Arweave: A Technical Overview

Quick Take Arweave is a decentralized data storage protocol that is content-agnostic and designed to provide scalable and permanent on-chain storage in a sustainable manner. The blockweave data structure and Proof-of-Access consensus mechanism form the foundations of the Arweave network's data layer. Mechanisms like blockshadows, wildfire and storage endowment keep the network fast, responsive and sustainable. The permaweb is a decentralized web interface for hosting both traditional and decentralized applications on top of the Arweave network. Arweave has experienced massive growth recently, driven by the deployment of SmartWeave decentralized applications and the need for censorship resistance.

Timeline of Arweave