Arweave: A Technical Overview

Quick Take

• Arweave is a decentralized data storage protocol that is content-agnostic and designed to provide scalable and permanent on-chain storage in a sustainable manner.
• The blockweave data structure and Proof-of-Access consensus mechanism form the foundations of the Arweave network’s data layer.
• Mechanisms like blockshadows, wildfire and storage endowment keep the network fast, responsive and sustainable.
• The permaweb is a decentralized web interface for hosting both traditional and decentralized applications on top of the Arweave network.
• Arweave has experienced massive growth recently, driven by the deployment of SmartWeave decentralized applications and the need for censorship resistance.