What is Arweave?

Introduction

Arweave is a decentralised blockchain that allows you to save your data forever.

Whether you’re looking to store images, videos, documents or any other important files, Arweave is ready to help you preserve it.

Users pay a one-time upfront fee in order to permanently store their data on Arweave. Once uploaded, it will remain intact for at least the next 200 years, with no hidden costs when the user would like to access their data.

It’s really that simple. If you’d like to understand how your one-time upfront fee to ensure the longevity of your data, you can check out our article on the tech behind Arweave.

The rest of this article is written in such a way that any individual, regardless of technical knowledge, should be able to understand Arweave. I thought it would be best to frame it around the frequently asked questions we receive and answer them for you.

Why can’t I just back up my data on hard drives or use Google Drive?

Well, you certainly can. However, these methods come with their own set of challenges and require two of your most precious assets: your time and your money.

With personal hard drives, there's the responsibility of safe storage, the need to replace them every 3-5 years, and the task of continuous data migration. And during these migrations, data can be corrupted or lost due to software glitches or human mistakes. Managing multiple drives only compounds the effort required.

Similarly, you just can’t rely on centralised cloud storage companies. You forget to pay your subscription, your data will be deleted. They can suffer a security breach which puts your data at risk. If you’re a business, data migration can be so expensive that it results in vendor lock-in.

Let's not forget, many of these services, no matter how popular, aren't guaranteed to last forever. Google Photos is a prime example. Countless users were drawn by its unlimited storage promise, but that service was abruptly withdrawn. To add to the uncertainty, their policies state that if an account remains inactive for more than 2 years, they can deactivate it.

As you can see, both these methods only work if you’re willing to put in the time and money to maintain them. In contrast, with Arweave, you upload your data just once. It’ll be there for you, whether you access it or not, for the next 200 years.

What makes Arweave immune to these problems? 

Firstly, you don’t have to worry about constant payments or migrations to keep your data stored. Once your data is uploaded, it is there to stay.

Your data is safely stored across a decentralised network of 100+ nodes. In fact, at the time of writing, over 700 replicas of each piece of data are maintained on the Arweave network. So even if some worst case scenario causes 90% of the nodes to vanish, as long as 15 copies of your data exist, it will remain safe.

Security breaches aren’t a concern either because only you can control who has access to your data. If you were to use Akord to upload to Arweave, we empower users by ensuring they have complete ownership and full control over their data. This is ensured through a recovery phrase, allowing you to access and share your data with whoever you want. So, even if Akord faced a security breach, attackers couldn't access your data, as you retain full control.

But aren't companies, including Akord, susceptible to shutting down?

Absolutely, and that's where Arweave's unique proposition comes in. With Arweave, we’re not just talking about the permanence of files; the technology extends to applications as well.

While companies may come and go, the solutions and platforms they develop can continue to thrive if they’re uploaded to Arweave. In line with this, we’re currently in the process of developing Akord Explorer and deploying it to Arweave. Through Akord Explorer, you would be able to access Akord, the platform, which hosts your data.

So, even if the unpredictable happens and Akord, the company, ceases to operate, your data - and the platform you use to access it - remains safe and accessible.

Sounds amazing, how can I get started?

You can make your first upload to Arweave on us!

Start with our free forever plan which gives you a little permanent storage (100 MB) and cloud storage (1 GB) to get started. And if you’d like to subscribe to a plan, use the code AKORD30 to get 30% off your first month.

For businesses that are looking for secure solutions to protect their sensitive business data, we offer a free demo call. During this 30-minute session, we provide a detailed walkthrough of the app and answer any questions you may have. And the best part? Our platform supports white labelling, allowing you to tailor the experience for your customers with your business logo and brand colours.

With Arweave, it's not just about ensuring your treasured photos, documents, and files are preserved indefinitely. It’s about saving your two most precious assets: your time and your money.

Learn more

Want to learn more about Arweave? These articles may interest you:

• Winston the elephant
• The Permaweb
• How Arweave solves link rot
• How to archive with Arweave