A Comprehensive Survey on Blockchain-Based Decentralized Storage Networks

Blockchains are a new approach to creating distributed networks that were first introduced in 2008. It allows the formation of peer-to-peer networks based on consensus, forming chains from accepted blocks without requiring a central authority or centralized controller. A prominent application of thi...

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Main Authors: Muhammad Irfan Khalid, Ibtisam Ehsan, Ayman Khallel Al-Ani, Jawaid Iqbal, Saddam Hussain, Syed Sajid Ullah, Nayab
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2023-01-01
Series:IEEE Access
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Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10026822/
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author Muhammad Irfan Khalid
Ibtisam Ehsan
Ayman Khallel Al-Ani
Jawaid Iqbal
Saddam Hussain
Syed Sajid Ullah
Nayab
author_facet Muhammad Irfan Khalid
Ibtisam Ehsan
Ayman Khallel Al-Ani
Jawaid Iqbal
Saddam Hussain
Syed Sajid Ullah
Nayab
author_sort Muhammad Irfan Khalid
collection DOAJ
description Blockchains are a new approach to creating distributed networks that were first introduced in 2008. It allows the formation of peer-to-peer networks based on consensus, forming chains from accepted blocks without requiring a central authority or centralized controller. A prominent application of this technology is its use in decentralized storage systems. Individuals in decentralized storage networks rent unused hardware storage space to other individuals. A decentralized network utilizing end-to-end encryption eliminates the risk of data loss associated with centralized data control by enabling clients to transmit their files securely. The storage providers must prove that they have kept unaltered files in this network for this time. Many studies have been conducted in this specific domain, most targeting storage capacity and efficiency, but a security, integrity and privacy loophole need to be addressed. This paper presents an overview of blockchain-based storage systems and how they work, followed by a comparison with cloud-based storage networks and a survey of various decentralized storage networks like SIA, File coin, and Storj available on the market. Next, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of blockchain-based storage. In our final discussion, we examine the security problems of decentralized storage networks and explore potential solutions and research directions for the future.
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spelling doaj-art-a2a52d6c5bbd49119f6ed6c3410a3a0a2025-08-20T01:59:17ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362023-01-0111109951101510.1109/ACCESS.2023.324023710026822A Comprehensive Survey on Blockchain-Based Decentralized Storage NetworksMuhammad Irfan Khalid0Ibtisam Ehsan1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1804-8670Ayman Khallel Al-Ani2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8391-5887Jawaid Iqbal3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5045-7485Saddam Hussain4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1523-1330Syed Sajid Ullah5 Nayab6Department of Information and Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics, University of Salerno, Fisciano, ItalyDepartment of Information Technology, University of Sialkot, Sialkot, PakistanNetwork Engineering, Faculty of Computing and Informatics (FCI), Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, MalaysiaDepartment of Computer Science, Capital University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, PakistanDepartment of Computer Science and Information Technology, Hazara University Mansehra, Dhodial, PakistanDepartment of Information and Communication Technology, University of Agder (UiA), Grimstad, NorwayDepartment of Information Technology, The University of Haripur, Haripur, PakistanBlockchains are a new approach to creating distributed networks that were first introduced in 2008. It allows the formation of peer-to-peer networks based on consensus, forming chains from accepted blocks without requiring a central authority or centralized controller. A prominent application of this technology is its use in decentralized storage systems. Individuals in decentralized storage networks rent unused hardware storage space to other individuals. A decentralized network utilizing end-to-end encryption eliminates the risk of data loss associated with centralized data control by enabling clients to transmit their files securely. The storage providers must prove that they have kept unaltered files in this network for this time. Many studies have been conducted in this specific domain, most targeting storage capacity and efficiency, but a security, integrity and privacy loophole need to be addressed. This paper presents an overview of blockchain-based storage systems and how they work, followed by a comparison with cloud-based storage networks and a survey of various decentralized storage networks like SIA, File coin, and Storj available on the market. Next, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of blockchain-based storage. In our final discussion, we examine the security problems of decentralized storage networks and explore potential solutions and research directions for the future.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10026822/Decentralized storageblockchainstorage networksblockchain storage
spellingShingle Muhammad Irfan Khalid
Ibtisam Ehsan
Ayman Khallel Al-Ani
Jawaid Iqbal
Saddam Hussain
Syed Sajid Ullah
Nayab
A Comprehensive Survey on Blockchain-Based Decentralized Storage Networks
IEEE Access
Decentralized storage
blockchain
storage networks
blockchain storage
title A Comprehensive Survey on Blockchain-Based Decentralized Storage Networks
title_full A Comprehensive Survey on Blockchain-Based Decentralized Storage Networks
title_fullStr A Comprehensive Survey on Blockchain-Based Decentralized Storage Networks
title_full_unstemmed A Comprehensive Survey on Blockchain-Based Decentralized Storage Networks
title_short A Comprehensive Survey on Blockchain-Based Decentralized Storage Networks
title_sort comprehensive survey on blockchain based decentralized storage networks
topic Decentralized storage
blockchain
storage networks
blockchain storage
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10026822/
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