Ecosystem

Meet the New Programs Making it Easier to Contribute to the Filecoin Network

Apr 21, 2023

This winter, two new programs launched that make it easier than ever to contribute to the Filecoin network: Filecoin Saturn and Filecoin Station.

Filecoin is the world's largest decentralized storage network, allowing users to store, request, and transfer data on the network via a verifiable marketplace. And now, these new programs will allow a new cohort of users and small enterprises to contribute to a more decentralized, efficient, and robust future for the internet.

Filecoin Saturn

Filecoin Saturn is a new content delivery network that will help scale the Filecoin network and allow Web3 applications to quickly retrieve content, making it both easier and more affordable to contribute to the Filecoin network.

Becoming a storage provider typically requires access to significant amounts of storage capacity which means the barrier to entry can be high for individuals. Now, anyone with their own server can download Saturn’s open-source software, contribute bandwidth to the network, and earn FIL.

Filecoin Saturn delivers on two key goals of Filecoin: to empower fast, open access to humanity's most important information and to let anyone, anywhere participate in Filecoin's ecosystem.

Faster, more robust retrievals will unlock the next generation of Filecoin growth and impact. And Filecoin Saturn is completely open-source and community-run, enabling people from all over the world to participate.

Learn how to set up a Filecoin Saturn node and learn more in The Block and Axios.

Filecoin Station

In the alpha stage, Filecoin Station is a desktop application that will act as an entry point to a selection of modules in the Filecoin ecosystem. The program connects your computer’s idle resources to the Filecoin network and will reward you with FIL for contributing your resources and services to each module.

Right now, most computer’s hardware sits idle most of the time. With Filecoin Station, users can safely contribute underutilized resources to Filecoin’s global data economy. There’s nothing to configure. Launch the app and Station securely connects computers to Filecoin’s global peer-to-peer network and begins completing network jobs such as caching content near the edge of the network. And very soon, Filecoin Station will reward participants with FIL.

The Filecoin Station testnet is live and the beta launch is expected in March 2023. The Filecoin Station team invites participants to join the testnet and share feedback.

Learn how to participate and what is coming next for the Filecoin Saturn by watching the FIL Lisbon talk Coming Soon Earn Filecoin From Your Desktop.