Filecoin (FIL) is looking towards a Mainnet launch in Q3 2020 yet their supporters are quite upset due to constant delays.
Filecoin aims to build its network on top of the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), a peer-to-peer data storage network and let users buy and sell unused storage on an open market. IPFS is a promising project in the crypto world, but its Mainnet launch was delayed several times. One of the possible reasons for that could be Filecoin’s desire to enhance its IPFS Protocol with information-centric network technology called Named Data Networking (ICN and NDN) for the peer-to-peer content retrieval market.
IPFS team attended an ACM ICN 2019 conference in Macau, China, in September 24-26 2019 to seek new ways for promoting the project. The fundamental concept of the conference was to discuss a new concept for accessing named data as a principal network service and evolve from today’s Internet which is built around a host-based packet delivery to directly retrieving information objects.
According to the research (Ascigil et al, 2019), the Interplanetary File System (IPFS) could be complemented with an ICN and NDN network layer that can significantly improve the content delivery quality. As a result, the research team found that NDN is a complementing network-layer architecture to IPFS. The adaptive load-based forwarding strategies are very useful in the network layer. Also, the IPFS team has been proactive after the conference and kept an ongoing connection with the NDN team to discuss the benefits of their mutual collaboration (please refer to pic 2).
Dr. Zhang joined the Computer Science Department at the University of Arizona in 2005. He received a PhD from UCLA in 2003. His research area is computer networks in general. He has been working on Internet routing architectures and protocols, green networks, routing security, and Internet content distribution, NDN and ICN.
After the joint efforts of both projects, the whole subject has been a hot topic for discussion on reddit. Consequently, this will improve the existing cryptography, and help with the development of further IPFS applications.
What is NDN?
Named Data Networking (NDN) is one of the future network architecture research programs initiated by National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2010. Its main purpose is to develop an innovative network architecture to meet emerging communication needs and replace the existing TCP/IP protocol.
What is NDN Link?
A blockchain network sharing project, NDN Link expects to build a Naming Data Network (NDN) transmission overlay based on the NDN technology through a trusted decentralized data transmission infrastructure. With data signatures as the basis of security, applications can build a more fine-grained authentication, authorization, and trust model. Therefore，it promotes public network sharing and mutual benefits among the users of the network.
About IPFS
Once Filecoin launches in mid-2020, it will act as a decentralized online storage system. It will also face competition from similar projects like Sia, Storj and Lambda. One of the things that set Filecoin apart from its competitors is its close association with IPFS, which is also created by Protocol Labs and is already live. Undoubtedly, the Filecoin launch will raise the project’s profile more significantly than this week’s news. For investors and supporters, it shows that because of the collaboration Protocol Labs are thriving.
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