Standard Grant: Lume Web 2025

Grants Approved
1

The Current State of Lume Web

Summary

You can see our previous grant here: Standard Grant: Lume Web 2024

This year, we’ve transformed Lume Web by focusing on what matters most - deep integration with Sia and rebuilding Skynet (in spirit) alongside S5. Starting from a basic MVP with S5 integration, we’ve evolved into a full-featured Sia Layer 2 solution. Some big wins include:

  • A plugin system that’s now powering 6 core features

  • Rock-solid auth with OAuth2 and 2FA

  • Cluster support using etcd

  • Full IPFS upload/pinning with UnixFS metadata tracking

  • A flexible billing system handling both free and paid users

Test System Demo

Check out our test system to see Lume Web in action:
https://account.testing.pinner.xyz

Current Status and What’s Next

We’re in alpha/beta now, pushing toward an open beta launch by year-end when we’ll roll out Lume’s paid service. Here’s what we’re focused on:

  1. Rewriting our S5 plugin to match the latest specs

  2. Fine-tuning the billing system as we learn from real usage

  3. Making our admin tools more robust

How We Got Here & What We Changed

The Big Picture

Our community gave us clear feedback: focus on Sia integration first, broader web3 goals later. This helped us:

  • Build a solid core system

  • Create a flexible plugin system

  • Set up services that work for both web2 and web3 users

Technology Choices & Rationale

  • Caddy-style plugin system: Provides proven architecture for modular growth without coupling. Each feature can evolve independently.

  • Go: Aligns with Sia ecosystem (renterd), providing better integration opportunities and shared tooling

  • etcd: Natural choice for clustering - handles leader election and coordination with minimal complexity

  • gorm: Most popular Go ORM, supporting both MySQL/SQLite without code changes

  • Frontend: React with Refine.dev framework for rapid admin interface development

  • TypeScript and Tailwind CSS for frontend development

Framework Evolution

Our application architecture went through several major transformations:

  1. Started with a basic HTTP server architecture

  2. January 2024: Adopted Uber FX as our dependency injection framework to better manage the dependency graph

  3. February 2024: Completely redesigned our protocol and storage architecture

  4. May 2024: Moved to a Caddy-inspired modular design, removing Uber FX in favor of a more focused core package

  5. July 2024: Implemented a unified request-based architecture that:

    • Centered everything around a Request model

    • Added protocol-specific handlers for different data operations

    • Created a more consistent API across all operations

    • Enhanced database operations and request lifecycle management

Key Calls We Made

  • Put Skynet-like portal syncing on hold to nail the basics

  • We built a working sync plugin MVP that showed promise

  • But the current JavaScript P2P code needs to be rewritten in Golang

  • The hybrid JS approach turned out to be too brittle and complex

  • We’ll revisit this once we have bandwidth for proper Golang implementation

  • Focused on web2 and web2.5 stuff to:

    1. Get the project financially sustainable

    2. Drive more Sia network usage

  • We’ll keep checking when it makes sense to bring back more web3 features

Technical Implementation

Core Architecture

The platform has evolved into a flexible Sia Layer 2 solution with these key components:

portal-diagram
portal-diagram1000×714 53.9 KB

  1. Plugin-Based Core System

    • Modular design inspired by Caddy’s architecture

    • Isolated plugin systems minimizing inter-dependencies

    • Self-contained portal builds using modified xcaddy system

    • Build with plugins easily using xportal build --with PLUGIN

  2. Data Management

    • IPFS Multihash standard for content addressing

    • Flexible database support through gorm (MySQL and SQLite)

    • Built-in scalability through etcd-based cluster coordination

Upload Architecture

  • TUS protocol implementation for all large file uploads

  • Resumable upload support across interruptions

  • Service-specific TUS endpoints on dedicated subdomains (e.g. s5., ipfs.)

