The moniker decentralized gets added to nearly every blockchain project. But let’s be honest: not everything claiming to be decentralized actually is. 

Many systems are DINOs: Decentralization In Name Only. They look decentralized on the surface, but underneath they’re still controlled by a few centralized entities. For example, some projects airdrop governance tokens to thousands of users to appear democratic, while the team actually retains the majority of tokens and control.  

This distinction matters because decentralization should free us from single points of failure, censorship, and manipulation. DINO systems can’t deliver on that promise. They’re still vulnerable to the same old issues, just wrapped in new packaging to pump token prices.

AR.IO aims to be truly decentralized and free from external dependencies or single points of failure. We haven’t fully arrived yet, but we are well on our way. Our code is open-source, resilient and transparent by design. Many of our products stand up on their own and are fully functional without our team. Our vision is a Permanent Cloud Network: an internet that empowers everyone, not the gatekeepers, middle men and big tech companies extracting high rents.

True Decentralization: Why AR.IO?

The internet we use today is held together by centralized systems. Think about it: your data lives on servers controlled by companies whose first loyalty is to their bottom line. That’s why we see ads taking over our online spaces, essential files vanishing when subscriptions lapse, and apps disappearing at the whim of a single provider. 

Corporations build moats around your data and rarely lower the drawbridge.

Centralized systems are fragile, limiting, and, often, unfair. But they’ve been treated as the only option—until now.

AR.IO is here to create unrestricted access to permanent data. We’ve built on Arweave’s blockchain-based storage network to offer something better:

• Permanence: Pay once, and your data is stored forever. No subscriptions. No lock-ins.

• Sovereignty: Your data is yours—no one can delete, censor, or edit it.

• Accessibility: Data stored on AR.IO is available globally, tamper-proof, and verifiable.

Most importantly, AR.IO addresses the critical gap in decentralized storage: accessibility. Blockchain and DePIN ecosystems are often good at attracting a large number of miners or node operators. But beneath the surface, a single point of failure within the infrastructure often lurks. So while the network may appear robust, every operator within the network has to trust a single provider within the tech stack. This single point of failure defeats the whole purpose of decentralization.  

Take Arweave as an example. In the early years, Arweave basically had one gateway: arweave.net. Miners stored and replicated Arweave’s permanent data around the world but there was only one way to access it. AR.IO was created to expand this single access point to a network of hundreds of globally-distributed, independently-operated gateways. This means you can always get to your data on the permaweb in a performant way.

With Arweave growing to more than 1 billion transactions per month, decentralized access to those transactions is more important than ever.

In summary, here’s how AR.IO stands apart:

• Decentralized Gateways: A network of gateways ensures resilience and scalability.

• Incentivized Participation: With tokenized rewards, we’re attracting new participants to grow and sustain the network.

• Open-Source Infrastructure: AR.IO is built for everyone, from independent developers to enterprises, with tools that are easy to adopt.

This isn’t just about storage—it’s a vision for a better internet.

ArDrive:  True Decentralization in a dApp

ArDrive, created by the team behind AR.IO, is another example of true decentralization. ArDrive is a Dropbox-like app that offers permanent, secure data storage for a simple one-time price.  

Files can be uploaded to Arweave through ArDrive using our centralized bundler called Turbo. The ArDrive team created Turbo for convenience so anyone can save files permanently with just a credit card.

But ArDrive also offers direct to network bundling which is fully sovereign and does not require a credit card company or any other service. The choice is yours: convenient centralized uploads in fiat, or fully decentralized bundling using $AR.

And if you don’t like the evolution of ArDrive as a product, you can go back and use any historical version of ArDrive - they are permanently accessible and operate without the team’s involvement.

Extinction of the DINOsaurs (Decentralized In Name Only)

Here’s the bottom line: decentralization is about more than appearances. It’s about creating systems that are truly free from centralized control. Let’s compare:

DINOs

• Centralized Control: A few validators, gateways, or companies pull the strings.
  
  

• Single Points of Failure: One bad actor, technical issue, or external pressure can break the system.
  
  

• Censorship-Prone: Governments or corporations can still suppress or delete data.
  
  

• Style Over Substance: The emphasis is on selling the idea of decentralization, not delivering it.

True Decentralization

• Distributed Power: No single entity controls the system. Power is shared and open to all participants.
  
  

• Resilience: Designed to withstand attacks, failures, and external interference.
  
  

• Censorship Resistance: Data is immutable and accessible globally, no matter what.
  
  

• Community-Driven: Built for open participation, with transparency and trust baked in.

AR.IO doesn’t just claim decentralization—it embodies it. With decentralized gateways, tokenized incentives, and open participation, we’re creating a system that’s built to last and extremely difficult to manipulate.

We have not fully arrived yet, but we are well on our way to open access, resilience against interference, and people over profits. 

Are you in?

Get in early on The First Permanent Cloud Network. No 404s, no lost dependencies, no subscriptions - just truly decentralized access to applications and data.