Note. published on Medium in English. It also contains quotes from respondents and links to participants. Shortened version available .
What is the study about
The term DWeb (Decentralized Web, Dweb) or is most often a collective term for a number of new technologies that will revolutionize the web in the next few years. We spoke with 631 respondents who are currently working with distributed technologies and building a decentralized web.
In the study, we collected topics of current progress and the main obstacles that developers face in the new web. As with all new technologies, there are many difficulties in developing decentralized solutions, but the overall picture is promising: the decentralized web offers many hopes and opportunities.
The Web was originally conceived by Tim Berners-Lee as an open, decentralized network for interaction. Over time, the tech giants of the five began to create user-friendly interfaces and pulled ahead, gaining critical mass.
It is convenient for people to use fast and free services, communicate with friends, acquaintances and the audience. However, this convenience of social interaction has a downside. More and more cases of surveillance of users, censorship, privacy violations and various political consequences are being opened. All this is a product of centralized data control.
Now more and more projects are creating an independent infrastructure and trying to get rid of intermediaries in the form of FAANG.
In the early 2000s, big indie projects like Napster, Tor, and BitTorrent marked a return to decentralization. They were later eclipsed by their centralized competitors.
Interest in decentralization died down, and was revived with the advent of scientific work on a new decentralized currency - Bitcoin, authored by Satoshi Nakamoto.
Since then, new DWeb protocols such as IPFS have paved the way for fundamental changes to the web. And the surviving projects of the early 2000s, such as Tor, I2P and even Mixnets, are entering a new round of development. Now a whole generation of projects and developers are pursuing the original vision of the decentralized web conceived by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990 at CERN.
There has been marked disagreement in the community about what the new web is. Our research reveals the general principles shared by developers in this area.
The study begins with an examination of the most significant problems with the current web and ends with how the DWeb can overcome the challenges it faces.
Main conclusions
- Most of the projects are less than two years old, which means that the DWeb is still in its infancy and remains a fledgling technology.
- Three-quarters of respondents believe that the DWeb is driven primarily by ideology and enthusiasm, and is not yet understood by ordinary users.
- Data privacy and control, and technology resiliency are the most anticipated features of the DWeb.
- The biggest challenges in DWeb development are peer-to-peer technologies and the immaturity of new technologies.
- Developers are most concerned about DNS, application layer protocols SMTP, XMPP, etc., and HTTP.
- There are no business models in the DWeb ecosystem yet; more than half of the projects do not have any monetization model.
- IPFS and Ethereum are leaders among the main technologies that respondents use to build DWeb applications.
- Interest in the DWeb among developers is high, but the path to its adoption is rocky: the infrastructure is young and needs to be improved, and users need to be educated on the benefits of using the DWeb over centralized counterparts.
- However, the opportunities for web decentralization are tangible and if the current COVID-19 virus pandemic has any positive effect, it could be a mass awareness shift towards decentralized services.
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Differences between Web 3.0 and DWeb
In the course of researching DWeb technologies, we focused on several differences in the perception of distributed web technologies compared to Web 3.0. In particular, how developers and community supporters define the perspectives of two rather vague terms.
Survey responses show that the overall goals and vision of DWeb and Web 3.0 overlap significantly.
Web 3.0, mainly promoted by the blockchain community, focuses on commercial developments – finance, e-commerce, AI and big data for companies. Proponents of the DWeb (such as IPFS and Internet Archive), on the contrary, are more focused on the ideology of decentralization: data sovereignty, security, privacy, and censorship resistance. DWeb projects cover a wider range of technological innovations than Web 3.0.
In general, the two perceptions of the next iteration of the network do not contradict and can actually complement each other.
In terms of navigating the research, it is best to focus on the views of DWeb proponents and how these developments (eg P2P, decentralized storage, data privacy) will shape the infrastructure of the future web.
Study participants
The study consisted of a survey that was completed by 631 respondents, of which 231 are actively working on projects related to the DWeb.
