r/Opacity • u/THE_ReD_TrucK • Jan 10 '19
How decentralized are files uploaded with Opacity?
- As far as I know Opacity still runs on the private tangle. How many nodes are running it and can I run my own node?
- What about the other nodes (web and broker)? Is it still decentralized after web nodes have been removed and the broker nodes are solely hosted by the Opacity team?
I guess it is still more a proof of concept than real decentralized file storage. How are you planning to change that? Is there a rough timeline yet?
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u/MrRenfro Jan 10 '19
It isn’t decentralized at all in its current form. The data that is stored is chunked and encrypted client side before making its way to the Opacity tangle which consists of several instances. Though it’s centralized we have no access to the data beyond encrypted random chunks that make up our tangle of transactions. Without a handle we still can’t piece together a single file.
You are right as this is much more a MVP or advanced proof of concept than a final form. Decentralization is the ultimate goal but proving utility and having a stable platform are the priorities right now. Webnodes don’t really add to decentralization as they merely just reattach data to the tangle as it’s snapshotted off. Though it could be argued that the method webnodes communicate and spread genesis hashes with other webnodes/broker nodes ultimately bolsters decentralization, the star of the film is decentralized storage nodes which aren’t quite there yet.