🔗The Problems with Today’s Internet

The Internet was designed decades ago, long before the explosion of data, AI, and global connectivity. Today’s networks route nearly all traffic through a handful of major data centers, creating single points of failure, bottlenecks, and privacy concerns. Internet Service Providers (ISPs), cloud giants, and Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) act as gatekeepers, adding unnecessary costs, control, and surveillance.

Patching the system has only led to more complexity. VPNs, CDNs, and edge computing try to fix inefficiencies but don’t address the root problem of centralization. Legacy protocols like IPv4 force reliance on outdated solutions like Network Address Translation (NAT), a method that allows multiple devices to share a single public IP address, contributing to centralization issues. Meanwhile, the rapid growth of IoT devices and AI-driven applications pushes the limits of this aging architecture. The result? A fragile, monopolized internet that prioritizes corporate profits over user empowerment.

🔗Mycelium: A New Approach to Connectivity

Mycelium is a decentralized networking technology that enables direct, peer-to-peer communication without relying on centralized servers. Instead of routing data through major data centers, Mycelium establishes a distributed network that enhances functionality while remaining compatible with existing applications.

How Mycelium works:

• Decentralized Connectivity: Mycelium routes data efficiently using a mesh-like structure, dynamically adjusting based on user location and available peers. This ensures seamless communication without the need for intermediaries.
• End-to-End Encryption: All connections are secured, preventing man-in-the-middle attacks and ensuring complete privacy.
• Proof of Authenticity (PoA): Identity verification strengthens trust between users and prevents malicious actors from infiltrating the network.
• Optimized Routing: Smart algorithms minimize latency and optimize traffic flow, delivering faster, more efficient connectivity.

🔗A Glimpse into the Future with Mycelium

Imagine waking up in a world where your internet connection isn’t routed through corporate-owned data centers but flows securely between you and those you trust. Your home office connects seamlessly to an encrypted global network. You start your day by accessing files from your personal cloud, which is hosted on your own device, encrypted, and accessible only to you. A quick, secure video call with your team follows, running entirely over Mycelium’s peer-to-peer network, free from surveillance or interference.

Small businesses host their websites and manage their infrastructure without relying on third-party cloud providers. Developers push code to private repositories, ensuring only authorized collaborators have access. Families stream media directly from their home servers, avoiding subscription fees and content restrictions. Even online gaming has been revolutionized. Players host multiplayer sessions on encrypted private servers, eliminating lag and reliance on corporate hosts.

Meanwhile, IoT devices in smart homes and remote workplaces function on secure private networks, safeguarding sensitive data from corporate surveillance. A doctor in a rural village can connect securely with a specialist overseas, sharing critical patient data without privacy concerns. Journalists and activists can communicate without censorship, free from government or corporate monitoring.

🔗The Need for a New Internet

The current internet infrastructure is failing us. Over 70% of global internet traffic depends on expensive transglobal networks, leading to high costs and latency. A simple Zoom call between Uganda and Tanzania may be routed through U.S.-based servers, significantly degrading the experience. With AI-driven systems, agentic computing, and rising cybersecurity threats, centralized control is no longer sustainable.

ThreeFold is pioneering a new internet that is truly decentralized, infinitely scalable, and geo-aware. Built from the ground up on a bare Linux kernel, ThreeFold’s internet stack enables modular, self-healing infrastructure, putting control back in the hands of users. Unlike traditional cloud providers, ThreeFold dynamically shards data with advanced erasure codes, providing security against even quantum computing threats. Its real-time routing algorithms eliminate bottlenecks by optimizing packet travel based on congestion, node availability, and latency.

With 3.5 billion people still offline and AI agents set to scale into the billions, the need for a decentralized internet has never been more urgent. The future isn’t about patching a failing system – it’s about building a better one. Through advancements like Mycelium, ThreeFold is leading the charge, reshaping the internet into what it was meant to be: open, secure, and controlled by people – not corporations.

Learn more about Mycelium via the website and documentation.

🔗Part I: A Natural Evolution

The story of the Internet is one of ongoing evolution.

It began in the 1960s and 70s with a decentralized dream. Researchers and early pioneers built networks where computers communicated directly – peer-to-peer. There were no gatekeepers, no central authorities. Just nodes of people and their computers, freely exchanging data. This was the foundation for what we now call the Internet.