  • Each plugin can extend/customize the base TUS implementation

Core Portal Features

  • Complete account management system with authentication

  • Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

  • Event-driven architecture with cron system

  • Storage and renter management including price tracking

  • Comprehensive configuration management

  • Standardized upload handling with TUS protocol

  • All large file uploads use TUS for reliability

  • Resumable uploads support

Plugins

  1. Dashboard Plugin

    • Full user authentication system

    • API key management

    • Two-factor authentication

    • OAuth2-based social login

    • Web application framework

  2. S5 Plugin

    • Basic implementation exists

    • Full rewrite planned to align with current S5 specifications

    • Will be updated to match latest S5 developments

  3. IPFS Plugin

    • Complete upload and pinning support

    • UnixFS metadata tracking for directory structures

  4. Billing Plugin

    • Configurable free tier with usage limits

    • Paid plan support via killbill and hyperswitch

    • Usage tracking and quota management

  5. Admin Plugin

    • Cron job monitoring

    • System settings management interface

    • Settings editor partially complete

  6. Support Plugin

    • Integrated freescout support system

    • OAuth2 SSO integration

Known Technical Challenges

  • Sync plugin’s JavaScript P2P implementation needs a Golang rewrite

  • Frontend webapp stability and UX improvements needed

Scalability and Deployment

  • Cluster mode supported through etcd coordination

  • Support for high-availability configurations

  • Database flexibility enabling various deployment scenarios

  • Built-in monitoring and management capabilities planned for upcoming launch

Where We’re Headed

  1. Getting that S5 plugin rewrite done

  2. Getting our service live (prod)

  3. Smoothing out billing and usage tracking

  4. Making our admin tools more useful

  5. Making everything faster and more reliable

All this work sets up Lume Web to be a bridge between traditional web services and decentralized storage - something the Sia ecosystem really needs.

2

Introduction

Project Name: Lume Web

Name of the organization or individual submitting the proposal: Hammer Technologies LLC

Describe your project.
Lume Web is a project with a long-term vision focused on web3, privacy, and data ownership. In the short to medium term, we are developing a web2.5 platform that prioritizes freedom and privacy in data storage.

Our 2025 goals include:

  1. Anti-Abuse Plugin

    • Develop a comprehensive anti-abuse system addressing spam, malware, and illegal content according to US law
    • Implement a block system with integration into community block lists such as IPFS badbits
    • Create a web application for content reporting

  2. Bluesky Integration Plugin

    • Develop an integration with “atproto” to store relational user data using SQLite in the reference Personal Data Server (PDS)
    • Back up data to Sia and provide an identity registry as needed
    • Handle IPLD (media) data storage via the portals framework

  3. Nostr Integration Plugin

  4. LBRY Integration Plugin

    • Develop an integration with the LBRY protocol/blockchain for pinning LBRY blob data, leveraging existing reflector code (GitHub - lbryio/reflector.go)
    • Enable bridging between Sia and LBRY from an L2 perspective
    • Facilitate cloud pinning/seeding of published LBRY content

  5. Cloud Import Integration Plugin

    • Enable file imports from cloud services like Google Drive and Dropbox

  6. IPNS Support

    • Enable IPNS record creation and management for content hosted on the portal
    • Provide users ability to create persistent names for their content

  7. Community Portal

    • Implement a public goods, community-run portal at web3portal.com
    • Provide free fair usage (5-10 GB per user) with daily limits.
    • This will be a service equivalent to what mike76 and redsolver are running in their grants.

Who benefits from your project?

  1. Sia Community/Users

    • Access to five new service integrations (four decentralized, one traditional)
    • Foundation-funded community portal as a public good
    • Enhanced evangelism of the Sia network’s decentralization benefits

  2. Mainstream Users

    • Access to diverse hosting services prioritizing freedom and privacy
    • Simplified user experience that abstracts technical complexity

How does the project serve the Foundation’s mission of user-owned data?
Our 2025 focus bridges multiple protocols, enabling users to consolidate their data on Sia. We use encryption-at-rest for data stored on Sia (via renterd), while any end-to-end encryption must be handled at the application level by the respective protocols or clients. We’re expanding to traditional cloud services for data importing and implementing anti-abuse measures to protect the network’s integrity.

