What is Sia's Skynet?

Skynet is a new distributed data storage service presented by the Sia project and with which they seek to create a simple and adaptable system for mass storage for both websites, backup and applications of any kind. 

EL World blockchain It has evolved a lot since its inception, and today it has allowed the creation of online services with a decentralized operation. This is the case of Skynet, a new service that works on the blockchain network of Sia and Siacoin (SC). Discover with us one of the incredible creations of this great project.

Surely you are already wondering What is Skynet? Is it the artificial intelligence of the Terminator universe? The truth is that nothing is so "evil". Actually, we are talking about something much better, a space where we can store information of any kind. All this protected by a blockchain network based on cryptography and prepared for any situation that could threaten our personal data. Do you find it interesting? Well, in this new article from Bit2Me Academy, you will know everything about Skynet.  

What is Skynet?

Skynet is a content distribution network (Content Delivery Network or CDN), who uses the network Both and its blockchain to serve content to users publicly. The Skynet project was announced to the public in February 2020, and since then, it has allowed its functions to be accessible to the public from its official website.

But what is revolutionary about Skynet? Well, your true revolution is in that it is a blockchain data storage service that we can use without having to download a Sia wallet or any other specialized software to make it work.

All this without abandoning the fact that the content is stored using Sia technology. That is to say, the content is chopped and distributed on the blockchain network in an encrypted way. When distributed over the network, it is stored on other people's computers, which due to the fact that they only store small encrypted pieces, it is impossible for them to see their content.

In short, to upload files to Sia, just go to the Skynet website and upload a document that we want so that it becomes part of the Sia blockchain network and we can access it from anywhere in the world. In addition, you can also clone the web, and run it on your own server to completely eliminate the fear that your content may be intercepted.

In the end, once the content is uploaded you will receive a link that you can use to share the content. In fact, it is something as simple as taking the link received and sharing it on our social networks, as with other services such as Mega or Dropbox that you have probably already used at some point.

Objective behind the creation of Skynet

Sia, since the beginning of its development, has always had a very clear objective: to use blockchain technology to allow a distributed, secure, encrypted, low-cost and global storage network. The project that began its development in 2013 by the hand of David Vorick y Luke champion who conceived the idea of ​​this great project during the HackMIT Hackathon 2013.

Since then, Vorick and Champine have been working hard to bring their vision to life, and they have succeeded. Sia is currently a powerful blockchain and data storage network that began operations in 2015. It currently has a huge network that has a presence in 52 countries, with a total of 340 Sia hosts in operation, and a data storage capacity of 2,18 Petabytes. These are data that undoubtedly demonstrate the good health of the network.

But to these we can add that the network is growing and all thanks to Skynet, since since the start of operations of this service, transactions and the use of the network has increased and consolidated. In fact, Skynet has currently handled a total of 9,09 TB of information distributed in more than 1,4 million files.

In other words, the goal of Sia and Skynet to show that data storage in a distributed way using blockchain technology is now a reality, a solution that we can use and enjoy right now.

Skynet main components

However What makes it possible for Skynet to work the way it does? Well, first of all, we owe it to the Sia blockchain, which is what allows us to control this huge network of distributed nodes that rent their resources to make it possible to store all this information. Yes, you read “rent” correctly, because every storage operation in Sia and Skynet is linked to a smart contract in Sia, whereby the storage host receives a micro-payment corresponding to the resources granted to store the data.

In this sense, the operation of Skynet is based on the already established operation of Sia and which has allowed the network to evolve to the current point. However, the creation of Skynet required the specific development of a series of additional components that are: server-type modules called Portals and links to content called Skylinks.

But what are these two components? And more importantly, what role do they play in the operation of Skynet? Well, we'll see that next.

Portals, the bridges between the world and Sia

The Portals are the ones that allow us to store information in Sia in a comfortable way. You can leave them publicly and provide a Skynet service for everyone if you post them on an online server, but you can also use them without exposing them to the Internet (for example on a local network for your home or office).

The objective of a Portal is to allow you to send and access content on the Sia network and serve it. So by default, any Portal can access any Skynet or Skylink load on the Sia network, although a Portal operator could implement controls on who can use their Portal, what content can be accessed or any other number of customizations.

If there is a centralization and control point in this medium, which has been implemented to prevent certain harmful content from being sent freely over the network. This may sound contrary to the principles of blockchain technology, but in this case, it is a quite useful measure to fight against truly unwanted content on the network by the community.

Currently, there are a total of 10 portals in operation, so you don't need to run a portal to upload or download content from Skynet. However, if you want to make sure that your Skynet content is always available to others, it is best to run your own Portal. Not only that, at the same time you will contribute to strengthening the network and its reach.

Install a Portal

Anyone can create their own portal, it is free and free. However, you must bear in mind that this requires some basic computer skills, and if you want to use a portal you can use those that already exist.

To configure a Skynet Portal, all you have to consider is the following:

1. Have a computer with an Internet connection and GNU / Linux operating system. Although you can also do it in Windows and Mac OS.
2. Have at least a 1TB storage capacity.
3. Install a full Sia node.
4. Install Docker.

With all this, just follow the instructions of Skynet guide available on Github for the correct installation of a Skynet Portal.