But as the Internet grew in the 90s, things started to change. The scrappy network of computers connected in an ad hoc manner started becoming an economic arena. Companies built platforms, services, and hubs. Massive infrastructure emerged to support this growth — hyperscale data centers, global fiber-optic networks, and powerful servers. The world logged on, and the web became commercialized.

This was Web 1.0 – static pages and basic information sharing. Then came Web 2.0 – the age of social media, cloud computing, and user-generated content, which makes up the vast majority of our shared digital lives. Connection became easier, but power was consolidated. Big platforms have taken ownership of our data and control our experiences.

In response, a new idea emerged – Web 3.0. Decentralized technologies like blockchain aimed to give control back to users. But Web3 is still finding its way, grappling with scalability, accessibility, and adoption.

And now, with the introduction of AI, we stand at the dawn of Web 4.0, the next evolution of the Internet. Web 4.0 is an agent-centric model, also sometimes referred to as the symbiotic web. In Web 4.0, we’ll interact both with humans and with virtual AI agents, our digital counterparts. These agents will be able to help with everything, from organizing our days to navigating our online presence. But here’s the catch – if we stay on the current path, these agents and the powerful intelligence systems behind them won’t belong to us. They’ll be owned – just like our data is today – by someone else. Web 4.0 will be no different than what we’ve had in the past.

This isn’t just about data anymore, it’s about intelligence itself. It’s about the future of our species and the planet. The question is: will we seize the opportunity to create something new – a decentralized network of augmented, collective intelligence.

This vision is what we call Web4.

🔗Part II: Our Web4 Vision

Web4. Where humans and AI collaborate to develop a new paradigm aimed at advancing planetary well-being. To our knowledge, we are the world’s first project approaching a fully functional Web4 infrastructure. But what does a Web4 infrastructure look like?

A Web4 infrastructure is built on three essential layers: personal, infrastructure, and physical.

At the heart of Web4 is the individual – you. The personal level involves an AI assistant, your digital counterpart, which manages your digital life and is owned fully by you. An identity layer ensures reputation and authenticity of information, an intelligence layer brings decentralized personal AI systems for smarter collaboration and decision-making. And a transaction layer integrates seamlessly with Web3 systems and beyond for secure and efficient transactions.

Next is the infrastructure layer, the backbone of Web4. This layer re-imagines how the Internet works. The network layer delivers private, scalable communication. The data layer revolutionizes how we store, share, and control data. Serverless compute resources allow applications to run closer to users and their data, improving speed and performance. And the cloud layer bridges today’s Web2 systems with a Web4 future, ensuring everything works together.

Finally, the physical layer brings Web4 into the real world. Routers act as gateways between the old web and the new, creating secure, next-generation communication channels. Nodes power the ecosystem by delivering AI, data, and compute capabilities. Phones become more than just a device, they are your portal into Web4, and capable of building meshed networks for better connectivity. And any modern desktop running Linux, Windows, or MacOS integrates seamlessly into this new ecosystem.

This vision may seem bold, but at ThreeFold, we are well on our way to making it a reality. Over the past decade, we have tackled complex challenges in areas such as data storage, secure overlay networking, and autonomous cloud security. A working proof of concept infrastructure grid is alive today thanks to the ThreeFold developers and a global community.

Today, we are pleased to announce the next step in the roadmap to Web4: Web4 Node, Web4 Phone, and Web4 Router.

🔗Part III: The Journey Begins

Today, we are pleased to announce the next step in the roadmap to Web4: V4 3Node, 3Phone equipped with 3Bot technology, and 3Router.

3Nodes are a familiar concept in the ThreeFold ecosystem, now also entering their fourth generation. Nodes provide capacity to the network, and in exchange generate rewards. Today, in collaboration with ThreeFold community vendors HostServiceNL in Europe and DuckFarmData in North America, we are announcing three different models of the V4 3Node. You can find more info and how to place orders here.

3Phones are a portal into the Web4 world. We are pleased to share that we will be offering several models of 3Phones into the market based on the Volla Phone platform. 3Phones will be equipped with your own decentralized AI agent called 3Bot. You can pre-order a 3Phone here.

And then there are 3Routers. Routers ensure that Web4 devices (phones and desktops running Mycelium) can communicate with one another – peer-to-peer, private, and secure. 3Routers will be available next year, and you can express your interest here.

Now, we need more than technology – we need pioneers, thinkers, and creators to help expand the Web4 ecosystem. Whether you contribute as a developer, a node operator, or via any other role, your participation is crucial. We need to bring millions of nodes, routers, and phones into the ecosystem. This is the next step in our journey.

