Juan Benet: IPFS – Decentralizing the Web with the Inter-Planetary File System

We’ve made it to episode 100! Our guest for our celebratory episode is Juan Benet, inventor of the Inter-Planetary File System and founder of Protocol Labs. IPFS is a distributed file system that seeks to connect all computing devices with the same system of files. The possibilities for IPFS could range from distributed cloud hosting to websites without central servers to even replacing HTTP. It’s a project as audacious as any we’ve had on the podcast and Juan did an outstanding job explaining the technology and vision.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Why HTTP is broken and how IPFS could complement and ultimately replace it
• The different technologies IPFS is based on including DHT, Git, Bittorrent and SFS
• How IPFS could enable the ‘permanent web’ by distributing file storage
• Content-addressing and how hosting works on IPFS
• Mutable content and the Interplanetary Naming System (IPNS)
• Filecoin and incentivizing hosting on IPFS
• Why IPFS is a great fit for smart contracts
• How he wants to build and monetize core internet protocols with his company Protocol Labs

Episode links:

• IPFS website
• IPFS whitepaper (PDF)
• Replication on IPFS
• Neocities blog post
• Filecoin
• Protocol Labs

This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/100