Skylinks, from Sia to the rest of the world

Through the Portals the files enter and exit, but to access the saved files we need to know their path. This route is called Skylinks.
Skylinks are links that allow us to access the files that are in Sia so that we can download them.

When we use a Portal to upload a file, when the Portal finishes loading, it gives us a link with which we can request access to our file from this Portal or any other public Portal that has access to the Sia network. In this way, we can download our file from anywhere in the world when we require it.

Additionally, Skylinks have a property known as “pinning”Which allows us to keep content online as long as we want. However if you want to keep an online content you must pay.

Remember that although Sia is a distributed storage network, this does not mean that storage is free, everything is paid, although the rates are extremely low. We talk that a TB of data storage (1024 GB of data) has an average cost of about € 5 per month including bandwidth costs. In comparison, a TB of data in services such as Dropbox, Mega or Gdrive costs between € 35 to € 50. In that sense, it is clear that Sia is a better data storage option to have online information backup.

But remember: the important thing is not the price, but the privacy. At Sia you don't give your information to a large corporation that exploits it behind your back. Here your information is yours, the content is encrypted, and securely distributed using the power of cryptography. Another important point is,  that it is impossible to hack Sia and thereby extract the information from the blockchain, everything is encrypted, which gives you the security of your information, it will always be safe.

Using Skynet without major complications

Now, How can we use Skynet and its benefits? Well, for this, the first thing we will do is go to SiaSky Portal. There we will receive the following website:

From there we can see the two options that interest us. On the left side, we see the option to upload files ("Upload your files"). AND On the right side, we can see where to place the Skylinks, so that in case we have one we can put it and download the information associated with it. In our case, we will upload a file and test the functionality of this Skynet Portal. For this you can choose the file you want and upload it.

Now that we have uploaded the file (in this case an image in JPG format) we can see just below a link, this is our Skylink.

If we take that link and use it directly, we can download our file from anywhere in the world, and we can even use other Portals to request information from them and download it, in case, for example, that a Portal is being censored by a company telecommunications or government. All portals connect to the same data source.

Remember that you can even install your own portal to download and upload files. To test this point we will do an access test from another public Portal, in this case we will use Skyportal. If we put the Skylink that Siasky offered us in the Skyportal Portal, we will have access to the file that we have uploaded without major problems, as shown in the following image.

It is then demonstrated that Portals and Skylinks can communicate autonomously with the Sia network. And from there, they may require the files that we upload, allowing us access to it without major problems.

What does Skynet and Sia offer us with these options?

Ask yourself the following questions: Have you ever thought about developing a mobile or PC app designed to display multimedia files with a global reach? Have you imagined the cost in equipment, storage and networks that this means?

Both questions have surely put you in a situation. The first is quite complex, deploying multimedia content at high speed and with global reach is a problem for many large companies, so imagine for a small company. The second is closely linked to the first, and that is that these equipment and the services they provide and need for its correct operation are not cheap. In that sense, Sia and Skynet offer a solution to these two problems in a completely new way.

Firstly, the reach of Sia throughout the world is indisputable, since as we have already mentioned, the network has access to 52 nations spread throughout the world. There is practically no continent in the world where several Sia nodes have no presence, and that means that the network reaches every country in the world, and total network censorship is impossible to achieve.

On the other hand, Sia and Skynet have been created to allow the integration of their functions with third-party applications. To use Skynet, it is enough to have access to the Skynet API and from there exploit the potential of Skynet. This will allow you to upload and download files from any app that is developed with this functionality. We are talking about the fact that this app that has cost you so much to develop can have access to a distributed storage network, with low cost and global reach.

Finally, the cost of implementing these functionalities is extremely low. We have already mentioned that a TB of data in Sia has an average cost of 5 $. This compared to options such as Mega, Drive or Dropbox where prices fluctuate between $ 35 and $ 50 for that same capacity. Not to mention options like Vultr Block Storage, where 1 TB of storage costs $ 100.

But not only that, these companies put different conditions to use their services. And what is worse, the speed and access to these services is quite limited. Instead, Sia guarantees fast, unrestricted access with high download speeds.

Ultimately, what Sia and Skynet offer developers is a low-cost, high-speed, high-reliability, and global reach storage infrastructure. Everything you need to develop data intensive applications and even multimedia streaming. And the best thing, without all this causing headaches for your development, and that users do not have a satisfactory experience of using your app or product.

About censorship

Remember that governments and telecommunications companies can deprive the population of their freedom, hiding what they are not interested in. There are two ways, closing the website or at the country level to block access to the URL.

In this case the urls of the Sia portals could be censored, but the content can never be removed. To access the content you should access through a VPN that connects through another country (as long as the portal has not been closed). Or you can also do it by installing a portal on your computer or a local network (the best solution always).

Dangers of using a third-party portal

As Skynet grows, more portals will appear. Remember that portals are the places where everything enters and leaves. This means that your privacy and content can be completely compromised. A portal can know what file you upload, what is your IP, browser, operating system, ... it can know a lot about you. The same when downloading a file.

It is true that Skynet is now being born, and the official portal we can believe almost 100% that it does not do this. But we cannot be completely sure. What we can assure you is that dozens of portals will be born focused solely on spying / stealing your information, and you must be aware of this.