The future of the Internet is being written today, and Web4 is the next chapter – a chapter where control, collaboration, and innovation belong to everyone. But this isn’t just our journey – it’s yours too. Together, we can build a smarter, more equitable digital world, where AI and humans work side by side to solve our greatest challenges.

Will you join us in realizing this vision?

Today we make these announcements to our incredible community, so you can provide your feedback and be amongst the first to register. In the coming weeks, after the new year, we will begin to spread this vision further. And this is only the beginning of our Web4 journey. Every three months, on 03.03, 06.06, 09.09, and 12.12 of next year we will continue to unveil major aspects of the Web4 vision. Of course there will be plenty of discussion and updates as we go, as well. Stay tuned.

🔗A System Held Together by Temporary Fixes

The current Internet relies on “quick fixes” that offer temporary relief but fail to address deeper systemic problems. Security tools like firewalls and antivirus software only guard against known threats and require constant updates. Content delivery networks and bandwidth boosts improve performance but don’t fix the limitations of the core infrastructure. Even regulations like GDPR protect privacy, but they don’t fundamentally change how data is managed or secured. Meanwhile, advances like 5G and fiber optics speed up connectivity but don’t solve the root issue of centralization.

🔗Centralization at the Root of Many Issues

Centralization is at the heart of many persistent issues, such as rising cybersecurity threats. Concentrating data in a few locations increases vulnerabilities, leading to more frequent data breaches and malicious attacks. Big tech companies keep building energy-hungry data centers to meet growing demand, but these are unsustainable and expensive to build.

While energy-efficient hardware is coming to market, it does little to solve these underlying inefficiencies. The deeper problem lies in the centralization of the Internet – a model that concentrates power in the hands of the few. Cloud services like AWS and Google Cloud help businesses scale but can be expensive, complex, and inaccessible to smaller businesses and underserved communities.

At the same time, new technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) demand fast data processing at the edge. Still, centralized cloud platforms are too slow and inefficient to meet their needs.

🔗A Long-Term Cure: ThreeFold’s Solution

To truly fix a system as broken as the current Internet, we need more than temporary solutions – we need a complete transformation that attacks the problem at the root.

Autonomous Infrastructure

One of the solutions to the current Internet crisis is a shift toward autonomous infrastructure networks and data centers that can operate independently, with minimal energy consumption and maximum efficiency. ThreeFold’s decentralized network uses small, autonomous nodes that can be distributed globally. This infrastructure lowers costs, increases reliability, and improves security while addressing the environmental issues tied to the centralized model. Through the ThreeFold Grid, the project is already providing a foundation for the sustainable Internet of the future.

Quantum-Safe Systems

With quantum computing on the horizon, how we secure our Internet infrastructure must evolve. The current Internet isn’t prepared for the threats that quantum computing could pose. ThreeFold recognizes this need and is already creating quantum-safe storage and network systems that protect sensitive information against future threats. This ensures a more resilient Internet that can stand up to tomorrow’s challenges.

Decentralization for Equality

Decentralization can only resolve the imbalance caused by today’s centralized cloud giants. By enabling anyone to host their own infrastructure, ThreeFold’s network levels the playing field and distributes power and opportunity more fairly across the globe. In ThreeFold’s vision, communities, businesses, and individuals can become Internet farmers, contributing to the global network and benefiting from it equally.

🔗Moving Beyond Band-Aid Solutions: Building a Better Internet

The current Internet is broken, and temporary fixes won’t solve the underlying issues. What’s needed is a complete transformation that returns control to the people, reduces environmental impact, and creates a more equitable, accessible digital economy. We must move beyond the the quick fixes and embrace an Internet that is decentralized, sustainable, and secure for all.

ThreeFold is leading the charge by creating an Internet infrastructure that empowers individuals and communities, reduces energy consumption, and fosters innovation. The future of the Internet must reflect the principles of fairness, equality, and sustainability.

It’s time to fix the Internet with ThreeFold. We’re already on the path toward a better, more inclusive digital future.

“All websites are equally accessible.” Net neutrality is a key principle that has been challenged in recent years. Without it, Internet service providers (ISPs) could potentially prioritize or block access to certain websites, affecting the open nature of the Internet.

