Decentralised cloud storage explained

What is decentralised cloud storage?#

Decentralised cloud storage stores your files across a network of independently operated nodes rather than in data centres owned by a single provider. Your data is encrypted and distributed across the network, and retrieved from the nearest available nodes when you need it.

From your application’s point of view it behaves like ordinary object storage. You upload, download and manage files through a standard API. The difference is what happens underneath: instead of one company’s facilities holding everything, capacity comes from a distributed network with no single point of failure. It is the storage layer of the wider decentralised cloud.

How it works#

When you upload an object to a decentralised storage network, it is encrypted and written to nodes in the network, with the system tracking where each object lives and verifying the nodes that hold it. When you request the object back, the network retrieves it from the nearest healthy node. Node operators are rewarded for the capacity and reliability they provide, which keeps the network well supplied with fast storage.

Edge Storage applies this model with a familiar developer experience: the API is S3-compatible, so the AWS SDKs, rclone, s3cmd, and your existing tooling work by changing the endpoint and keys. Storage runs on NVMe hardware with 99.99% durability, automatic versioning and presigned URLs. Learn more in What is Edge Storage?

How decentralisation improves security and privacy#

Centralised storage concentrates risk. A single provider’s facilities hold enormous quantities of data, which makes them the most valuable target an attacker can pick: a honeypot. One compromised system, one misconfigured bucket policy, or one insider with broad access can expose data at massive scale, and the industry’s history of large breaches reflects exactly that concentration.

Decentralisation changes the shape of the problem. Data on Edge is encrypted in transit with TLS and at rest with AES-256, so the operator of any individual node cannot read the objects passing through or stored on their hardware. And because data is distributed across many independent nodes rather than pooled in one place, there is no single system whose compromise exposes everything.

Availability is a security property too. A centralised region outage can lock you out of your own data for hours; a distributed network simply routes around failed nodes. Access control remains fully in your hands, with per-key permissions and signed URLs for temporary, scoped access.

Security properties of decentralised storage#

These properties come from the architecture itself, not from bolted-on features.

• Encryption throughout: data is encrypted in transit with TLS and at rest with AES-256, so no individual node operator can read the objects their hardware stores.
• No central honeypot: there is no single facility holding everything, which removes the high-value target that attackers focus on with centralised providers.
• Resilient by architecture: losing a node does not mean losing data or availability. The network routes around failures automatically.
• You control access: access keys, fine-grained permissions, and signed URLs put you in charge of exactly who can read or write your data.

Decentralised file storage for sensitive data#

For sensitive workloads such as backups, user uploads, documents and media that must stay private, the practical checklist is the same whatever storage you choose: encryption at rest and in transit, tight access control, and the ability to get your data back quickly when you need it.

Decentralised storage meets that checklist while removing two risks that centralised providers carry: the concentration of everyone’s data behind one perimeter, and egress fees that quietly penalise you for retrieving your own files. Edge Storage charges zero egress fees at any scale, so restoring a backup or serving files costs nothing beyond the $0.015 per GB-month you pay for what you store. The first 5 GB are free.

Centralised vs decentralised storage#

Try decentralised storage#

S3-compatible object storage on NVMe with zero egress fees. Free for 2 buckets and 5 GB.