The TON Foundation launches TON Storage - a next generation file-storage solution

LONDON, Jan. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The TON Foundation has today announced the long-awaited launch of TON Storage, a decentralized file-sharing and data storage solution that is set to solve a host of the issues posed by the volume of data our modern way of life requires. TON Storage is similar to peer-to-peer file sharing through "torrents," but uses the TON (The Open Network) blockchain to transfer data through a decentralized, secure, and private computer network. In this way, users will be able to exchange files of any size freely and securely, with all data automatically backed up and encrypted.

In traditional torrents there is no guarantee of storage - a file will only exist if there is at least one node storing it. However, when using traditional torrents there is no incentive to store a file, and therefore its storage cannot be guaranteed in the long-term. This might be suitable for unimportant data, but for important data a storage guarantee is vital. TON Storage is revolutionary, in part because it can guarantee storage virtually in perpetuity. TON Storage will use financial incentives with the help of smart contracts on the blockchain. A node operator and a user create a smart contract on the TON blockchain that guarantees that the user will pay a fixed amount in Toncoin to store files for a predetermined amount of time.

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.

Moreover, TON Storage combines powerfully with TON Sites and TON DNS to enable sites to launch on the TON Network without requiring a fixed IP address, a centralized domain, or a certified centralized centre. TON Sites can be hosted on TON Storage – without the need for a web server. This puts the next piece of the puzzle in place for the TON Foundation to achieve its goal of a totally decentralized internet.

Anatoly Makosov, founding member of the TON Foundation, said: "The launch of TON Storage was long-awaited; this technology can be used by both individual users and services with a multimillion-dollar audience. Providing a reliable distributed storage solution is the next step in realizing our vision of a decentralized, open internet. We can't wait to see what products our community will create using this technology."