Are you a resident of any jurisdiction on that list? No

Will your payment bank account be located in any jurisdiction on that list? No

Grant Specifics

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

Total Request: $73,000
Quarterly Payments: $18,250

Upfront Budget Request: $18,250

  1. Salary Expenses: $55,000

    • Allocated for Derrick Hammer
    • Q1 Salary: $13,750

  2. Annual Project Budget: $18,000

  • Design and Development: $5,000
    • Portal dashboard improvements
    • Cloud Import UX
    • Abuse report webapp and admin functions
  • R&D Infrastructure: $4,000 (subject to testing/scaling requirements)
  • Community Hosting Infrastructure: $4,000 (subject to user demand)
  • Community Hosting Storage Subsidy: $5,000 (may require future increases)

Timeline with measurable objectives and goals:

Q1: Anti-abuse Plugin ($18,250)

Deliverables

  • Report intake system
  • Automated report classification
  • Content scanning system
  • Response workflow management
  • Case tracking database

Validation Criteria

  1. Report Intake
    • Functional abuse@ email endpoint and web form
    • Documented API endpoint with authentication
  2. Report Processing
    • Automated classification and routing
    • Unique case ID generation
  3. Case Management
    • End-to-end workflow tracking
    • Basic analytics/reporting capability

Q2: Bluesky Integration ($18,250)

Deliverables

  • Account migration system
  • PDS-compliant data handler
  • Transfer status interface

Validation Criteria

  1. Data Transfer
    • Account migration functionality
    • Complete post/social graph transfer
  2. Platform Compliance
    • PDS specification conformance
    • Cross-client compatibility verification
  3. User Experience
    • Transfer status monitoring
    • Error handling and recovery

Q3: Nostr and LBRY Integrations ($18,250)

Nostr Deliverables

  • NIP-96 compliant file storage
  • TUS integration for NIP-96
  • Cloud import functionality

Nostr Validation

  1. Core Functionality
    • NIP-96/98 compliance
  2. Implementation
    • TUS protocol integration

LBRY Deliverables

  • Blob storage integration
  • Network participation system
  • User blob management interface

LBRY Validation

  1. Network Integration
    • Blob pinning and tracking
    • DHT participation verification

Q4: Cloud Import and IPNS Support ($18,250)

Cloud Import Deliverables

  • OAuth integration with major cloud providers
  • File import functionality

IPNS Support Deliverables

  • IPNS record creation and management

Cloud Import Validation

  1. Integration
    • OAuth authentication flow
    • Successful file imports

IPNS Support Validation

  1. Core Functionality
    • IPNS record management
    • Name resolution verification

Notes:

  • The progression and timing of milestones may be adjusted or reordered in light of emerging risks, unforeseeable events, or community input.

Potential risks that will affect the outcome of the project:

  1. Technical Risks:

    • Protocol specification changes could require integration rework
    • Performance challenges with large-scale data transfers
    • Community adoption of new protocol features

  2. Infrastructure Risks:

    • Unexpected scaling requirements
    • Storage cost variations based on usage
    • Anti-abuse system resource needs

  3. External Dependencies:

    • API changes from integrated services
    • Regulatory changes affecting content moderation
    • Protocol deprecations requiring redesign

Development Information

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

Leave a link where code will be accessible for review.

Do you agree to submit monthly progress reports?
Yes

Contact Info

Email: [email protected]

Any other preferred contact methods:
Discord: pcfreak30

Early submission

We are aware that we are submitting this about 1-1.5 months before our current grant is completed. Our justification is that we need to ensure continued funding in 2025 (Jan) and cannot afford to have a large gap, as we have no other significant active income at this time. Lume is our full-time mission.

3

Can you expand on these two budget items?

4

My intention is to operate web3portal.com as a community service. After talks with Steve in grant comms, legal made it clear that it needs to be on dedicated infra separate from anything paid (pinner.xyz) - this keeps it as a public good and avoids legal issues.

Basically want to recreate skynetfree.net as a free community service. Budget covers that infrastructure plus the Sia storage fees.

Just requesting to operate the same thing as mike76 and redsolver in their grants.

Thanks.

5

Out of curiosity: is the Upload button not working on https://account.testing.pinner.xyz, or was that the intent?

Regarding your new proposal, I am requesting you to create a long-term roadmap of your project, similar to what the Foundation has but looking into the years ahead. The reason I am asking this is that you keep submitting a new proposal for the coming year at the end of each year, and this is fine but it does leave a feeling that this is going to last forever. Please spare us all the frustration.

