Cost-effective cloud storage that is reliable and secure

Leverage the distributed cloud: flexibility and scale without compromise.

The benefits of Filecoin cloud storage

Data Integrity Icon

Data Integrity
Content addressing and cryptographic storage proofs verify data is being stored correctly and securely over time.

Security Icon

Security
Filecoin's blockchain technology leverages immutability and decentralization to provide storage that is more tamper resistant to malware and bad actor exploits than traditional storage.

Cost Icon

Cost
The cost of storage has proven to be beyond 95% lower on a per-gigabyte basis than today’s market rates for Web2-based public cloud storage providers

Availability Icon

Availability
Because organizations can specify the level of resiliency they need to meet availability requirements, they have the flexibility to go far beyond what any Web2-based public cloud storage provider will guarantee

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*Highlights taken from the IDC whitepaper

Data Integrity:
Content addressing and cryptographic storage proofs verify data is being stored correctly and securely over time.

Security:
Filecoin’s blockchain technology leverages immutability and decentralization to provide storage that is more tamper resistant to malware and bad actor exploits than traditional block- or file-based storage.

Availability:
Because organizations can specify the level of resiliency they need to meet availability requirements, they have the flexibility to go far beyond what any Web2-based public cloud storage provider will guarantee

Cost:
The cost of storage has proven to be beyond 95% lower on a per-gigabyte basis than today’s market rates for Web2-based public cloud storage providers (and can even be free in some cases).

Trusted by teams all over the world

16.43
EiB
FILECOIN
NETWORK CAPACITY
7,00 +
PiB
CUSTOMER DATA ONBOARDED
2000+
STORAGE DEALS MADE in 24 hours
2,140 +
LARGE DATA
CLIENTS ONBOARDED
OUR SCALE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF

Cryptographic proofs guarantee your data remains available and unchanged over time

HOW IT WORKS

Learn the steps involved in storing your data
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STEP ONE
Understanding your needs

Filecoin is a peer-to-peer network that connects users and thousands of storage providers spread across the globe who compete to offer the best prices and service.

Consider how much you want to store, where, and for how long. There are many solutions that enable you to seamlessly onboard data to the network, whether you are a developer or a business.

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STEP ONE
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STEP TWO
Preparing your data

Your data is processed to create a content identifier, an ID that uniquely describes the content and would change if your data was tampered with. Once it is ready, it can be transferred to a storage provider.

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STEP TWO
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STEP THREE
Striking a deal

After agreeing on the terms, such as the cost and duration, a deal is made between a user and provider. It’s all done on a transparent, global marketplace.

The cost of storage has proven to be beyond 95% lower on a per-gigabyte basis than today’s market rates for Web2-based public cloud storage providers.

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STEP THREE
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STEP FOUR
Secure and verifiable data storage

Filecoin validates all data, whether it is being accessed or not, on a daily basis to ensure its integrity. Filecoin never updates data in place, making ransomware attacks extremely unlikely.

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STEP FOUR

Solution Discovery

SOLUTIONS FOR LARGE DATA
Backup your data on Filecoin today if you want to migrate from costly public cloud services

Large data archival for enterprise and research

Researchers and companies needing to store large data sets are often met with high fees. As an alternative to costly cloud storage, the Filecoin network offers efficiently priced and geographically decentralized storage, minimizing financial barriers and reducing the risk of data comprimization by having data stored across multiple nodes, instead of a central network.

Preserving humanity’s most important information

With misinformation running rampant in the current media landscape, it’s more important than ever to have a safe place to store data. Storing on the Filecoin network ensures that the data is verifiably true, and prevents it from being deleted or tampered with by malicious players.

Frequently Asked Questions

01.
Storing Data on the Filecoin Network
How is data stored on the Filecoin network?

Filecoin storage providers use cryptographically hashed containers—known as sectors—to store data. Each sector can hold either 32 GiB or 64 GiB of data, depending on the storage provider’s configuration. Filecoin storage providers use a process known as sealing to transfer data into a sector.

What is the cost of storing data?

The cost will depend either on the product you are using to store data or the storage provider. Thanks to staggering economies of scale, competition between providers, and incentive programs like Fil+, the cost of storage has proven to be beyond 95% lower on a per-gigabyte basis than today’s market rates for Web2-based public cloud storage providers (and can even be free in some cases).

What is the cost of retrieving data?

The cost of retrieving data from the Filecoin network varies by storage provider. Clients and storage providers can and should specify the cost of data retrieval when developing the initial contract documents.

Why do enterprise clients choose to use the Filecoin network?

Enterprises with large datasets choose Filecoin data storage for several reasons:

  • Content-based access ensures data integrity and verifiability

  • Replication methodology ensures availability and durability of data

  • Native immutability provides an organic hedge against ransomware

  • Storage providers can be chosen based on location, add-on services provided, security certifications, cost, and other factors

  • Filecoin storage is significantly less expensive than Web2 storage options

What are the ideal use cases for Filecoin data storage?

In addition to long-term backup and archive data sets, Filecoin is extensively used for a wide variety of use cases including digital archives, public data sets, research data, and genomics archives. Educational organizations use it for massive open online courses (MOOCs) and other education data sets. Enterprise organizations use the ecosystem for business analytics and as an alternative to tape backups. Other uses include non-fungible token (NFT) storage, surveillance data, drone data, and other Web3 workloads. It is also very effective for Web2 applications like climate analysis and historical internet archives.