1. What is your background?
The survey consisted of 38 questions. The percentage distribution in the responses is based on an unrestricted choice of responses by the respondents - in most cases the overall response rate will be over 100 percent.
The study sample was primarily focused on developers and engineers working on DWeb-related projects. We didn't specifically target blockchain developers, so they make up a small percentage of all respondents.
For those who want to see the raw data, we have published anonymous raw results.
Current Web
The web as we know it has evolved over the past two decades. The information is available instantly and free of charge. Powerful applications are built on top of existing infrastructure. An entire service-oriented cloud computing industry is thriving. The whole world is connected by instant communications.
However, the current web has come up with some behind-the-scenes compromises. The Internet is developing every second, absorbing more and more data, increasing and combining power. As a result, users become a resource and their privacy takes a backseat, especially when it comes to generating ad revenue.
In this section, we will look at the ideological and technical considerations of the participants of the study about the structure of the current web.
The most vulnerable places of the current web
The general opinion about the state of the current network is largely based on the revealed vulnerabilities. First of all, they stem from a common problem - centralized data storage. The result is adverse side effects ranging from major data breaches to censorship leverage by the FAANG and governments.
2. What are the main problems in the current web
At first glance, many of the most significant issues may seem ideologically driven and limited by privacy advocates. However, the younger generation, the main audience of netizens, is increasingly having questions. They are tired of intrusive ads, data leaks, and a general lack of data control or lack of privacy.
- Of the total number of respondents, the greatest concern was caused by massive leaks of personal data, such as with и – according to 68,5% of respondents.
- Censorship and access restrictions imposed by both tech giants and governments ranked second and third, according to 66% and 65% of respondents.
- Advertising using personal data - 61%
- User data from applications - 53%
It is interesting to note that the range of opinions indicates a strong dislike of the current web paradigm, especially when it comes to how the web is currently monetized.
The question of how adverse the long-term effects of ad monetization (such as centralized control of data and invasion of privacy) is irrelevant - respondents are dissatisfied with the result.
In addition, respondents expressed antipathy towards closed systems. Particularly inconvenient are product closures or the lack of user control over their data. Users have little control over what content they see in feeds, data, or navigation through closed systems. More accessible and user-friendly standards need to be found.
3. What needs to be fixed on the current web first?
The answers somewhat repeated the comments about the most vulnerable places.
- Data sovereignty was the clear leader. Moreover, 75,5% of respondents indicated that returning control over data to the user is paramount.
- Data privacy - 59%
- Technological resilience to disruptive events or accidents (for example, in the case of Cloudflare) - 56%
- Security, in particular the widespread use of cryptographic signatures in applications - 51%
- Network anonymity - 42%
There is a growing dissatisfaction with the centralized data warehouses and the power of FAANG companies. The rapid evolution of tools such as cryptography offers hope for overcoming data monopoly and resulting abuse of privacy. Therefore, respondents prefer moving away from the trust model to a third party.
Web protocols
4. What needs to be added or changed in existing protocols?
The answers to this question varied widely.
- Built-in personal data layer - 44%
- Built-in user authentication - 42%
- Offline functionality by default – 42%
- Built-in peer-to-peer layer - 37%
- Some responses, such as platform-independent identification and user authentication - 37% - can be grouped under a broader layer of personal data.
In additional comments, respondents cited the lack of standards and complexity of composition as the main problems with existing protocol limitations. In addition, some developers have also pointed to the lack of user incentive models built into the protocols. How exactly to motivate people to use DWeb services can be critical to their engagement with open web protocols.
5. Which existing Internet protocols need to be redesigned?
Diving into more technical details, participants agreed on specific protocols in need of redesign. For example, this:
- Resource Addressing Layer Protocols (DNS) - 52%
- Communication protocols (SMTP, XMPP, IRC) - 38%
- HTTP - 29%
One of the most notable findings was the need for a more secure transport layer, namely equipping it with data security, digital rights management, and even bringing Tor into the transport layer.