6

I just tested this in Brave (Version 1.70.119 Chromium: 129.0.6668.70) and was able to upload video files fine, even in incognito mode. I’d need to reproduce the reported issues to properly fix them if there’s actually a problem.

Regarding the roadmap, I’ve shifted my approach based on community reactions from last year and what I’ve learned from new data and experience this year. Instead of focusing on moonshot ideas about where I want things to go, I’m concentrating more on immediate and medium-term goals. This shift actually came from the community’s request to focus on the portal and bring more immediate value to Sia.

For the period after 2025, I do have other integration ideas from ecosystems I’ve researched. Some of these aren’t ready yet, and others would need significant time to port code to golang.

Ideas I’ve researched for potential integrations:

  • Iroh support (requires go port)
  • TBD Web5 (likely requires go port)
  • Syncthing support (act as a cloud peer, in golang already)
  • ActivityPub support
  • RemoteStorage.io
  • SolidProject.org
  • Hyper/Dat (requires go port)

And for application-level problems:

  • Docs
  • Email
  • Password manager
  • GitHub Pages/Vercel/Cloudflare Pages alternatives
  • Taking Siashare and making a golang version using S5/IPFS & other tech, either as an L3 or portal plugin (undecided) - basically run a simple end-user filesharing service like Wormhole
  • WordPress-related integrations (web 2.5)

But I’ve learned that nothing goes exactly as planned, and what seems like a good idea now might change later. Some of my thinking from 2023 evolved by mid-this year, and I ended up adapting what I built to make it more flexible, ensuring I could bring more features to Sia (which ultimately brings Lume more long-term funding through storage sales).

At this point, any future ideas I might share are just that - ideas. Things are very likely to change at the macro level which will impact the project. While Lume’s big picture goals will eventually return to the high-level web3 work I started with (which will honestly require a fair amount of experimentation), right now I’m following what the community requested: bringing demand to Sia, which obviously supports Lume as well. My focus going forward will be on bringing data to Sia as the community requested, while funding Lume’s bigger picture goals through paid services. The yearly grant proposals reflect this iterative approach - each focused on concrete deliverables that build toward sustainability rather than locking into long-term predictions that might not serve the community’s evolving needs.

I’m also planning to launch feedback.lumeweb.com to give the community a more direct role in guiding the project’s direction.

7

Okay, let me ask you a blunt question. For how many years are you planning to ask funding for development on Lume, and how much time shall pass before you deliver a working product?

8

Lume is already a working product, though we’re continuing to add polish and evolving features with my team. Our immediate plans include:

  • Soft launch EOY for Q1 2025 to work out issues
  • Implementing anti-abuse measures to address liability concerns
  • S5 integration either this year or potentially Q1, depending on redsolver’s development timeline

Regarding funding expectations:

  • 2025 will see us generating sales while continuing development
  • I may request 2026 funding if organic growth in 2025 isn’t sufficient for sustainability
  • There will be two portals:
    • The community portal will continue being grant-funded, and I may seek continued funding for it as a community service even after Lume itself no longer needs project-wide grants
    • The paid commercial portal through pinner.xyz

I understand the Foundation’s need to evaluate KPIs and see return on investment through storage demand. I don’t expect continued funding without demonstrating value - if we’re not generating ANY sales by the end of 2025, that’s concerning, and if we’re not successful within three years (2025-2027), that would indicate a fundamental issue with our execution or market fit. At that point, I would need to return to consulting work to pay bills while continuing the project part-time if the foundation decided to stop funding.

As Danger recently joked, I have ideas reaching toward 2030, and while these align with our original grant’s vision of broader ecosystem integration, I recognize that continued Foundation funding should be tied to delivering tangible value to Sia.

We’re committed to becoming self-sustaining through storage sales and paid services rather than relying indefinitely on grant funding.

9

Also, given you had issues regarding the upload button. Im posting this screen capture for the record to show that upload is working.

10

Thanks for your proposal to The Sia Foundation Grants Program.

After review, the committee has decided to approve your proposal. They’re excited to see the continuation of Lume and the integrations you’re building this year. Congratulations!

We’ll reach out to your provided email address for onboarding. This shouldn’t take long unless your info has changed from last time, but you may still need to adjust your timelines.