ArDrive’s solution to the storage dilemma
The digital revolution has made data the new gold, and the question “Can you buy permanent storage?” is more relevant than ever. It echoes the sentiments of anyone who’s ever lost valuable memories to a hard drive failure or a discontinued cloud service.
Traditional data storage methods like hard drives, CDs, and cloud services may promise permanent storage but often fall short, succumbing to physical degradation or the whims of service providers. So the quest to permanently safeguard our digital footprints remains.
Is there a way to save your most important documents and cherished family photos for a lifetime and beyond?
ArDrive has stepped forward to answer this question. Yes, you can buy permanent data! With ArDrive you can easily have – pay once, store forever – permanent data storage.
This will be a game changer for anyone who is serious about their content and files.
Let’s take a closer look at how we got here, and then the way forward.
The challenge of securing long-term data storage
The road to reliable long-term digital storage is fraught with obstacles. Hard drives fail, USB storage devices only last around five years, CDs become unreadable, and cloud services are bound by changeable terms and ongoing fees.
These methods, once the cornerstones of data preservation, now represent the vulnerability of our digital artifacts to loss and impermanence.
The internet itself is a great example of the problem. The amount of data upload to the internet on a daily basis is almost incomprehensible – and not hard to imagine. However, what comes as a surprise is the amount of data lost.
Here are a few examples:
- Information is transient: One third of all the information on the internet is changed or gone within two years of it being put up; and after 20 years the majority of it has turned over.
- Link rot is common: Link rot refers to broken links to a web page that no longer exists. If you go back to the 1998, 72% of all the links from the internet at that time are dead. Overall, more than half of all articles in The New York Times that contain deep links have at least one rotted link. Read More
- Legal woes:more than 70% of the URLs within three legal journals, and 50% of the URLs within U.S. Supreme Court opinions suffer reference rot. Read Study
ArDrive's permanent storage solution
In contrast to the fluid nature of the internet and conventional storage, ArDrive provides a permanent storage solution through the innovative use of Arweave network’s blockchain technology.
With ArDrive, data is not only stored; it’s encoded on-chain within a blockchain, ensuring that what you hold digitally dear today remains intact for future generations.
Furthermore, if you opt to make your files private (as opposed to public for anyone to see), all of your files will be encrypted.
ArDrive uses AES-256-GCM, which is the best encryption standard currently available. AES-256-GCM is the current standard for top-secret military information.
Key takeaways for storage options
Storage Option | Longevity | Cost Model | Accessibility | Security | Personal Legacy |
Traditional HDD/SSD | 5-10 years | One-time purchase | Physical access | Prone to failure | Personal use |
Cloud Services (e.g., Dropbox, Google) | As long as you pay | Subscription | Anywhere with internet | Varies by provider | General/business use |
ArDrive | 200+ years | One-time fee | Anywhere with internet | High (Blockchain-based) | Lifetime + generations |
How much does permanent storage cost?
Cloud storage usually comes with subscription payments. If you stop paying, your data disappears.
With ArDrive it is: Pay once, Store forever. Once you pay you will never be charged again!
Try our pricing calculator and see how many files you can upload for only a few dollars.
ArDrive protects your data and your wallet.
Who is using permanent storage?
- Archive Crew: People who archive know the importance of their content, and they know how hard it is to preserve it for the long-term. Many archivers have added ArDrive as an important pillar within their archiving strategy.
- Privacy Guardians: Keep your personal and sensitive data away from Big Tech. ArDrive ensures that your confidential information stays private, even as you embrace the digital world.
- Photo Aficionados: Have you lost precious memories due to a glitch or a lost device? Store your mesmerizing shots with complete peace of mind. Your memories deserve the security and permanence that ArDrive provides.
- Business Maestros: Don’t take chances with your company’s valuable assets. Store contracts, financial records, or intellectual property securely on ArDrive, knowing they’ll remain private and accessible whenever you need them.
- Developers: Utilize ArDrive’s open source Docs to build and integrate permanent storage into your applications and projects. Ensure that your users’ data is stored safely and can be retrieved permanently.
Learn More
Want to try ArDrive for yourself?
Join the millions of files already stored on ArDrive.
With our intuitive file/folder system it is easy to get your most important files saved for generations.
With our easy onboarding system you are only a few minutes away from forever!