OpenBazaar is integrating the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) into their decentralized online marketplace. While no official announcement about this move has been made, OpenBazaar developer Chris Pacia , who is currently working on the IPFS integration, has shared some of the details related to this change with Bitcoin Magazine .
According to Pacia, the main advantage of integrating IPFS into OpenBazaar will be the increased availability of storefronts. Currently, a store operator must maintain his or her own server at all times or pay someone else to do it.
What Is IPFS?
IPFS is a hypermedia distribution protocol that enables the creation of distributed applications. The team behind IPFS is creating a peer-to-peer file system that can be accessed by all of the computing devices in the world. The brains behind this new protocol, Stanford graduate Juan Benet , has said that IPFS allows people to create websites and web apps with no central server. He added, “They can be distributed just like the Bitcoin network is distributed.”
What Are the Advantages of IPFS for OpenBazaar?
Since OpenBazaar is a marketplace with no central server, IPFS appears to be a solid option for hosting storefronts.
Pacia agrees with this sentiment. He told Bitcoin Magazine , “The main advantage is data will become more distributed and most of it should be viewable even if the originating node is offline.”
Pacia went on to describe the current issues with OpenBazaar when it comes to opening and operating a store on the network:“We have a situation now where you have to fetch store data from only one person, and if they have a slow or buggy connection (or if they get attacked), then you can’t access that data, despite potentially hundreds of other users having that data from a previous download.”Essentially, IPFS will allow OpenBazaar […]
