ColdStack FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Why use decentralized storage? Amazon, Dropbox, and Google have made it seem easier than ever to store large amounts of data. However, storing data with these centralized companies comes with a number of problems. In short, centralized storage is much less secure than decentralized storage, and is subject to both censorship and outages from system demand. Decentralized storage offers greater security through immutability, and gives people far more control over their personal data. Decentralized storage is also typically cheaper than centralized solutions, thanks to the removal of “middle-men” and other associated fees. Why would I use ColdStack instead of directly using decentralized storages? Decentralized storages are often hard to use and integrate to products, while S3 Compatible Storages have gained huge popularity, as S3 Storages are easy to integrate. ColdStack gives projects that are already working with centralized S3 providers the ability to migrate to decentralized storages without any code changes and security loses.

There is also the fact that you cannot access all decentralized storages from a single point-of-entry without ColdStack - by going directly with a single decentralized storage, you miss out on the advantages other DSNs can offer.

By utilizing the $CLS token, users gain access to nearly any decentralized storage, and are no longer required to research the particular strengths of each service in addition to comparing costs. Fully utilizing these storages would require users to purchase the particular tokens used for each network, making this process very expensive under current circumstances. As it currently stands, the ColdStack platform will be the only way a user can store their data across the many different DSNs with a single token. Which decentralized storages do you support? We currently support Filecoin, Arweave, Sia/Skynet, Lambda, and Crust as storage solutions. We are currently in the process of integrating Storj, BitTorrent, 0xChain, and Stratos.

Such variation makes ColdStack vastly superior compared to other projects, and our infrastructure makes the integration of new DSNs (and their advantages) relatively simple. What client-side instruments does ColdStack support? ColdStack offers a number of client-side instruments such as GUI, Console, SDK clients, and our list is growing! The list of supported clients you can see in the Supported tools page. If you do not see your prefered instruments, please contact a team member to make a suggestion. How does ColdStack keep prices lower than Amazon or Filebase? ColdStack is not only able to access a far greater amount of storage solutions when compared to our competitors, we are also able to store individual files more efficiently. Simply put, all data is different, there are a number of factors which determine how to most efficiently store certain files such as size, type, geolocation, and the frequency at which the data must be accessed. Our AI-based pipeline is not only able to determine the most cost-efficient solution for every file a user uploads based on their preferences, but is also able to rebalance how this data is stored based on storage market prices. Our system is also able to purchase storage in bulk, as well as take part in storage auctions in order to further improve costs.

We have an article outlining the process here: https://medium.com/coldstack/how-coldstack-keeps-prices-low-fd4d669fd586 Does ColdStack compete with other decentralized storages? ColdStack does not compete with other decentralized storages - we aggregate them, and seek to further the entire decentralized storage ecosystem and provide a means for DSNs to properly compete with centralized storages such as Amazon.

By aggregating these various services, ColdStack can provide a single, simple, S3 compatible entry-point for DSNs, while finding the most cost-efficient solution possible. Such functionality will prove critical to mass adoption of decentralized storage. Instead of an ecosystem in which these storages strictly compete with one another, ColdStack seeks to create a unified ecosystem in which these storages work together to provide the best user experience possible. Does ColdStack have a minimum monthly charge? ColdStack currently does not have a minimum requirement for data storage, or a minimum cost threshold for storage. Users simply need to maintain an applicable amount of $CLS tokens to pay for data storage. How do I close my ColdStack account? Due to the nature of our service, customers must first remove all of their data before canceling their account. This can be done using our API clients such as the S3 browser or the AWS CLI to delete your data. Can I use ColdStack without a cryptocurrency wallet? No, not yet. However, we plan to implement such functionality in the near future, as well as other features to make our platform easier to access for those who are unfamiliar with cryptocurrency.