This is the latest post in our series highlighting the builders and innovators creating new tools and services on the Filecoin network. Learn more about Filecoin Foundation’s Dev Grants program.
Fileverse is part of an emerging subset of decentralized apps (dApps) focused on everyday online activities and privacy. Supported by more than 14,000 Gitcoin contributors, the current Fileverse dApp (Fileverse Solo) gives people tools to store, encrypt, share, and manage multimedia files — image, video, documents — as well as encrypted chat rooms using a digital wallet.
Fileverse started with a Gitcoin grant and two objectives: 1) building a public service that appeals to Web2 users as much as Web3 users, and 2) onboarding the next generation of Web3 users without compromising on the “no central point of failure” stack. Taking the grant path allowed Fileverse to build from the bottom up and find a niche as a non-financial dApp.
With its goals to enable communication and collaboration with privacy and security, Fileverse applied for a Developer Grant to bring its unique value proposition to the Filecoin and InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) ecosystem and build a more robust decentralized web.
The platform leverages peer-to-peer storage networks, like IPFS, and harnesses the powerful self-certification tools that wallets allow, all while offering an intuitive, easy-to-use experience.
“We wanted to build a useful everyday tool and show that the current web3 stack allowed for better and new ways of doing what google workspace, microsoft office and the likes do for billions of people today.” said Andreas, co-founder of Fileverse. “Specifically, we think that there is an amazing design space to explore that is created by the combination of content addressing in p2p file sharing networks; wallets giving hundreds of millions of people a key pair enabling high user-generated authority; and smart contracts for decentralized back-end operations accessible to all.”
With a grant from Filecoin Foundation, Fileverse has been able to build a first-of-its-kind Trustless Collaboration Platform, and develop key platform features, including:
- Running Fileverse’s own IPFS and Ethereum nodes
- Deployment of the Fileverse front end onto IPFS
- Exploration and implementation of User Controlled Authorization Networks (UCANs)
- E2E encrypted collaborative chat on token-gated files
- New collaborative”plugins” like whiteboards, collab docs, and more, all stored on IPFS
In turn, Fileverse offers several distinct benefits for participants in the Filecoin and IPFS ecosystem. The platform offers a mass Web3 onboarding channel by building a non-financial and privacy-first alternative to Web2 tools.
Fileverse’s vision is an intuitive application for anyone who wants to introduce someone to the Web3 tech stack without overwhelming them with complexity or requiring financial deposits. Fileverse helps educate members of the Filecoin ecosystem on p2p storage networks, content-addressing, and privacy-preserving methods of file sharing and online collaboration.
The Fileverse team is working on the development and dissemination of unique cryptographic tools to Filecoin users. The first beta of the dApp has seen over 6,000 unique users.
Finally, Fileverse is using Web3 technology to solve some of the pain points of Web2 applications, including data portability and security, platform lock-ins, and prove-ably shared ownership of accounts. These topics were recently covered by the Fileverse team in a panel discussion of experts including Roger Dingledin, co-founder of Tor, and Mark Graham, director of the Wayback Machine.
What’s next for Fileverse?
This decentralized journey has led the Fileverse team to their new and most anticipated release – Fileverse Portal. Portal is a collaboration and productivity dApp that let’s individuals and groups deploy their own collaboration smart contract. Deploying a Portal gives people the ability to manage different storage services, create documents and collaborate live with others, all from one place.
The owner(s) of a Fileverse Portal can customize their Portal with different plugins for collaboration (eg. whiteboard, live collab, image generation, 3D visualization), enable end-to-end encryption, and leverage wallets to create unique access-tokens (for any file) and send them to their collaborators, friends or community on-chain. Learn more or start using Fileverse today and follow them on Twitter at @Fileverse.
The Filecoin Foundation Dev Grants program helps advance projects and aims to award additional grants to boost development in the Filecoin ecosystem. Check out our other grant recipients and learn how you can apply for Open Grants and Microgrants.