Decentralized Infrastructure 101: Essential Guide To Must-Know Terms for 2023

Are you ready to dive deeper into the world of decentralized technology beyond just blockchain and crypto? Decentralized infrastructure is the next big thing, revolutionizing the way we store and access data on Web3. It can be hard to keep up with all the technical jargon. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered! Stratos has compiled a list of the top 10 essential terms you need to know to fully grasp the power of decentralized infrastructure. So, let’s get started on your journey to becoming a decentralized pro!

1. Blockchain: A decentralized and distributed digital ledger that records transactions across multiple computers. Each block in the chain contains many transactions, and every time a new transaction occurs on the blockchain, a record of that transaction is added to every participant’s ledger. The technology behind blockchain is complex, but it is essentially a way of creating a digital ledger of transactions that is both secure and transparent. Yet, not every type of data can be stored on the blockchain.
2. Peer-to-Peer: Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks are decentralized networks where each node or device acts as both a client and a server. In decentralized infrastructure, P2P networks are used to share and distribute data.
3. DLT: DLT stands for distributed ledger technology. It is a type of database that stores information across a network of computers, rather than in a single, centralized location. This allows for data to be stored securely, reliably, and resiliently. DLT is used to power blockchain technology, which is the foundation of Web3.
4. Distributed File Systems: Distributed file systems are systems that store files across multiple servers instead of a single server. They are used to storing and distributing data in centralized or decentralized infrastructure.
5. Decentralized storage: Decentralized storage is a distributed system of computers that stores data across a network of nodes. It is a secure, reliable, and resilient way to store data that is not controlled by a single entity. Decentralized storage eliminates the need for centralized data storage and provides users with more control over their data.
6. Decentralized Computing: With decentralized computing, the processing tasks are distributed across multiple computers instead of relying on a central server. This approach offers improved security, reliability, and resiliency over centralized computing because it eliminates the risk of a single point of failure. Decentralized computing can be widely used to power the web and other applications. Decentralized computing is also used in the Internet of Things (IoT) systems, where devices can process and share data among themselves without relying on a central server.
7. Distributed Database: A distributed database is a database that consists of two or more files located on different sites, either on the same network or on entirely different networks. Portions of the database are stored in multiple physical locations, and processing is distributed among multiple database nodes.
8. Decentralized Database: A decentralized database is a subset of distributed database, but there are no superusers like Root and no back door to modifying the records of the decentralized database. All users have equal rights to access their data; each user has full ownership of its records.
9. Validator: A validator is a participant in a network who performs the function of validating transactions and adding them to the blockchain. They are used to validate things like data, input, documents, and code. Validators can be individuals, organizations, or nodes that run software to participate in the consensus process. The Stratos validator is a node that participates in the Stratos Chain block generation by voting. To become a validator, the node owner needs to self-delegate a certain amount of STOS tokens.
10. Resource Node: In a decentralized network, a resource node is a crucial component that stores and processes data. These nodes provide the necessary storage and processing capabilities to keep the network operational. They also play a crucial role in verifying transactions and preserving the network’s integrity. At Stratos network, resource nodes are of paramount importance as they provide the bandwidth needed to perform storage, computing, and retrieval tasks, ensuring a high-performance storage network.
11. Meta Node: The Stratos meta nodes that manage the tasks in the Resource Network between all Resource Nodes and indexing for all content, audit the traffic report and communicate between the resource network and value network
12. Bandwidth: Bandwidth refers to the capacity of a network or connection to transmit data. It is typically measured in bits per second (bps) or bytes per second (Bps). The higher the bandwidth of a connection, the more data can be transferred in a given amount of time, which means that files can be accessed and downloaded faster. Bandwidth is a crucial factor in cloud storage as it determines the rate at which data can be transferred, which directly impacts the speed and performance of the system. In the context of the Stratos network, bandwidth is a key consideration for miners participating in the decentralized storage network to maintain optimal network health and speed.
13. Edge Service: Edge service has gained popularity recently; as it can reduce network latency and increase request/response speed, and also can reduce the chance of suffering from operational downtime caused by long network connectivity disruption. When appropriately applied, edge service also can help the community to enhance safety/performance and improve user experience.
14. CDN: Content delivery networks (CDN) are the transparent backbone of the Internet in charge of content delivery. A CDN is a network of proxy servers and supporting data centres configured to serve requests for a single website or web application. Every one of us interacts with CDNs daily when reading articles on news sites, shopping online, watching YouTube videos or perusing social media feeds.

The technical terms discussed provide a basic understanding of the technology, but as the decentralized era is still in its nascent stages, companies are approaching the challenges of centralized data infrastructure in various ways, from developing a single product to offering comprehensive solutions like Stratos Cloud.

With a solid understanding of these key terms, you will be well-equipped to grasp the fundamentals of decentralized infrastructure and how it can enhance security, scalability, and accessibility. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be able to dive deeper into the cutting-edge technologies and solutions being developed in the field.

Stratos is the next generation of decentralized Data Mesh that provides a scalable, reliable, self-balanced storage, database, and computation network. Stratos strives to provide solid infrastructure and make decentralized data adoption easier for the blockchain industry and Web 3.0.

Stratos is best positioned to support data storage and adoption for developers and users in this ever-expanding digital economy. Stratos’s unique Proof-of-Traffic consensus rewards network participants and contributors with network traffic.

Stay tuned for more info and follow us at:

Twitter | Telegram Group |Telegram Announcement Channel| Medium | Discord | Reddit | LinkedIn