Sia revolutionizes cloud storage with its hard fork and new updates

Sia has announced the activation of its V2 hard fork in June of this year, marking the beginning of a transition to a more efficient, scalable, and secure network. Learn more about this update, its technical improvements, and its impact on the crypto ecosystem.

Blockchain technology has revolutionized data storage, and Both with your token Siacoin (SC) has positioned itself as a pioneering platform in decentralized storage since its launch in 2015. The network allows any user Rent out unused space on their hard drives, creating a global, decentralized market for cloud storage, free of intermediaries and with high standards of security and privacy. 

Now, this year, Sia is preparing to introduce fundamental technical improvements, such as the use of cryptographic accumulators type Utreexo, the transport protocol HERE C and the new protocol RHP4 for transfers, through its V2 hard fork. These innovations will not only optimize the network's efficiency and scalability, but will also strengthen security and facilitate a significantly improved experience for renters y hosts, as they are known to storage consumers and providers, respectively, as well as to the holders or Siacoin holders.

Utreexo, QUIC, and RHP4: All about Sia's V2 fork

The implementation of Utreexo will mark a significant advancement in blockchain state management for Sia, as it addresses one of the key challenges of decentralized networks: the growing size of the UTXO stateTraditionally, this aspect has represented a bottleneck for lightweight nodes and, consequently, for the efficiency of the entire network. 

However, Utreexo introduces a dynamic hash accumulator capable of compacting all unspent outputs, eliminating the need to store each element individually. This allows lightweight nodes to validate transactions more quickly and with lower storage requirements, speeding up synchronization and reducing the network load, thus facilitating adoption among users with limited technical resources.

Furthermore, the adoption of the QUIC protocol, based on UDP, represents a substantial improvement in data transport within Sia. Unlike traditional TCP, QUIC significantly reduces latency and increases connection reliabilityThis translates into reduced connection establishment times and more efficient recovery from packet loss, optimizing data transfer between nodes, especially in environments with high latency or variable conditions.

In turn, the new RHP4 protocol strengthens the interaction between renters and hosts, allowing Faster, more secure, and more reliable file uploads and downloadsOne of its key innovations is the ability to perform direct transfers from web browsers without installing plugins, which democratizes access and simplifies use on a global scale. Furthermore, support for concurrent and decentralized operations increases the network's efficiency and resilience.

Together, these technologies support the upgrade of block and transaction formats in V2, improving security and enabling more scalable and efficient data management.

Activation schedule in key blocks

La V2 fork Sia's is scheduled to activate at block 526.000, estimated for June 6, 2025. This milestone begins a gradual transition toward new transaction formats and more efficient blocks. Until block 530.000 is reached, estimated for July 6 of this year, a grace period is given so that exchanges, integrators, and users can adapt their systems without losing synchronization or facing the risk of asset loss.

This phased process ensures that the majority of the community, including miners, developers, and cryptocurrency exchanges, can adapt in a coordinated manner, ensuring an orderly, agile, and secure migration.

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Improvements to renterd and hostd modules

The renterd and hostd modules, key pillars of the Sia ecosystem, have undergone significant improvements that leverage the advantages of technologies derived from the fork. 

Firstly, Renterd has been redesigned under a modular and scalable model, incorporating support for the RHP4 protocol. This allows users to manage their contracts and transfers with greater flexibility and efficiency, facilitating decentralized uploads and downloads directly from web browsers without the need for additional plugins or daemons. As a result, the speed and security of operations will increase, especially for those handling multiple files or performing simultaneous processes.

On the other hand, Hostd, the module used by hosts to store physical data, has been strengthened with advanced monitoring and metrics tools. that optimize storage, contract, and sector management. This improvement will not only bring greater stability to the system, but will also enable informed decisions regarding pricing and service quality, increasing overall reliability. Additionally, hostd integrates support for the QUIC protocol, ensuring faster and more stable connections, a crucial aspect given the decentralized and variable nature of Sia networks.

Together, these updates strengthen the Sia ecosystem by enabling more efficient resource management and improving the user experience at all levels. With these advancements, the network is moving toward a more robust, scalable infrastructure, ready to meet the challenges of decentralized digital storage.

New features for Siacoin holders

For Siacoin holders, the V2 hard fork also brings significant improvements in security and fund management. The walletd module will incorporate the BIP39 standard for 12-word seed phrases, improving interoperability with other wallets and overall security.

In addition, support for keys will be integrated. Ed25519, known for their high security, as well as compatibility with hardware wallets and multisig configurations, both in hot (connected) and cold (offline) environments. These features will provide an additional layer of protection against unauthorized access and enable more flexible and secure cryptocurrency management.

In general, the evolution that the V2 fork will bring catapults Both towards a new stage of development and adoption. Thanks to the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies such as Utreexo, HERE C y RHP4, Sia is strengthening its position as one of the most relevant and trusted platforms in the decentralized storage space.

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