However, some participants are skeptical about the decentralized approach. The reason is the need for additional development of improved hardware for decentralized protocols. In their opinion, it is better to simply supplement existing protocols than to change them completely.
dweb
The concept of decentralization
6. What does “D” mean in the concept of Dweb?
The letter "D" in DWeb stands for decentralized, that is, some kind of distributed or decentralized system. There is no clear definition of such a system, but, in practice, it can be a dynamic movement from a centralized model of the current network to a decentralized one. However, such a movement is non-linear and faces certain difficulties.
This section of the study reveals the tasks and prospects for implementing the DWeb concept.
According to the respondents, the movement towards the DWeb is ideologically oriented.
- Most understand DWeb as an architecturally decentralized network, where there is no single point of failure or data accumulation - 82%,
- 64% of participants see Dweb as a politically uncontrolled network,
- 39% say that the logic of the network should be decentralized,
- 37% of respondents indicated that the network should be “distributed” or “decentralized” with a “do not trust, verify” principle, where everything is verifiable.
Respondents have high hopes for the DWeb as an ideological construct. It should be more than just a new technical network. It should be a means to facilitate the creation of a collaborative environment on the Internet. The massive use of open source can lead to better scalability and the development of more powerful custom applications. As a result, companies and ordinary web users can use a huge amount of resources previously isolated by corporations.
DWeb Values and Mission
As we noted earlier, the focuses of the DWeb, according to respondents, are mainly related to data sovereignty, censorship resistance/redundancy, and privacy. The rest of the answers operate as additions to the main tricks in one form or another.
7. What are the most significant changes that you think the DWeb can bring?
- Return of control over personal data - 75%
- Failing to fake or censor content - 55%
- No tracking/user tracking or oversight – 50%
The opinions of the respondents are undoubtedly ambitious. But that's what the new DWeb infrastructure requires, and as we'll see next, there are a number of technological changes to keep this going.
8. What's cool about DWeb technologies compared to the traditional Web?
The answers to this question relied heavily on "values and mission", once again reflecting the ideologically motivated nature of the DWeb.
- Security - 43%
- Community and support - 31%
- Compatibility - 31%
- Scalability - 30%
Offline/local application development, shorter latency and high fault tolerance were cited in the comments as the main technical advantages of DWeb.
Technical problems
9. What technologies can contribute to the mass use of the DWeb?
The responses to the survey in this section have revealed participants' views on technologies that will help bring about the new web.
- P2p communication protocols - 55%
- Address-oriented storage - 54,5%
- P2P file sharing - 51%
- Decentralized DNS - 47%
- Privacy focused networks - 46%
10. Have you tried making applications with DWeb technologies? What exactly?
- IPFS - 36%
- Ethereum - 25%
- Dat - 14%
- Libp2p -12%
IPFS and Ethereum in particular are among the fastest growing open source projects of all DWeb applications and protocols.
The developers also mentioned a number of other projects including WebTorrent, Freenet, Textile, Holochain, 3Box, Embark, Radicle, Matrix, Urbit, Tor, BitTorrent, Statebus/Braid, Peerlinks, BitMessage, Yjs, WebRTC, Hyperledger Fabric and many more.
11. What frustrates you the most about DWeb technologies?
Like our last year , many of the frustrations listed were related to the lack of documentation. We see the same thing with respect to DWeb technologies.
- In particular, the main disappointment is the lack of documentation, tutorials, videos and other educational resources for developers - 44%
- There is also a problem with understanding where and how to apply Dweb technologies in practice - 42%
- Difficulty in integrating technologies with each other - 40%
- Problems of scaling distributed technologies - 21%
That many of these limitations reflected last year's results for blockchain applications can be broadly explained by the lack of readiness of new technologies.
Lack of services, service incompatibility, fragmentation, lack of documentation, and too many decentralized protocols still under development were also among the most frustrating points mentioned by respondents.
