Grant Proposal: SiaBridge

Introduction

Project Name: SiaBridge

Name of the organization or individual submitting the proposal: Tolga Yaycı

Describe your project.

SiaBridge is a CLI (Command Line Interface) application designed to seamlessly transport data from centralized cloud storage services such as AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage, and Google Cloud Storage (GCS) to the Sia network. By leveraging the Sia renterd API, the application will facilitate the data migration to buckets on renterd, thereby promoting the decentralized storage solutions that Sia offers.

A significant volume of data is housed on centralized data storage servers. The migration of data to decentralized platforms like the Sia network could significantly lower the entry barriers for many users, promoting a shift towards decentralized data storage solutions. SiaBridge aims to smoothen this transition by providing a one-command solution to transport data from centralized cloud storage providers to the Sia network, effortlessly.

Who benefits from your project?

SiaBridge primarily benefits individuals and organizations seeking to migrate from centralized to decentralized storage solutions, by providing a seamless path to transfer data to the Sia network. This ease of transition is particularly attractive to mainstream cloud storage users from platforms like AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage, and GCS, allowing them to explore the advantages of decentralized storage without technical hurdles. Additionally, the Sia network community stands to gain from increased adoption and utilization, and generating better economic incentives for both hosts and renters within the Sia ecosystem.

SiaBridge attracts to entities to lower-cost storage options but are hesitant due to the hassle associated with data migration from centralized to Sia network. SiaBridge aims to lower entry barrier by offering a simplified migration solution, thus facilitating a smooth transition to the cost-effective storage solutions on the Sia network.

How does the project serve the Foundation’s mission of user-owned data?

SiaBridge directly aligns with the Foundation’s mission of promoting user-owned data by enabling a simplified pathway for data migration from centralized cloud services to the Sia network. By providing an easy-to-use interface for transferring data, SiaBridge empowers users with greater control over their data, promoting a shift from centralized data storage systems to Sia network.

Grant Specifics

Amount of money requested and justification with a reasonable breakdown of expenses:

The total amount requested: $10,000 USD

The funding will be used to compansate my development time.

What are the goals of this small grant?

Increased Adoption: Simplifies the transition to decentralized storage, attracting more users to the Sia network.

Ease of Migration: Offers a hassle-free data migration tool, removing a significant barrier to entry for potential users.

Enhanced Utility: Broadens the use cases and functionality of the Sia network by bridging the gap with popular cloud storage services.

Incentives: Potentially increases demand for Siacoins, hosts and utilization of network resources, creating positive economic dynamics within the Sia ecosystem.

Potential risks that will affect the outcome of the project:

The Sia renterd API is still in development, and changes to the API could affect the functionality of SiaBridge. This risk can be mitigated by updating the application to handle any changes to the API.

Development Information

Deliverables

  • A fully functional Command Line Interface (CLI) application capable of migrating data from AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage, and Google Cloud Storage to the Sia network using the Sia renterd API.

  • A Dockerfile for the application, allowing for easy deployment and execution of the application on any environment.

  • Comprehensive user documentation providing clear instructions on how to use SiaBridge for data migration, setup, configuration, and guidelines.

Will all of your project’s code be open-source?

Yes, the code will be open-source and available on Github, and the documentation will be available.

Leave a link where code will be accessible for review.

Do you agree to submit monthly progress reports?

Yes, I agree to submit monthly progress reports.

Contact info

Email: [email protected]

Any other preferred contact methods:

Github: tolgayayci (Tolga Yaycı) · GitHub
Discord: @tolgayayci
Telegram: @shadow4747

Thanks for this proposal. What timeline do you see feasible?

Thank you @mike76, estimated achievement can be,

Count Deliverable Achieve Est. Time
1 AWS S3 Bridge 6.11.2023
2 Azure Blob Storage Bridge 22.11.2023
3 Google Cloud Storage Bridge 11.12.2023
4 Dockerfile/Documentation 20.12.2023

This is just a estimated breakdown. We can say that the project will be completed in nearly ~2.5 (at most 3) months.

Just throwing in my opinion on this. I think it would save a lot of R&D if you based this off rclone (use as a library)/golang, and thus can just plug into their VFS system drivers/abstractions and port everything over, but abstract it to be sia targeted.

The benefit is being able to port from pretty much any systen rclone supports to sia.

I would try to not re-invent effort on talking to these API’s if there is not a good reason to do so.

Kudos.

1 Like

Thanks @pcfreak30, will look for rclone. If it is better to use library, than I will use it as a base layer.

Thanks for your proposal! The committee has a submission cutoff date of the Wednesday before their next meeting to consider a project for review. This proposal was received after our submission cutoff for their meeting on October 17th, so the committee will review this grant during their meeting on October 31st.

1 Like

Hello @tolga

Thanks for your submission.

The committee has denied this grant proposal citing too many similarities in functionality to the rclone project.

The Foundation is wary of funding grants with so much crossover with existing projects as it tends to result in underused software that quickly becomes outpaced by those already in-development apps.

Regards,
Kino on behalf of the Sia Foundation and Grants Committee