Incheon National University researchers propose a web 3.0 streaming architecture and marketplace

Web 3.0 is an internet paradigm that is based around blockchain technology, an advanced database mechanism. Compared to Web 2.0, the current internet paradigm, Web 3.0 provides some added advantages, such as transparency and decentralized control structures. This is because Web 3.0 is designed to work over trustless and permissionless networks. Unfortunately, owing to certain technical difficulties, the implementation of Web 3.0 media streaming requires modifications to the service architecture of existing media streaming services. These difficulties include the degradation of user experience and Web 3.0’s incompatibility with certain operating softwares and browsers.

To address these issues, a team of researchers, led by Assistant Professor Gi Seok Park from Incheon National University undertook a novel project. Their findings were made available on 22 August 2023 and recently published in Volume 16, Issue 6 of the journal IEEE Transactions on Services Computing in November-December 2023. In this study, the researchers proposed an end-to-end system architecture that is specifically designed for Web 3.0 streaming services. They made use of Inter-Planetary file system (IPFS), a type of Web 3.0 peer-to-peer (P2P) data storage technology, to reduce service delays and improve user experience.

Web 3.0 services have also been implemented using the application programming interfaces of third-party service providers called IPFS pinning service. Unfortunately, they limit performance. Taking this into consideration, the team designed a system in which they were able to fully control the blockchain nodes by deploying their own IPFS nodes that ran directly on their system. They also implemented new protocols that cached content and scheduled chunks on their IPFS nodes, which enabled the nodes to collaborate with each other and quickly download data.

The researchers found that their proposed system was compatible with IPFS nodes and still ran on IPFS P2P networks. They also launched Retriever (https://retriever.live), a media non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace that was developed using Web 3.0 technologies. Retriever allowed users to watch video content, ensure data privacy, and was found to be compatible with multiple mobile devices. “Our service can allow creators to monetize their video content and even sell their video content if they wish to. This is because each content will now be managed as an NFT. More importantly, this entire process will be fair and transparent,” says Dr. Park, while speaking about Retriever.

When asked about the real-life implications of this study, Dr. Park explains, “ Our proposed service would establish digital trust from users. Moreover, thanks to blockchain technology, web services will no longer need to force trust on users in the future. All transactions will be made fairly through smart contracts and recorded transparently through the blockchain ledger.”

We are certainly hopeful about the successful establishment of Retriever and the expansion of Web 3.0 services in the future!

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Reference

Title of original paper: Moving Real-Time Services to Web 3.0: Challenges and Opportunities

Journal: IEEE Transactions on Services Computing

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TSC.2023.3307153  

*Corresponding author’s email: gspark@inu.ac.kr

About Incheon National University

Incheon National University (INU) is a comprehensive, student-focused university. It was founded in 1979 and given university status in 1988. One of the largest universities in South Korea, it houses nearly 14,000 students and 500 faculty members. In 2010, INU merged with Incheon City College to expand capacity and open more curricula. With its commitment to academic excellence and an unrelenting devotion to innovative research, INU offers its students real-world internship experiences. INU not only focuses on studying and learning but also strives to provide a supportive environment for students to follow their passion, grow, and, as their slogan says, be INspired.

Website: http://www.inu.ac.kr/mbshome/mbs/inuengl/index.html

About the author

Gi Seok Park is an Assistant Professor in Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Incheon National University (INU), Korea. Prior to joining INU, he was an Assistant Professor at Dongguk University, Korea from 2019 to 2023. While working at Dongguk University, he received the Dongguk Academic Award. He worked at Samsung Electronics as a Senior Engineer, Korea from 2018 to 2019. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Dept. of IT Convergence Engineering at POSTECH, Korea in 2013 and 2018, respectively. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Dept. of Electrical Engineering at Dongguk University, Korea in 2010.