Glossary

Skynet

Moderate

A platform built on Sia blockchain for decentralized content storage.

What Is Skynet?

Skynet is a protocol developed on the Sia blockchain to provide decentralized storage, easing content delivery and file sharing over the internet. In many aspects, it can be seen as an alternative infrastructure for the internet. 
To grasp the concept of Skynet, it is important to know about Sia and what it does. Sia is a blockchain platform developed to allow users to lend a part of their hard drives. Other users can rent part of the hard drive to store encrypted data, meaning they are in complete control of their data. The borrower pays for that space with Siacoins (SC), which is Sia’s native token.
Sia is owned by its parent company Nebulous. Siacoin uses the PoW algorithm, meaning it’s a mineable coin. In addition, it’s an open-source project. However, the parent company charges a small commission from lenders and borrowers when they make a storage contract.  

Skynet is based on the idea that instead of any third-party corporation, users should have control over their data. 

Much like the internet, Skynet’s most useful applications are on the web. Users can browse and use Skynet’s web applications using a web browser. Skynet applications can be social media sites, desktop apps, storage apps, mobile apps, and nearly everything else that can be built on the traditional web. 

What Makes Skynet Different?

At its core, Skynet liberates users from centralized servers. Traditional web requires website owners to host their website on servers controlled by owners. Because it’s decentralized, users themselves have full control over their data.

It offers benefits to both developers and users by letting them be a part of Web3. When it comes to developers, they don’t have to pay for hosting their applications, can maintain a failover site, and prevent corporations’ access to their resources. 

Users can have complete control over their data and experience an ad-free web.

Skynet is still in its early days and its success will hugely rely on how the audience responds to it over time.