We're proud to share another video in the Building Web3 Video Series (opens new window), an ongoing showcase of technologists, teams, and visionaries who are building valuable tools and services for an ever-growing, ever-changing Web3 world. Today, we're looking into Valist (opens new window)'s solutions for software distribution and how they leverage IPFS to make these services safer and more decentralized.
Currently, the only option to download software is from a website or an app store. This introduces serious security concerns. While Microsoft, Apple, Google, or Github may seem pretty secure, in reality, anything that’s centralized and depends on Web 2.0 has inherent risks. As the 2020 SolarWinds attack demonstrated, even the most secure authentication systems can be breached. A simple rule of thumb is that wherever there’s a server, there’s a hack.
This is the problem that Valist solves. Valist enables fully Web3-native (opens new window) software distribution, making it simple for any developer to sign, publish, and distribute software and firmware without worrying about infrastructure, security, or PKI. The result is a tool that offers higher degrees of security and reliability than what is possible with current, centralized Web 2.0 systems.
Alec Wantoch, co-founder and CEO of Valist says the project “wouldn’t be possible without IPFS.” Adding that the network is its “primary storage layer and it comes with a lot of security guarantees out of the box.”
IPFS and Filecoin are an essential part of the Web3 stack that enables solutions like Valist. Having a decentralized storage network enables developers using Valist to cut infrastructure costs and distribute software peer-to-peer without relying on cloud providers. This also opens doors for things like managing access control for developers and organizations, creating over-the-air update systems, speeding up build times, and increasing infrastructure integrity.
It also enables DAOs to coordinate software releases without having to rely on centralized build servers, dev teams, or introduce unnecessary trust requirements into the software lifecycle. For example, blockchain node software like Go-Ethereum and Filecoin’s Lotus can be governed by developer DAOs that maintain the implementation.
As a user, Valist allows you to download and upgrade software to your computer, mobile device, and smart-home devices faster and without worrying about security certificates. You can pull the latest versions from your next-door neighbor instead of from the company’s servers. Since Valist is powering the software you’re downloading, you won’t even realize you’re using it.
Valist is using IPFS and Filecoin to accelerate the transition to a Web3 future by using its solutions to power the entire software development lifecycle — from source code to deployment — in a completely Web3-native way. Check out Valist’s (opens new window) open source system and sign up (opens new window) today for awesome early-adopter perks!