“The Internet is already decentralized.” While the Internet was originally designed as a decentralized network, much of it is now controlled by a few large corporations, leading to centralization of power and influence. Distributed and decentralized are different things, and even then, the Internet is not all that distributed.

“Everyone Has Access to the Internet.” While the Internet is widely available in many parts of the world, millions of people still lack reliable access due to economic, geographic, and infrastructural barriers. Digital inequality remains a significant global challenge, with rural areas and developing regions (particularly in the global south) often underserved.

“The Internet is free.” While many services on the Internet appear to be free, we often pay with our data. Companies collect and monetize personal information to offer “free” services, leading to privacy concerns. As the saying goes, “if it’s free, the product is you.”

“Online privacy is not a problem anymore.” Many people believe their online activities are private, especially when using “incognito mode” or similar features. In reality, much of what we do online is tracked, logged, and often shared with third parties – despite using privacy-enabling features.

“Well, I have nothing to hide, so privacy isn’t important anyway.” Many believe that if they aren’t doing anything wrong, they don’t need to worry about privacy. In reality, privacy is about controlling who has access to your personal information and how it’s used. Even seemingly harmless data can be collected, analyzed, and exploited in ways that affect your life, your choices, and your freedom.

“Everything on the Internet is true.” There’s a misconception that if something is online, it must be accurate or trustworthy. However, this is far from the truth. Misinformation, fake news, and unreliable sources are widespread, requiring critical thinking and fact-checking, and increasingly hard to differentiate from reality.

“The Internet is anonymous.” Many believe they can remain completely anonymous online, but in reality, most activities leave a digital footprint that can be traced back to the user with enough effort.

“Deleting something online makes it gone forever.” People often believe that deleting a post, message, or file online removes it permanently. However, copies or backups may still exist, and data can often be recovered or traced.

“Cybersecurity threats are overblown.” Some people underestimate the risks of online threats like hacking, phishing, and malware, assuming they won’t be targeted. However, the numbers are startling and everyone is vulnerable.

In an age where, for better or worse, our online interactions shape much of our daily lives, understanding the true nature of the Internet is more and more important. By recognizing misconceptions, we can better navigate the digital world. And the best part? ThreeFold has been working on a true solution to some of the Internet’s biggest challenges.

Dive in to learn more and how to get involved:

• From the ground up: Three inventions that make ThreeFold possible
• The evolution of the Internet: From free to controlled, and back again
• ThreeFold Docs: Litepaper, Tokenomics, Node Guide, & More

🔗A new bare metal operating system

It is challenging to use current Linux-based operating systems safely and efficiently on the edges of the Internet. They require central management, involve excessive complexity, and prove difficult to update and maintain, resulting in numerous security vulnerabilities. To revolutionize the internet, we had to rethink how we host our applications, essentially reinventing the concept of a cloud-based operating system.

Zero OS is an innovative operating system, retaining the Linux kernel but fundamentally redesigned for heightened security, efficiency, and support for true peer-to-peer and decentralized workloads. This unique operating system doesn’t require installation on hard disks or SSDs; it remains stateless, consistently up to date, and autonomously managed without human intervention. Its design enables scalability to millions of nodes and self-healing application delivery, opening new possibilities in system resilience and reliability.

🔗A quantum safe storage system

Traditional backend storage systems have their roots in centralized environments, focusing on low-latency and closed security setups. However, these characteristics make them less suitable for use in decentralized cloud contexts.

Newer generation storage systems such as protocol-driven or blockchain-based solutions may face scalability and performance limitations and may not fulfill certain critical requirements that we consider essential.

Quantum Safe Storage is an ultra-scalable system capable of storing data indestructibly and efficiently. Previous versions of this system created by our team are widely used to store Zetabytes of information by large organizations.

🔗A quantum safe network system

The current centralized state of the internet poses significant security risks, with compromised routers and growing cyber threats (trillions of USD per year now), making everyone vulnerable to hacking. Industry responses involve disabling original features, hindering true peer-to-peer connectivity and personal server capabilities. Workarounds and system hacks have become the norm.

Mycelium is an overlay network layer designed to enhance the existing internet infrastructure while remaining compatible with all current applications. It empowers true peer-to-peer communication. Mycelium can look for the shortest path, has a built-in naming and CDN (Content Delivery) system, and can survive disaster and network cuts much more efficiently as is possible today.

🔗The only way

The future of the Internet lies in breaking free from the constraints of outdated, centralized systems and embracing a new paradigm. By fundamentally addressing the root causes of inefficiency, insecurity, and centralization in today’s systems, we can create a more resilient and equitable digital world.

