Let’s be honest — datacenters have powered the internet for many years now. They are impressive buildings housing very loud servers that power about 10% of the world's websites. But things are changing. The decentralized hosting network is coming, and it is fundamentally different.
Have you heard of Filecoin, Storj, or IPFS? They do not operate as a traditional hosting company. Instead of holding the data in one building, data is stored on thousands of computers around the world. Pretty awesome! In fact, decentralized hosting is a more collaborative form of web hosting that does not put all the power and control into a single hosting company's hands.
In traditional hosting, a website is located in a datacenter, maybe in New York, or in London. If that datacenter goes down, your website goes down. With decentralized hosting, your website’s data is replicated, encrypted (locked away), and distributed among many computers in many locations.
This means you have:
• Better uptime – When one computer goes down, you have others to serve your site.
• Lower fixed costs – No datacenter and no expensive cooling system.
• Better privacy – Your files are not stored in one company.
Have you ever been concerned that someone may be monitoring your website activity? With the options for decentralized hosting, you have ownership of your own data. That's a huge win, given how tricky privacy can be in today's world.
The positive side, however, decentralized networks are built on the promise that "we can do better". They take advantage of unused/available space and excess energy from regular computers, around the world, to bring more sustainable, affordable, and flexible networks.
It somewhat recalls the previous vision of the internet—open, shared, and equitable for everyone.
Last year, I had a tiny site hosted on IPFS. While that would be an exaggeration to say that it was extremely seamless, it worked, and I felt fairly good knowing that my site wasn't just sitting in some datacenter.
Are datacenters going away soon? Probably not. But make no mistake, that change has started. The power of the web is shifting away from just a few massive companies to millions of people.
And to be honest – if the internet is meant to be free and open, shouldn't the hosting be too?
Have you heard of Filecoin, Storj, or IPFS? They do not operate as a traditional hosting company. Instead of holding the data in one building, data is stored on thousands of computers around the world. Pretty awesome! In fact, decentralized hosting is a more collaborative form of web hosting that does not put all the power and control into a single hosting company's hands.
How Decentralized Hosting Functions
Here’s an analogy to clarify.In traditional hosting, a website is located in a datacenter, maybe in New York, or in London. If that datacenter goes down, your website goes down. With decentralized hosting, your website’s data is replicated, encrypted (locked away), and distributed among many computers in many locations.
This means you have:
• Better uptime – When one computer goes down, you have others to serve your site.
• Lower fixed costs – No datacenter and no expensive cooling system.
• Better privacy – Your files are not stored in one company.
Have you ever been concerned that someone may be monitoring your website activity? With the options for decentralized hosting, you have ownership of your own data. That's a huge win, given how tricky privacy can be in today's world.
The Downsides of Large Datacenters
I want to be clear that traditional datacenters are still critical - they are strong and trustworthy. But they have downsides. Their operational budgets are high, they waste power, and they create massive amounts of heat. Some governments are even now starting to question limited pollution created.The positive side, however, decentralized networks are built on the promise that "we can do better". They take advantage of unused/available space and excess energy from regular computers, around the world, to bring more sustainable, affordable, and flexible networks.
It somewhat recalls the previous vision of the internet—open, shared, and equitable for everyone.
Nevertheless, It's Not Yet Ideal
Decentralized hosting, of course, isn't ideal yet. It's often going to be slower, and no company is really ready to get on board. But, it's emerging undeniably quickly. New tools are rolled out every month, to help decentralized hosting will become faster, safer, and more stable.Last year, I had a tiny site hosted on IPFS. While that would be an exaggeration to say that it was extremely seamless, it worked, and I felt fairly good knowing that my site wasn't just sitting in some datacenter.
The Wrap-up
Decentralized hosting is changing how the internet works for real. It’s cheaper, safer, and more community-oriented than a typical datacenter.Are datacenters going away soon? Probably not. But make no mistake, that change has started. The power of the web is shifting away from just a few massive companies to millions of people.
And to be honest – if the internet is meant to be free and open, shouldn't the hosting be too?