How is Filecoin integrated with existing data storage solutions?

Filecoin integration is offered on a protocol by protocol and case by case basis.  Due to the robust service provider options there are many different integrations that are provided to data owners in the network.

Where in the world is Filecoin data stored?

There are thousands of storage nodes distributed across the globe. storage providers can allow their customers to determine the geographical distribution of data so it can stay within certain countries or regions and thereby meet various data sovereignty requirements that Web2-based public cloud providers cannot.

How durable is Filecoin data storage?

Filecoin uses replication and auditing to ensure data durability. Data replicated six times—for example—could yield in excess of twenty 9s of data durability. (The data durability of traditional Web2 storage yields only eleven 9s.) Daily auditing increases durability by immediately revealing any data corruption, providing the opportunity to replace corrupted data with non-corrupted replicas.

For how long can my data live on the Filecoin network?

The contract length for a Filecoin storage deal typically ranges from 6-18 months. Clients wishing to store data for longer than 18 months can renew their contracts at the end of the initial term, akin to renewing a contract with a traditional Web2 storage provider.

02.
filecoin security
How is Filecoin data secured?

Storage providers can use various methods to keep data secure, and typically work with enterprise clients to determine the right combination of security measures. Security measures or services may include:

  • Data-at-rest encryption services

  • TLS/SSL encryption support for data in flight

  • Secure data transport through sneakernet-style options (for large datasets; akin to an AWS Snowball)

Filecoin developers use a combination of methods to keep the Filecoin network secure. These tactics include:

  • Using secure development processes

  • Conducting security-focused training sessions

  • Funding independent security research by third parties

Filecoin developers also engage with reputable auditing firms to complete theory audits, designed to ensure that the theory behind the Filecoin protocol and its implementation is delivering the intended value.

How can enterprise clients control access to stored data?

Enterprises can maintain data privacy using one or more methods to control access. These privacy tactics include:

  • Self-encrypting data prior to placing it on the Filecoin network

  • Using a wallet-based encryption scheme such as Lit Protocol to enable client-side encryption

  • Using dedicated storage hardware with data retrievals disabled

  • Setting retrieval costs to be so high that no retrieval attempts are made

What security certifications does Filecoin offer or support?

Storage providers hold security certifications directly, with different storage providers pursuing different certificates. Storage providers may be certified or specialize in SOC2, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI, or another security framework. Clients with specific security or regulatory requirements can seek out storage providers with the relevant qualifications or certificates.

Does Filecoin support data access auditing?

Filecoin storage providers can support data access auditing upon request. Storage providers can retain and supply data access logs to clients, provided that the client indicates a preference in advance for receiving this type of information.

How secure is data stored on the Filecoin network?

Storage providers can use various methods to keep data secure, and typically work with enterprise clients to determine the right combination of security measures. Security measures or services may include:

  • Data-at-rest encryption services

  • TLS/SSL encryption support for data in flight

  • Secure data transport through sneakernet-style options (for large datasets; akin to an AWS Snowball)

Filecoin developers use a combination of methods to keep the Filecoin network secure. These tactics include:

  • Using secure development processes

  • Conducting security-focused training sessions

  • Funding independent security research by third parties

Filecoin developers also engage with reputable auditing firms to complete theory audits, designed to ensure that the theory behind the Filecoin protocol and its implementation is delivering the intended value.

03.
About Filecoin Storage Providers
How much capacity do Filecoin storage providers have?

Today there are more than 17 EiBs of capacity available on the Filecoin network.  With a monthly growth rate of roughly 1% per month of capacity coming online, the Filecoin network continues to grow and scale at unprecedented rates.

How do storage providers make money with Filecoin?

Storage providers participating in the Filecoin network can earn Filecoin (FIL) tokens in addition to fiat currency. Filecoin storage providers are rewarded with FIL for providing storage capacity to the Filecoin network. Other ways for storage providers to earn income may include:

  • Providing auxiliary services to clients such as compute over data

  • Providing services to other storage providers such as sealing and replication

  • Charging a data storage fee in fiat currency

  • Bringing data storage deals to the Filecoin network

  • Participating in Filecoin special incentive programs such as Filecoin Plus, Moon Landing, Slingshot, and Evergreen

04.
About Filecoin Storage Providers
What is Filecoin?

Filecoin is a blockchain-based decentralized storage network that is built from an ecosystem of service providers compensated through cryptocurrency (FIL).

What is IPFS?

The InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) is a protocol for storing and sharing hypermedia data in a distributed file system used for storing and accessing information.

What is Protocol Labs?

Protocol Labs (PL) is an open-source research and development lab that builds protocols, tools, and services such as IPFS, LibP2P, and Filecoin to radically improve the internet.

Will compute be added to Filecoin ecosystem?

The Filecoin ecosystem is adding compute-over-data capabilities in multiple ways. The launch in 2022 of the Filecoin Virtual Machine was a major step forward for compute functionality on Filecoin. In addition, a compute layer between Filecoin and IPFS is currently being deployed for a variety of use cases. Some storage providers are also developing proprietary compute-over-data services.

Data Owners, Data Preparers and Web3 Community Members

We're actively seeking feedback from those who:

Have large datasets that can benefit from cost effective storage
Are passionate about improving the data onboarding experience for ecosystem
Work on projects that can benefit from further decentralization
Please join our working group via Slack and we'll engage with you directly!
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