Storj is a blockchain-based cloud storage platform that was originally launched in 2014 on Counterparty, before migrating to Ethereum in 2017. Founded by Shawn Wilkinson and John Quinn, Storj is focusing on one of blockchain technology’s most discussed applications: cloud computing. Specifically, cloud storage. 

In current centralized cloud storage systems, users are subject to several pain points: they can be expensive, slow and at the mercy of the security of the centralized system being used. Decentralized cloud storage systems offer the typical advantages over centralized systems: it is cheaper, faster and data is more secure. Decentralized cloud computing systems have often been described as the AirBnBs for computing resources, an apt way to describe the services.

Encryption, availability and file safety are among the highest priorities for a cloud storage platform, and Storj’s Tardigrade, which is currently in beta, addresses these concerns. Files on the Tardigrade system are first encrypted, before being split up and distributed among many nodes. 

STORJ also runs an open source partner program that was designed to help expand the ecosystem by attracting more storage partners into it. Furthermore, the team has made developer accessibility an important priority, and has created a library that makes integrating Storj’s services into applications simple. 

Tardigrade is currently in development, but 2019 and 2020 has several more important features being developed: Vanguard, Pioneer and Voyager. Vanguard, the alpha version of which has been released, lets users store data on the V3 network, and the whole phase lets the team test the performance and stability of the network. Pioneer Beta, which was released very recently, tests billing and payments and is the last step before a full production launch of the V3 network. Voyager brings the production release of the V3 network and is expected in Q3 2019.