Archiving methods have evolved significantly, from ancient clay tablets and paper scrolls to the digital age. In today's highly digitized world, we often overlook the advancements in data storage. However, it's crucial to recognize the need for a practical and decentralized solution for archiving and historical record-keeping.

History has shown that archives are fragile. We’ve seen books burned, archives lost to water damage, Gmail accounts deleted, and webpages lost to link-rot. Our physical and digital world is not as permanent as we may think. In this post, I argue that the Alex Archive, built on Arweave, offers an innovative, user-friendly, and decentralized archiving solution.

Before discussing the Alex Archive, I will briefly overview local and cloud based storage solutions, and why I believe decentralized solutions are the future of archiving.

What is local storage?

Local storage refers to the storage of data on physical devices that are directly connected to a computer or other devices. Local storage provides a means for users to store and access their files, documents, media, and other data directly on their own devices, without relying on an internet connection or external servers.

Examples of local storage:

1. Network Attached Storage (NAS): NAS devices offer centralized storage accessible over a local network. They provide scalable storage capacity, data redundancy options, and convenient file sharing capabilities.

2. Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID): Implementing a RAID configuration can enhance data redundancy and protection against hardware failures. RAID setups combine multiple hard drives to create a single logical storage volume with data distributed across the drives.

3. External Hard Drives: External hard drives are portable and cost-effective storage options for archiving data locally. They are available in various capacities, and multiple drives can be used in a rotational backup scheme for added redundancy. External drives can be easily connected to devices via USB or other interfaces for quick and convenient access to archived data.

4. Tape Storage: Tape storage is a reliable and long-established archival solution. It provides high-capacity storage, cost-effective scalability, and excellent data durability. Tape drives and cartridges offer write-once-read-many (WORM) functionality, making them suitable for long-term data retention and compliance requirements.

Disadvantages of local storage:

1. Limited storage capacity: As data accumulates over time, it can outgrow the available storage space, requiring additional drives or devices to be purchased and managed.

2. Vulnerability to physical damage: Accidents like drops, water damage, or exposure to extreme temperatures can render the storage device inoperable, leading to potential data loss.

3. Risk of data loss: Hardware failures, software corruption, or accidental deletion can result in permanent data loss.

4. Lack of geographical redundancy: Local storage options are typically located in a single physical location. This lack of geographical redundancy means that if a disaster, such as a fire or flood, affects the storage location, it can lead to complete data loss.

5. Limited accessibility: Local storage is generally limited to devices within the local network or physical proximity. Accessing archived data from remote locations or while on the go can be challenging without additional setup or reliance on network connectivity.

6. Cost and scalability: As data storage needs grow, local storage solutions may require continuous investment in additional hardware, such as hard drives or network-attached storage devices.

7. Maintenance and upgrades: Local storage devices require regular maintenance, including firmware updates, disk health monitoring, and potential hardware replacements.

Local storage offers users control and quick access to archives; but it comes with disadvantages that cloud storage attempts to resolve.

What is cloud storage?

Cloud storage is a method of storing data on remote servers accessed over the internet. Instead of relying on local storage devices, cloud storage allows users to store and retrieve their files, documents, and other data from any location and on various devices. The data is typically stored across multiple servers, providing redundancy and ensuring data availability even in the event of hardware failures. Well known cloud storage providers include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Apple iCloud.

Cloud storage offers advantages such as scalability, ease of access, automatic backups, and collaboration features, making it a popular choice for individuals and businesses seeking flexible and convenient storage solutions.

Disadvantages of cloud storage:

While cloud storage offers numerous benefits, it's important to consider the potential disadvantages associated with this technology. Here are some drawbacks of cloud storage:

1. Dependence on internet connectivity: Cloud storage requires a stable internet connection to access and manage data.

2. Security and privacy concerns: Users must rely on the cloud service provider to implement robust security measures to protect their data from unauthorized access, breaches, or data loss.

3. Data accessibility and reliance on provider: Users are dependent on the cloud service provider to access their data. If there are service disruptions, technical issues, or if the provider goes out of business, it can temporarily or permanently restrict access to data.

4. Data transfer speeds and costs: Uploading or downloading large amounts of data to or from the cloud can be time-consuming, particularly when dealing with limited bandwidth. Additionally, some cloud service providers charge additional fees for exceeding certain data transfer limits or accessing data frequently, which can lead to unexpected costs.

5. Limited control and customization: Cloud storage often provides a standardized environment with limited control and customization options. Users may have restrictions on the types of software or configurations they can utilize, limiting their ability to tailor the storage environment to their specific needs or preferences.

6. Long-term cost: While cloud storage may appear cost-effective in the short term, long-term costs can accumulate, especially as storage needs increase. Service providers often charge recurring fees based on storage space or data transfer volume.

7. Compliance: Some industries or jurisdictions have specific regulations or compliance requirements that govern the storage and handling of certain types of data.

The Alex Archive solution

The Alex Archive offers an alternative to traditional archiving. The Alex platform is built on top of Arweave, which offers permanent and immutable storage, ensuring that the archived data remains available for long-term access. How the Alex Archive solves issues highlighted in centralized data storage technologies:

1. Costs: You only pay once to archive data. No monthly subscriptions based on storage usage. Alex is also a cooperative archiving platform meaning that anyone can contribute to preserving topics, events or ideas they find interesting. Arweave data storage costs calculator.

2. Data permanence: Local storage is vulnerable to hardware failures or damage. Cloud storage relies on centralized servers which creates a single point of failure. Once data is uploaded to Arweave, it is replicated perpetually across many nodes to ensure data is always available. To learn more about how Arweave works.

3. Censorship resistant: Cloud storage is subject to laws and regulations of the jurisdiction where the provider operates. Data sovereignty may be compromised in the event of a request from the government or other centralized entities. Therefore a permanent immutable record of historical archives is important for ensuring there is no censorship or erasing history. I go more into detail in a previous post about how the Alex Archive is a public good.

4. Privacy and security: Local storage lacks robust security measures, making data susceptible to unauthorized access or theft. Cloud storage requires users to trust the service provider with their data's privacy and security. Alex on the other hand is fully decentralized, meaning no data is stored about the users or pool operators. It is up to the pool operators to retain control over their wallet keys when accessing the platform.

Conclusion

Archiving is important for societies to preserve history. If done correctly, archives provide cultural, historical and evidentiary value and can shape how future decisions are made. As discussed there are many data storage solutions used in modern archiving. With the innovative decentralized solutions like Arweave and the Alex Archive, I am a firm believer that these offer an overall more secure and cost efficient solution compared to traditional data storage solutions.

The Alex Archive is still in its infancy but it has already deployed over 5.7 million unique pieces of data to Arweave that will forever be accessible. With its community of passionate archivists and historians, the archive is continuing to grow and gain more contributions.

Is there a topic, idea, or event that you believe should be archived forever? Then you can easily start a pool and become a preserver of history. More information on how to create a pool. Follow the Alex Archive on Twitter and join the public Discord to keep up with the Alex community.