If interested, go deeper into the inner-workings of the Internet as compared to ThreeFold.

In our last post, we started to explore what it means to test the ThreeFold Grid by highlighting the key processes and the benefits or reasons. Now, we continue our discovery path through the detailed testing process. In this post, we go deeper into two different ways of testing: Manual and Automation. Each is important, combining to ensure a strong and dependable TF Grid.

🔗Manual Testing

The thorough manual inspection of components using the Testlodge tool is at the core of our testing process. This tool acts as our guide, leading us through an array of test cases customized for each grid component. We guarantee comprehensive coverage of all grid components by organizing tests manually in specific test suites.

When a release candidate arrives from the development phase, our manual test executions come into play. Through meticulous examination, we confirm the smooth operation of each component. Any inconsistencies found during testing are promptly recorded using GitHub issues, facilitating quick resolution in future iterations.

Components such as Dashboard & Deployments, Mycelium, TF-Robot, Terraform, TF-Grid-Client, TF-Grid-Proxy, TF chain, Caprover, Kubernetes, and Farmerbot are examples of what undergoes our scrutiny.

🔗Why Manual Testing is Important:

Any new changes added to the grid should first undergo manual testing before going through automation testing. The fundamental principle of testing is that “100% automation is not possible” which makes manual testing necessary.

The main idea behind manual testing is to make sure that the grid is free of errors and that it is operating following the stated functional requirements in the manual and documentation. Additionally, it ensures that developers fix reported faults and that testers retest them.

Also, manual testing simulates the real-time behavior of the end user and how they think when they use our TF Grid solution, which allows us to do better UX design to meet everyone’s expectations.

🔗Automation Testing

Automation scripts are essential in strengthening our testing capabilities and our manual efforts. By utilizing GitHub actions, we run automated scripts daily to gain early insights into the health of the TF Grid. Our in-house automation tool, TF-Robot, leads the deployment process on the grid with exceptional efficiency.

TF-Robot is a cornerstone of automation, streamlining the deployment of various virtual machines across the ThreeFold Grid. With its capacity to manage large-scale deployments and offer multiple retries for unsuccessful attempts, TF-Robot enables users to navigate the grid seamlessly. Additionally, we leverage its functionalities to ensure the viability of registered nodes by deploying on active nodes regularly to confirm their suitability for deployment.

We use GitHub Actions to run our automated tests. These tests – ranging from testing solution deployments, to the status / health of all nodes, to the dashboard UI – are triggered by certain behaviors or activities:

• Any code change triggers certain tests
• Tests also run during code reviews
• Some tests run every day, like the Grid Client Nightly and Grid Client Tests
• Other tests run every 6 hours, like Mass Deployments

🔗Why Automation Testing is Important:

Automation testing speeds up the testing process significantly compared to manual testing. Automated tests can run anytime, including nights and weekends, allowing for continuous testing and faster development cycles. This reduces testing time and labor costs, making it a cost-effective approach in the long run. Automation helps identify issues and defects in the software early in the development process, making them easier and less expensive to fix. Automated test scripts are reusable and can be used throughout different phases of development, even if there are changes in the software’s user interface.

Sometimes, a node may be misconfigured or have defective hardware. In our automation testing, we run tests like Mass Deployer or TF-Robot, which loop over all online nodes and attempt deployments on them to detect problematic nodes or misconfigured ones early.

Additionally, nightly test runs for different test suites (dashboard UI, TS client) can detect incorrect code deployments early and alert developers to fix the pushed code that may affect unexpected parts of the project.

🔗How to Report an Error/Issue/Bug Found While Testing:

All errors found during testing are reported on GitHub. Based on findings, the repository has two templates to choose from: Bug Report and Feature Request. Follow these steps:

1. Click on the provided GitHub link.
2. Choose “New Issue.”
3. Select either of the templates and fill it out accordingly.
4. Click on “Submit.”

One of our developers will then work on resolving the issue. We have already fixed over 1,200 issues to date.

Testing is a key aspect of maintaining a reliable cloud infrastructure. Because testing is such a thorough process, we can catch and correct bugs before they make their way to mainnet, our “production” environment. A big thanks to all those who have contributed to testing the grid to date, and we invite anyone to join the testing community and take part in ensuring a smooth and reliable ThreeFold Grid.