The Arweave 'Forking Drama' Finally Subsides: Sam Welcomes Irys Back to Building

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Author: Kyle @ Contributor of PermaDAO

Translator: Kyle @ Contributor of PermaDAO

Reviewer: John Khor @ Contributor of PermaDAO

After 17 days, the "forking drama" in the Arweave ecosystem has finally come to an end. If you are unfamiliar with the previous "forking drama," you can read "Arweave Community’s Reaction to Irys’ Fork Drama."

Irys Founder Tweets Clarification, Sam Welcomes the Return to Building

Founder of Irys, Josh Benaron, made a long tweet on January 4, 2024, providing the final clarification on the forking drama, bringing closure to the situation.

Key points from Josh Benaron's tweet:

• Previous misunderstandings causing the fork have been resolved.

• Expresses continued collaboration and satisfaction working with the Arweave core team and founder, Sam.

• No current plans for a fork; intends to stay within the Arweave ecosystem.

• Any future fork plans will adhering to the framework for evolving Arweave, focusing on robust provenance tech to contribute to the network's development.

In summary, Josh Benaron's tweet can be summarized as follows: No consideration for a fork currently, misunderstandings resolved, all back to normal. If a fork is planned in the future, it will be done in a pro-social way.

Shortly after, Sam retweeted the post and responded.

Sam stated, "Fantastic to see this commitment from the lrys crew! Evolutionary forks will be an exciting development for the Arweave ecosystem: A pro-social way to fuel innovation on the network over time. Looking forward to working with lrys as it unfolds! Back to building!"

Irys is the Absolute Leader in the Arweave Ecosystem

After a rebranding, Irys redefines itself as the unique provenance layer for data within the Arweave ecosystem. Utilizing strong bundle (data packaging) technology, Irys enables users to conveniently store data permanently and trace its origins accurately.

Since its establishment to date (January 6, 2024), the total data uploaded by Irys accounts for approximately 79% of the entire Arweave network, rightfully occupying an absolute leadership position in the Arweave ecosystem. Undeniably, even though Arweave already has mature protocol mechanisms and a robust ecosystem, if Irys were to fork out in an anti-social manner, the ecosystem would undergo a difficult "post-disaster recovery."

Certainly, it is good to see Irys ultimately return to the proper development of Arweave. However, it also leaves all parties in deep contemplation: Does the Arweave ecosystem truly have the confidence to thrive without Irys? Although Arweave is not currently in a state of "hundreds of flowers blooming, a hundred schools of thought contending," it is not an unattainable goal. In addition to Irys, Arweave also has the ar.io network and everVision (Arseeding).

Robustness: The Growing ar.io Network and Arseeding

Both ar.io and Arseeding serve as decentralized gateways in the Arweave ecosystem, providing users with data storage, caching, and indexing capabilities, along with support for multi-chain token payments for storage fees.

ar.io allows customized gateway services to meet specific application needs. Recently, ar.io introduced the WayFinder browser extension to better guide users in utilizing gateway services. Arseeding, essentially a gateway-enabled Arweave light node, allows businesses (users) to download and store only the data they care about, reducing storage requirements without deploying a full node.

In 2023, the Arweave network experienced explosive growth, with transaction volumes reaching historic highs. While Irys dominated transaction volumes, ar.io and Arseeding also achieved significant growth, reinforcing the ecosystem's robustness. As Sam believed during the "forking turmoil," ar.io and Arseeding can fill the void left by Irys' departure.

At the end of the article, the author expresses genuine joy: the drama has finally subsided, with no one leaving the team. Instead, a stronger bond has formed, ready to climb higher peaks together.

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