95 lines
7.6 KiB
Markdown
95 lines
7.6 KiB
Markdown
# Understanding ThreeFold: A Decentralized Internet Infrastructure
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## Introduction
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ThreeFold is presented as a fully operational, decentralized internet infrastructure designed to provide a secure, sovereign, and scalable foundation for Web4. It aims to address issues of centralization, privacy, and security prevalent in the current internet by offering an alternative built on community-powered resources. This summary will delve into the core concepts, operational mechanisms, and key products that define the ThreeFold ecosystem, drawing insights directly from the provided documentation.
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## Core Concepts and Vision
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ThreeFold's fundamental vision is to create an internet infrastructure that is "Built for Everyone by Everyone, Everywhere" [1]. This is achieved by decentralizing the core components of the internet: compute, data, and network. The project emphasizes sovereignty, meaning users retain full control and ownership of their data and applications, moving away from the model where "users are the product" [1].
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At its heart, ThreeFold introduces three key inventions:
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* **Bare Metal Compute (Zero OS):** ThreeFold utilizes Zero OS, an efficient and secure operating system that runs directly on hardware. This enables an autonomous cloud capable of running any Web2, Web3, or AI workload at the edge of the Internet, promising greater scalability and reliability [1].
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* **Unbreakable Data (Quantum Safe Storage):** The data storage system is designed to be incorruptible, private, and scalable to a planetary level. It ensures data cannot be compromised and remains owned by the user, offering significantly higher efficiency and security compared to traditional storage methods [1].
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* **Unbreakable Network (Mycelium Network):** This refers to an end-to-end encrypted overlay network that constantly seeks the shortest path between participants. It provides a logical Internet address securely linked to a private key, allowing for unlimited scale and performance optimizations [1].
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These pillars collectively form a self-healing internet infrastructure that is globally scalable, green, unbreakable, and secure [1].
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## How ThreeFold Works: The Farming Model
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ThreeFold operates on a unique model called "farming," where individuals and organizations contribute their computing resources to the decentralized ThreeFold Grid. This process involves deploying nodes, known as 3Nodes, which provide processing power, storage, and networking capabilities [1, 2]. These distributed computers form the physical foundation of the ThreeFold network, creating a global, community-powered infrastructure [1].
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Initially, farmers earned rewards simply for hosting and providing capacity. However, with the upcoming launch of the ThreeFold Marketplace (expected late Summer 2025), the farming model is evolving. Rewards will transition to being based on actual usage of the contributed resources, unlocking new commercial potential and fostering a more sustainable and dynamic decentralized network [1, 2].
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The farming process can be broken down into three main steps:
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1. **Host a Node:** To get started, a farmer needs a modern computer, electricity, and network connectivity. Once booted with Zero OS, the computer transforms into a ThreeFold Node [1].
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2. **Offer Capacity:** The capacity of the newly formed node is verified, registered, and secured on the ThreeFold Blockchain. Farmers can then list their resources on the ThreeFold Marketplace, making them available directly to users [1].
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3. **Earn Rewards:** Farmers earn rewards when their resources are utilized through the Marketplace, establishing a fair and transparent peer-to-peer economy [1].
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This evolution aims to introduce clearer commercial opportunities and a more accessible path for farmers to support and benefit from the growth of the decentralized internet [2].
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## ThreeFold Products and Ecosystem
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ThreeFold is designed to be a versatile infrastructure capable of running anything that operates on Linux, including Web2, Web3, AI, and Edge IT workloads [1]. The ecosystem comprises several key products and components that enable its decentralized functionality:
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* **ThreeFold Cloud:** An open-source cloud platform for developers and system administrators to deploy virtual machines, containers, Kubernetes clusters, and web gateways on a decentralized, best-effort cloud [1].
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* **3Node:** These are the decentralized, user-owned hardware devices that form the backbone of the ThreeFold Grid, providing computing, storage, and networking resources [1, 3].
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* **Mycelium Network:** The decentralized communication layer of the ThreeFold Grid, connecting and coordinating nodes to enable secure and efficient peer-to-peer interactions [3].
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* **AIBOX:** A self-hosted AI compute solution powered by ThreeFold, demonstrating the platform's capability to support AI workloads [1, 3].
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* **3Phone:** The first secure device in the 3Phone family, designed to work seamlessly with the ThreeFold Grid, emphasizing privacy and user control [1, 3].
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* **3Router:** Smart routers that ensure shortest-path connections between nodes and phones with end-to-end encryption [1, 3].
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* **Zero-OS V3:** A stateless and lightweight operating system that allows for improved efficiency for certain workloads [3].
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* **Quantum Safe Storage (QSS):** A decentralized, globally distributed data storage system that is unbreakable, self-healing, append-only, and immutable [3].
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* **TF Chain:** An application-specific blockchain customized for the operation of a single application, provisioning decentralized compute, storage, and network capacity [3].
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* **Gateway Nodes:** Specialized nodes that provide secure access points to the ThreeFold Grid, enabling decentralized networking and private data communication [3].
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* **TF Dashboard:** A user-friendly interface for monitoring, managing, and deploying resources on the ThreeFold Grid [3].
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* **TF DAO:** A community-driven governance model allowing token holders to participate in decision-making processes for the ThreeFold ecosystem [3].
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* **TF Connect App:** A mobile application serving as a gateway to the ThreeFold ecosystem and its various products and services [3].
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These components collectively aim to build a more resilient, powerful, and diverse internet, where participants are owners and beneficiaries, rather than products [1].
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## Conclusion
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ThreeFold presents a compelling vision for a decentralized internet, addressing critical concerns around data sovereignty, privacy, and scalability. By empowering individuals to contribute to and benefit from a global, community-powered infrastructure, it seeks to redefine the internet as a more open, autonomous, and interconnected digital world. The evolution of its farming model and the comprehensive suite of products underscore its commitment to building a resilient and user-centric digital future.
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## References
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[1] `C:/Repo/hero_web_try1/specs/index.md`
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[2] `C:/Repo/hero_web_try1/specs/host.md`
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[3] `C:/Repo/hero_web_try1/specs/build.md`
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## Sitemap for ThreeFold Website
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To assist AI agents in understanding the structure and navigation of the ThreeFold website, here is a sitemap derived from the provided Markdown files. This sitemap outlines the main pages and their corresponding paths, which can be used for crawling, indexing, or generating navigation elements.
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```
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/
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├── index.md (Homepage: ThreeFold)
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├── host.md (Host: Become a Farmer)
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├── build.md (Build: Build on a Decentralized Internet Infrastructure)
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└── about.md (About: Our mission is to empower individuals and organizations)
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```
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This sitemap provides a clear overview of the primary sections of the website, facilitating better comprehension for automated systems.
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