As the popularity of blockchain soared due to its secure and immutable nature, Arweave seized the opportunity to create a platform that offers a unique approach to data storage. The project's innovative concept holds the promise of virtually limitless storage capabilities, opening up new possibilities for individuals and businesses alike.
What is Arweave
Arweave is a decentralized storage network that aims to revolutionize data storage by providing an indefinite storage solution. At the heart of Arweave's ecosystem lies the concept of the "permaweb," which represents a permanent and decentralized web infrastructure. Through the permaweb, Arweave hosts a multitude of community-driven applications and platforms.
The Arweave team
Arweave was founded by two PhD candidates at the University of Kent, Sam Williams and William Jones. Sam Williams brought his expertise in decentralized and distributed systems to the project, while William Jones specialized in neural networking and graph theory. Although Williams made the decision to leave his studies and dedicate himself fully to Arweave, Jones chose to complete his PhD before pursuing other ventures.
How does Arweave work
Arweave operates on a unique technology called Blockweave, which forms the foundation of its permaweb. Unlike traditional blockchain systems, Blockweave connects each block to two others: one that comes before it and another chosen randomly from earlier blocks. This design incentivizes miners to store more data by requiring them to access previous blocks in order to receive rewards.
Arweave’s native token: AR
Arweave's native token, AR, plays a crucial role within the Arweave network. The cryptocurrency was launched in late May 2020 with a maximum supply of 66 million AR tokens and a total supply of 63.19 million. The circulating supply currently stands at 33.39 million.
AR is readily available for trading on numerous decentralized exchanges (DEX), providing users with easy access to participate in the Arweave ecosystem. Additionally, AR is listed and actively traded on nearly 50 prominent centralized exchanges, including OKX. This broad availability and exchange support contribute to the liquidity and accessibility of AR, facilitating its use within the Arweave network and enabling users to engage with the platform's innovative decentralized storage solutions.
How to stake AR
One popular way to stake AR is through OKX Earn. OKX Earn offers a one percent APY with a flexible staking term. Through staking AR, you can earn passive rewards. You may also unstake AR at any time.
AR token use cases
AR token, the native cryptocurrency of the Arweave network, plays a crucial role in facilitating the storage and permanence of data. Unlike traditional Web2 storage platforms such as Google Cloud or Amazon Web Services that require recurring payments, Arweave operates on a one-time, up-front fee model.
By using AR tokens, users can securely store their data on the Arweave network, ensuring its permanence, privacy, and immutability. Once the data is stored, it remains safe and accessible indefinitely, making Arweave a unique platform for individuals and organizations seeking a decentralized and permanent storage option.
AR token distribution
AR’s distribution is as follows:
- 38.5 percent was sold from the Genesis Block supply.
- 2.9 percent was allocated to project advisors.
- 13 percent was set aside for the project team, with a fifth of this allocation being released annually over a period of five years.
- 19.1 percent was allotted for further development of the Arweave ecosystem.
- 26.5 percent was reserved for future financing of the project, with a fifth of this allocation being released annually over the course of five years.
Arweave and the future of online storage
With Arweave, users can securely store their data in a permanent and tamper-proof manner, ensuring its long-term integrity. This innovative approach to online storage eliminates the need for traditional Web2 solutions, such as recurring payments on centralized platforms. On top of that, with its focus on decentralization and immutability, Arweave is poised to transform the landscape of online storage and pave the way for a new era of data permanence and accessibility.