Accessible Blockchain Storage with Züs and Chainlink

Integration

We are excited to announce that Züs (formerly 0Chain), a high-performance decentralized storage network, will integrate Chainlink, the industry-leading decentralized oracle network, as the core infrastructure for connecting Züs to Ethereum and various other blockchains and external systems. The integration will create referenceable and accessible blockchain storage. This will involve multiple use cases, such as leveraging Chainlink Price Feeds, Metadata Mapping, Cloud Data Feeds, and Cross-Chain Verifications.

In order for decentralized applications (dApps) to offer users meaningful services, a smart contract must be able to access accurate and reliable data in a secure manner. Look no further than DeFi and NFT dApps. These use price feeds, randomness, and numerous other verifiable datasets to trigger their on-chain logic. Since blockchains only provide information about internal states, oracle networks like Chainlink are critical, enabling dApps to fetch external data from other blockchains or traditional APIs so it can be used natively on their underlying blockchain. Referencing and compiling accessible blockchain storage and translating that for external sources is the Chainlinks function while Züs stores the data for reference.

How this applies to Züs and dStorage

In the case of Züs, oracles are critical. It allows blockchains to directly tap into our decentralized storage network in an automated, chain-agnostic manner that’s both highly secure and reliable. This will allow 3rd party blockchain dApps to use and/or check the state of data streams and objects stored on Züs. The dApps can then cross-trigger on-chain actions. Thus, enterprises can leverage Chainlink’s oracles for up-to-date information. They will also be using Züs’ fast retrieval dStorage as a chain-independent storage layer. This process truly removes their need for centralized storage platforms.

Oracles can also be used as external independent verifiers of data stored on Züs’ network.  Furthermore communicating the same across chains for resident dApps of such chains to consume. For example, independently verifying if data is still stored correctly or if a blobber (storage provider) is within the specific geolocation they claim to be in and maintains stated response times. Oracles turn basic dStorage into accessible blockchain storage.

What Chainlink Provides

Chainlink comes in as the premium oracle solution for blockchain projects leveraging Züs. Chainlink provides numerous advantageous features including:

• Secure Oracles — Chainlink has a large pool of security-reviewed, Sybil-resistant node operators run by professional DevOps teams with a long track record of reliability even during extreme network congestion and market volatility.
• Decentralized Infrastructure — Chainlink oracle networks are decentralized, creating redundancies to ensure oracle services are highly available, manipulation resistant, and precise.
• Transparent Monitoring — Chainlink provides a robust reputation framework and set of on-chain monitoring tools that allow users to independently verify the historical and real-time performance of node operators and oracle networks.
• Universal Connectivity — Chainlink is a permissionless, open-source infrastructure that is blockchain and API agnostic, enabling bidirectional communication between any blockchain environment, as well as triggering from any dApp or off-chain API.

“We’re excited to provision a multitude of secure oracle solutions for Züs’ decentralized storage solution to accelerate its adoption. The bi-directional communication capabilities of Chainlink oracle networks can enable Züs’ data storage capabilities to be leveraged across various different blockchains,” said Daniel Kochis, Head of Partnerships at Chainlink Labs.

Mo Siam, Züs Director of Operations, noted that “Data storage pricing has thus far been opaque and controlled by a few incumbents. Züs’ unique architecture not only brings fast data retrieval to decentralized storage, but also a marketplace for data storage where multiple servers bid their storage capacity for users to consume. This collaboration has the capacity to expand DeFi with new product offerings, such as cloud TCO insurance, and disrupt the pricing model and visibility of a whole industry. Moreover, it speeds up our efforts in availing our decentralized storage layer across blockchains in a chain-agnostic manner. We are excited about the future of this collaboration and the potential it holds”

Integration Features

The Züs roadmap has seven (7) levels of integrations with Chainlink. In no particular order, we have highlighted a few and aim to expand on these integrations in future announcements:

• ZCN Price Feeds: Chainlink oracle networks will publish a ZCN Price Feed denominated in USD. Upon Züs’ mainnet launch, Züs Blobbers will publish their read and write ask prices on Züs in ZCN tokens. That is then adjusted for USD pricing via the Chainlink Price Feeds.
• MetaData Mapping: Chainlink nodes can publish metadata pulled from Züs Sharders onto Ethereum or other blockchains, such as confirming the state and geolocation of data storage. Conversely, metadata can be mapped from other blockchains onto Züs too, such as new data storage requests.
• Cloud Data Feed: Züs’ flexible architecture enables organizations, individuals, and developers to customize their storage offerings based on their needs. As GDPR continues to disrupt the routine storage of data, enterprises will have access to localized cloud data feeds that provide statistical information such as pricing, capacity, reliability, and speeds for different geographic regions via Chainlink oracles.