12. What are the most technical challenges in P2P development?
Answers to the question about the difficulties of DWeb focused on the specific problems of implementing p2p projects. We again observe the previously mentioned difficulties.
- Scaling problems - 34%
- The stability of the connection of peers in the network - 31%
- Productivity - 25%
* * *
The next part will be helpful to developers interested in specific challenges in the DWeb ecosystem. Some of Dweb's problems include technical complexity, such as the layered P2P architecture.
DWeb clearly shows difficulties with user motivation. Other unresolved issues are related to user registration issues, network latency, peer discovery, network testing costs, and data synchronization issues.
Additionally, there are certain difficulties of program and browser incompatibility, network instability, user identity management and analytics.
Using DWeb technologies in the future
13. How likely are you to use DWeb technologies in your next project?
Respondents already working on DWeb projects expressed a greater desire to use DWeb technologies in their next project. Conversely, developers who were simply interested in DWeb technology indicated a lower preference for using DWeb technologies for their next project.
Perhaps interested developers are just waiting for the technology to get a little stronger before they start using it. On the other hand, the developers already working with DWeb don't want to waste their time, effort, and contribution to the overall ideology, and will continue to work with DWeb for the foreseeable future.
DWeb Implementation
14. What are the most difficult obstacles on the way to the DWeb
Despite the technical problems facing the further growth of the DWeb, they are not the main obstacle - the problem is in the users.
- Users are not well aware of what DWeb is and its benefits - 70%
- Unavailability of new technology - 49%
- FAANG resistance - 42%
- Lack of business models for DWeb projects - 38%
- Lack of integration of decentralized technologies with web browsers - 37%
It seems centralized data-driven business models and the current web structure will prevail until broader user awareness reaches a tipping point and DWeb projects find viable ways to monetize.
15. What exactly is preventing the mass use of your DWeb application/protocol?
- Project unavailability - 59%
- Difficulty teaching/explaining to new users how the DWeb works - 35,5%
- Relatively small number of DWeb users - 24%
User awareness of decentralized technologies is needed to distract them from the centralized, traditional paradigm that dominates the web today. Along with the UX / UI benefits of centralized systems, the DWeb ideology has many more positive aspects for users. So far, understanding and especially using is too difficult for the average user without a technical background. Launching many p2p applications is different from launching regular applications.
DWeb services are still almost impossible to use from traditional browsers. And there are still quite a few DWeb services that you can use on a daily basis. All this is among the obstacles that new users of the decentralized web face.
Role of blockchain
Blockchain technology was at its peak during the massive ICO launch at the end of 2017. Since then, developers and companies have been interacting with various blockchain services with mixed success.
The responses were divided between those who support Bitcoin and its accompanying cryptocurrency industry, and those who do not believe that the blockchain can be the solution to all problems. Opinions vary widely about blockchain, especially regarding its performance and disadvantages compared to centralized systems.
The results point to growing doubts among developers about the advantages and disadvantages of using blockchain. Instead of trying to build everything on the blockchain and claiming that it is a panacea for the ills of the world, the respondents are simply showing interest in its future use.
16. What do you think about the role of blockchain?
- Blockchain is not the solution to all problems - 58%
- Blockchain is convenient for digital currency and payments – 54%
- Blockchain is ideal for decentralized IDs – 36%
- The usefulness of the blockchain for a wide range of DWeb tasks - 33%
- Blockchain can be used in digital certification – 31%
- Blockchain technology is a “waste of time” – 14%
Dweb projects
Project types
Respondents working on various DWeb projects are geographically scattered around the world, and work on both unknown and more popular projects in this area. Some of the better known projects include IPFS, Dat and OrbitDB, smaller ones like Lokinet, Radicle, Textile, and others.
