MaidSafe is an interesting distributed data transfer and storage system. I liked this idea and wanted to share it with the public. MaidSafe is registered in Scotland and is developing its project with the support of sponsors.

Platform overview

MaidSafe consists of two main components - the network and client applications. The network is under development, and is planned for release by the end of 2014 (source code for compiling on github is already available. Also, applications are being prepared for release, which will demonstrate using the SAFE API using an example and allow everyone to create their own applications.

SAFE network

The SAFE network (Secure Access for Everyone, secure access for everyone. NO MORE? For All ? Without DoS? ) Is a fully distributed service for working with data. The network processes both static and dynamic data, including communications. The data is either encrypted on the client or digitally signed by the client. In any case, the network does not have the ability to decrypt the data passing through it. You can think of it as a decentralized server running instead of the typical httpd, ssh, scp, ftp, smtp, pop3, imap, etc. servers.

The SAFE network is created from unused disk space, CPU power, and the networking capabilities of ordinary computers. Most likely, these computers will belong to users of the system, but this is not necessary. Each computer will, in fact, mine loans that can then be exchanged for goods and services. These loans are called safecoin.
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Client applications

Clients of the network get access to it through innovative ideas:

1. self-encrypting data
2. access and creation of cryptographically secure identification keys on decentralized public key servers
3. self-authentication

An application can access, store, change data, and communicate over the network. The application allows you to anonymously connect to the network, and can not prevent people from doing so. The data is presented to clients as virtual disks, either as data for the applications they process, or as communication data that the applications process according to needs.

Examples of client applications: cloud storage, encrypted messaging, websites, cryptocurrency wallets, processing of any documents of any formats, distributed databases, joint processing of documents, signing of documents and contracts, trade transactions, etc. etc. Customers can access any service that is presented on the Internet, and offer many unique services that are not available now, with a centralized architecture.

Providing access to the network, customers make sure that users have to enter the password only once. The client contains many keys with passwords and can automatically "enter" into any network services. That is, for example, you can register on the website by simply clicking the "Join" button.

Digital voting, news aggregation, transfer of secret information - all this and much more is possible!

Properties of a distributed network

The vision of the project is to replace the existing network of unsafe servers with a fully distributed, secure and private network. A network where no outsider can intercept, copy, steal and sell any data.

The platform offers a distributed network that allows developers to create fast and secure applications of any kind. Without the need to acquire API keys and build infrastructure, developers do not bear financial risks and can acquire customers very inexpensively.

No servers - no data centers.
Server can not be hacked.
No network censorship and DNS control.
DOS attacks are ineffective due to opportunistic caching.
Data storage without volume limitation, free of charge and without transactions.

No administrators - only users.
The network is configured automatically in real time.
Privacy and data protection are provided by thousands of algorithms running on hundreds of nodes.
The network itself decides where to store the data.
The need for network planning and capacity reductions disappears.
No data centers and admins.

Data is encrypted on the fly, imperceptible to users.
Automatic removal of duplicate data.
Automatic replication and recovery.
Geographic distribution of data, allowing them to recover even with massive local network failures.
Cryptographic data signatures.
No one has access to other people's data, unless they are specifically shared.

Full protection against interception of passwords (they are not transmitted over the network).
At least three different areas with different keys and ID, without communication between them.
Login to the system by name, PIN code and password.
Store, retrieve and modify data with a separate ID.
Communicate with others through a separate ID.
More complex sharing systems through the creation of additional key chains.

Creating private sharing for friends and colleagues.
Create any amount of public data sharing (websites).
Microblogging systems.
Social networks.
Share, anything - music, programs, photos.

Large applications can work on weak devices.
Automatic distribution of processor power, disk space and memory.
Version control support allows rollbacks, automatic and manual data fusion.

Applications

Examples of applications are given - a small fraction of how to use the SAFE network. You can use everything that works on the Internet now, and even more.

- social networks
- listening to music
- watching films
- VOIP
- sharing of any data
- secure data storage
- chat rooms
- financial applications
- digital voting
- medical records
- app stores
- secure mail
- blogs

Licensing

Like today's Internet, the MaidSafe system cannot be owned by anyone and controlled by anyone - it is ours, it belongs to everyone ( unfortunately, with the Internet it’s not quite so, that’s the point of such networks ). MaidSafe is completely anonymous, secure and inaccessible to invasions of any kind, it cannot be controlled and it cannot be owned. This system has open source code distributed under the GPL3 license. We do not own it, anyone can use it (and always will be), and anyone can create their own version of the project.

