2018-7-8 17:54

In today’s scenario, internet services invariably need Content Delivery Networks (CDN). A CDN refers to a group of servers spread across different geolocations that would distribute the resources present in web pages such as images, JavaScript files, etc. Without a CDN server, every request a user makes goes to the website’s main server. For e.g., if a user from Delhi, India opens a website which is hosted in San Francisco, USA, the request goes all the way from Delhi to the USA, and the server in the USA would return the requested resource file. As CDN replicates a resource across the globe, the request would now be routed to a server which is closer to the user’s location. Thus the use of CDNs speeds up the delivery of the content to the user. CDNs also help in reducing the load on the main server, enabling the website to scale to millions of users. The closer CDN is to the customer, the better his internet viewing experience is. Having said this, there are still a couple of issues with the existing infrastructural CDNs. Marlin Protocol is an innovative new approach to the CDN industry, that attempts to disrupt the CDN space and addresses inherent issues faced by the internet consumers worldwide.

Marlin Protocol – An Overview

The CDNs in the current mode of functioning operate through proxy servers and data centers. But the centralized operation used by the traditional CDN services incur a massive cost of setting up the servers and data centers. These costs eventually fall on the customers, making CDNs inaccessible for many. Marlin Protocol attempts to change this scenario and make CDNs an affordable option.

At its core, Marlin is a decentralized CDN infrastructure. It makes use of the P2P ecosystem for enhanced processing, control and delivery of the content to users, but at considerably lower costs compared to the traditional model. It achieves this task by making use of the spare bandwidth that many internet users may have. Imagine yourself as someone who needs heavy internet access, and there is a user just a few hops away who does not use much of his bandwidth, leaving it idle. Marlin Protocol makes it possible to use this bandwidth and spare hard drive space and deliver it to those who need it.

How Does Marlin Protocol Work?

Well, as we stated before, Marlin uses the spare bandwidth and the hard drive capacity of internet users.

Now that the CDN server is quite close to you, you as a user would get the content at a faster rate. In fact, the delay in the delivery of the content is caused by the unusual physical distance between you and the hosting server. Marlin’s mechanism essentially reduces this distance. This enables you to get your content delivered faster, providing a more seamless web experience.

However, one key differentiator between Marlin and other P2P CDN networks is the fact that Marlin also incentivizes the people providing their bandwidth and storage space. It makes use of the Blockchain technology and smart contracts to achieve the task. Marlin makes use of its own cryptocurrency for this purpose. The transactions are performed through the exchange of the native token of the network – LIN token. Marlin has its decentralized accounting and payments service that enables the all the transactions in the network.

In essence, the decentralized model of CDN functionality would help eliminate the issues in the traditional CDN technology and lowers costs and congestion in content delivery.

Architecture of Marlin Protocol

The basic structure of the network would be on the following lines –

It works as a peer to peer network. Peers or the members of service would be able to monetize their bandwidth and hardware space for serving the internet-based content. A 2-layer architecture ensures availability, uptime and good performance at low prices in the face of high churn. It makes use of caching algorithms that offer you a low latency and high throughput thereby enhancing the availability. The technology serves the higher need for bandwidth as has been necessitated in today’s content that thrives on AR/VR and 4K content. The service comes with auditing mechanisms that are completely secure and keeps the records of bandwidth usage and storage that has been let to be used by the peers in the network.

The protocol works on the basis of the smart metering technology that would take care of the correct payments being made to the peers for the kind of services that they have provided for the community. This takes care of the publishers as well, ensuring that they are not overcharged.

The Concluding Thoughts

Marlin is indeed been a unique concept and can go a long way in improving the CDN scenario. The technology used in the CDN protocols of the service is expected to bring down the costs to the tune of around 90 percent lower. This cost reduction does not result in a reduction of quality though. We would think services like media streaming and AR/VR streaming would foresee a positive impact of this innovative concept.

This is a sponsored press release and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or views held by any employees of NullTX. This is not investment, trading, or gambling advice. Always conduct your own independent research.

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