17. Types of DWeb projects
The types of DWeb projects varied considerably. We have grouped them into groups depending on the goals. Here are the most popular directions to which respondents give their ideological preferences:
- Areas of data storage and exchange - 27
- Social networks - 17
- Finance - 16
Interestingly, social media censorship and the limited ability to share data without using the FAANG infrastructure were just mentioned in the most acute problems with the current web.
In addition, the financial revolution manifesting itself in the most practical DeFi use case on Ethereum is the fusion of blockchain technology and DWeb P2P protocols.
The types of DWeb projects accurately reflect the ideological preferences of the study participants. They show that the projects are working on real-world problems rather than theoretical technology platforms.
18. Are you developing a protocol or an application?
Of all the participants in the study, 231 indicated that they were working on a project.
- Develop applications for end users - 49%
- Working on infrastructure or protocols for developers - 44%
Motivation
19. Why did you choose P2P over a centralized architecture for your project?
Developers have previously noted the ideological preference for using the DWeb and P2P technologies. In the question why they choose peer-to-peer technologies,
- The majority relies on fundamental ideological values - 72%
- Chose DWeb for technical reasons – 58%
Judging by the comments and answers to other questions, the second result seems to be related to technological advantages that support Dweb's values. Namely, censorship-resistant P2P network, distributed storage and other developments of P2P technologies.
Project and team status
20. At what stage is your project?
- Still under development – 51%
- Launched - 29%
- At the idea / concept stage - 15%
- Are at other stages of development - 5%
21. How long do you work on your project?
Relatively speaking, most DWeb projects are new compared to their centralized web counterparts.
- Work only 1 - 2 years - 31,5%
- Exist more than 3 years – 21%
- Work less than 1 year - 17%
22. How many people work in your project?
Team sizes vary within small ranges.
- From two to five people - 35%
- Work alone – 34%
- More than 10 developers in the team (usually well-known projects such as IPFS) - 21%
- Team of 6 to 10 developers - 10%
Technical specifications
When it comes to licensing open source DWeb projects, developers choose licenses that are relevant to traditional technologies as well.
23. What license did you choose for your project?
- MIT - 42%
- AGPL 3.0 - 21%
- Apache 2.0 - 16,5%
- The decision on licensing has not yet been made - 18,5%
- Do not license their code - 10%
24. The main stack of your project?
The project stack is a combination of the most commonly used front-end, back-end, and DWeb technologies.
The frontend is mainly represented by:
- React-20
- typescript - 13
- Angular-8
- Electron-6
For the backend, respondents mainly use:
- GO - 25
- Node.js - 33
- Rust-24
- Python–18
In general, the choice reflects mainstream open source development trends, such as the Github State of the Octoverse report.
Leading the way in DWeb technologies are:
- IPFS - 32
- Ethereum - 30
- libp2p-14
- DAT-10
Business models and investments
25. What is the business model of your project?
Business models in the DWeb have been cited as one of the biggest challenges facing developers. It is difficult to extract value from open protocols that do not adhere to centralized data monetization schemes.
- There is no model for generating income from your project - 30%
- Think about it later - 22,5%
- Freemium model – 15%
- Paid DWeb product - 15%
Some of the conceptual monetization ideas are still half-baked for application to the DWeb. For example, SaaS and licensing have been mentioned several times in the comments. Staking and governance in blockchains have also been mentioned in several projects. While they definitely have potential, they are still in their very early stages and not ready for widespread adoption.
Financing
Investment can be critical to turning an idea into a viable project.
26. How was the first investment for your project received?
- The DWeb project is funded by its founder - 53%
- Received investments from venture funds or business angels - 19%
- Received grants - 15%
- The number of token sales and ICOs has been significantly reduced since 2017, and makes up a small share of all projects - 10%
Participants in the study were not shy about expressing their frustration at the difficulty of securing investment for DWeb.
Project audience
27. Monthly audience of your project
The problem of attracting and educating users affects the number of users of DWeb projects. The number varies greatly downward compared to centralized applications.