But MaidSafe is not against profit. Great products don't exist without great people and companies that have investors.

Our license contains a condition that allows you to create applications under licenses other than the GPL, subject to deductions of 1%. These deductions will help in the development of the network and in obtaining return on investment. 1% is a small enough amount to encourage application development by businessmen, entrepreneurs and innovators, and is a much smaller barrier compared to existing services. Compare with 30% of the deduction at the Apple Store, to which the annual subscription fee has been added.

MaidSafe will not evaluate client applications and ban those who do not fit under any quality standards. Everything is easier. We allow the market to assess the quality of the application - bad applications will not be used. We are confident that this approach will encourage developers to cooperate with us. The GPL and commercial license provide developers with patent protection for their programs. Open source will allow third-party developers to check our work and not take our word for it.

Safecoin

Safecoin will be the internal currency of the network, and a mechanism for encouraging and rewarding users and developers, as well as a way to access network resources. The users who provided the resources of their computers are called Farmers, and get safecoin for the resources. Developers are called Builders, and they earn safecoin in proportion to the amount of use of the applications they have created ( note the translators - and I want to include the Rangers here ). Developers who improve the code of the SAFE network itself, correcting errors and adding new features, will also be rewarded through safecoin. In the case of farmers and builders, safecoin will be created by the network itself and distributed automatically. The reward of internal developers will be determined by voting.

Safecoin exists only within the SAFE network, they will be stored in users' wallets, and they can be used when buying network resources - increased storage space, access to network applications. The propagation time of safecoin is not set. Unlike many cryptocurrencies, the distribution of safecoin is supported by information, and their number directly correlates with the number of resources provided by the network.

The table shows the attempts to predict the distribution of coins based on the prediction of parameters such as the number of nodes, the amount of data per node, and the number of attempts to save data.


The greater popularity of the network will lead to the creation of a large amount of resources, which in turn will lead to the generation of a large number of moments. If the demand is low, everything will be the opposite. Logically, there should not be an excess of coins, which could lead to their inflation and a decrease in value.

The upper limit for the number of coins is 4.3 billion. Currently, about 10% of the coins are issued through an intermediate currency called MaidSafeCoin, the sale of which was held in April. In the SAFE network, safecoin is processed by a special transaction manager.



This is an analogue of the blockchain, only in this case the chains are not complete, only the data on the current and previous owners are saved. In this sense, it can be said that safecoin is a digital currency. ( Note: Yes, in Russia, Ecuador and Bolivia, it will probably be banned. )

Builders

The picture shows the structure of the MaidSafe libraries.

Now developers have a working business model tied to open source, and it works with safecoin. Having encoded your id into the application, you will automatically receive rewards when your application will be used by other people.

Developer access to the network will be free, sample applications will be available soon. API documentation is available here.

MaidSafe begins organizing developer groups that decentralize network development and knowledge base, and allow the global developer community to be organized. For more information, visit the website.

Reasons to develop on the MaidSafe platform:

- your applications will be available to all
- no API keys - download and develop
- the minimum cost of acquiring users and no infrastructure costs
- real-time applications adapting to changing requests
- security, privacy and anonymity for all users

The farmers

The network is created by using idle computer resources. Farmers, like Bitcoin miners, earn coins by providing the resources of their computers (disk space, processor power and network connectivity).

Everyone can become a farmer by downloading the application for the SAFE network and running it in vault mode. No difficulty with setting - downloaded and launched. The network adjusts automatically.

The network stores data, distributing it randomly among nodes. Farmers are rewarded when data is requested from their site. The system works on the principle of “proof of resource availability” of the Proof of Resource (POR), checking that the resource allocated to it by the farmer is actually available for use. Permanent checks are described in the diagram.


The farmer provides network resources -> the network checks and measures the resources -> it is necessary to provide more resources than you use yourself -> the network saves data and distributes safecoin -> farmers receive safecoin.

If you decide to become a farmer, you can do it at the end of 2014, when the net starts. Resources must be provided more than you use for yourself. For example, a farmer, providing a network of 10 GB of space and using 10 GB of space, will not work. A farmer with 100 GB and using 10 GB will work.

Each node is assigned a network rank, which is greater, the more resources the node provides, and the more time it is available on the network.

At the moment, we cannot estimate the speed with which coins will be earned, since too many variables affect it. In the coming months, we will begin testing the network and publish the data obtained during the tests, which will allow us to more accurately assess the possibilities of farming. Since the network randomly selects nodes for data storage, it seems that it will be more profitable to support several ordinary computers than one powerful “farm”. For further discussions on this topic, you can refer to the network forum .