- Haven't launched a product yet – 35%
- Less than 100 users per month - 21%
- They are unable to assess their audience – 10,5%
- Do not know the number of users - 10%
- From 100 to 1K users - 9%
Conclusion and conclusions
- The notion of “DWeb” among its proponents is largely driven by both semantics and the broader goals of decentralization: data sovereignty, privacy, anti-censorship, and the changes that go with them. Apparently, all this is the main leitmotif and growth point of Dweb.
- Many projects and interested respondents support the ideological values of DWeb. Values range from cracking down on government oversight of users to stopping the abuse of user data by tech giants.
- Developers are excited about the DWeb, but the widespread acceptance of DWeb technologies and applications is not up to the mark at best. Information is scarce, and issues of sovereignty and data privacy are still not sufficiently communicated to the public. Developers face many barriers, ranging from lack of documentation and tools to incompatibility of DWeb technology with existing infrastructure.
- Most general users tend to agree with the premise of the DWeb. However, technical limitations hinder developers. Applications that are inconvenient for users, for example, due to performance or complexity, hinder the wider adoption of DWeb technology.
- Governments and big tech companies are showing tangible resistance to the emergence of decentralized technologies, whether it be finance, data privacy, or censorship resistance. Big tech firms can't easily relinquish control of the vast amounts of user data they own. However, DWeb technology may supplant them. The foundation has been laid, and a strong mass movement must come after it. Now it's about building the infrastructure of the technology, providing more educational material for developers and regular web users.
- Monetization and funding are critical issues for DWeb technologies at the moment. Access to finance will no doubt be improved after the end of the pandemic. Still, DWeb projects need to find new ways to expand their financial capabilities beyond venture capital or angel investment. Tech giants in the form of FAANG are holding their own and showing a propensity to crack down on competition. Without adequate monetization models, DWeb projects will endlessly fight for relevance and attractiveness for the mass user.
DWeb's vision is to break down many centralized models, such as the client-server data model and the ad-based business model, and recreate decentralized ones from scratch, which is very ambitious.
DWeb technology is of great interest and is growing rapidly. High-profile projects like Ethereum and IPFS already have a huge following. However, the number of users and recognition of small projects is decreasing due to the monopolization of the market by traditional technology giants. In order for these projects to be developed further, infrastructure is needed. For example, developer tools and supported documentation, as well as leverage to get the average web user involved with DWeb applications.
The number of users in crypto, blockchain and DWeb is largely smaller compared to conventional applications. However, many developments over the next few years could be great for the growth of the DWeb. This is influenced by such factors:
- Growing awareness of the need for a higher level of privacy following revelations of government oversight, serious breaches and massive consumer data breaches. Users want to be in control of their data. Digital privacy is now in high demand. DWeb will be able to show users practical solutions.
- Uncertain economic and monetary policy during the pandemic may push many to learn about crypto technologies, and thereby introduce them to part of the DWeb.
- The global surge in the development of open-source projects, tools and licenses is accumulating a sphere of influence in major industries, thereby lowering access barriers and unlocking the decentralized potential of the Internet.
- Major web browsers that integrate DWeb protocols (such as Opera) and emerging browsers (Brave) can make the transition to decentralized technologies easy and almost invisible to ordinary users.
The Internet, despite its humble, decentralized origins, has been moving towards centralization for decades.
The resurgence of decentralized technologies and the active grassroots movement that supports them have given us hope to quell further centralization of the Internet. A return to the roots would mean a decentralized, open and accessible Internet, free from the control of both governments and tech giants.
This is a vision worth pursuing and is the reason why so many engineers are working towards this goal today. The answers in our research have identified several significant barriers to a thriving DWeb, but the potential is real.
We concluded that while the DWeb is clearly in its very early stages, that doesn't stop it from matching, and even fitting perfectly into, the changing preferences of today's Web users.
The list of study participants can be viewed . Also available are anonymous . Thanks everyone for participating!
Source: habr.com