Centralized databases have failed us; here’s how one web3 project is fixing it

As web3 evolves, Arkiv targets blockchain’s centralized data gap with a database built on decentralization principles.

When Satoshi developed the blockchain technology almost two decades ago, his goal was to create a decentralized system that would remove control from a few, centralized entities and distribute it to individuals across the network.

Since then, blockchain has given birth to a wave of disruptive technologies such as web3, whose conversations, over the years, have mainly centered around decentralised finance (DeFi), self-custody, and censorship-resistant money. However, beneath every application — whether DeFi, gaming, or NFTs — lies a quieter but critical layer that remains stubbornly centralised: data.

For many years, this layer has remained obscured in web3. Data loads instantly, apps work, and the trade-offs remain invisible, but when web2 infrastructures sneeze, everyone, including those in web3, catches a cold. 

An “internal service degradation” at Cloudflare in November 2025 disrupted the services of several crypto and blockchain projects, including blockchain explorers, DeFi protocols, and analytics service providers, and when Amazon Web Services (AWS) went down for nearly three hours, the crypto and web3 industries were crippled. Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum Layer-2 blockchain, experienced slowdowns, Solana faced node failures, and Polygon’s scaling solutions experienced partial outages. These incidents expose a structural flaw: much of today’s “decentralised” ecosystem still depends on centralised data backends.

Apart from availability, centralised databases introduce much deeper issues around privacy, access, and control. Data may be altered, censored, monetised, or removed entirely at the discretion of a single operator. For web3 developers building on open, permissionless rails, this creates a contradiction. 

The logic and value layers may be decentralised, but the data layer often is not. This is why there has been a public outcry to have decentralized databases in web3 — to distribute data and availability across many participants, reducing single points of failure while introducing cryptographic guarantees. Arkiv is one of the projects pushing this transition from idea to action.

Why Arkiv?

Arkiv emerged from the Golem Network ecosystem and positions itself as a database designed with blockchain principles at the center. Instead of competing against or trying to replace traditional storage, Arkiv focuses on the core principles of decentralized systems: guarantees around availability, integrity, and alignment with open networks. 

At its core, Arkiv acts as a gateway to multiple Layer 3 Database Chains (DB-Chains), with each DB-Chain functioning as a specialized data layer for both web2 and web3 applications. Data stored on Arkiv is distributed across a network of providers, removing reliance on a single host. It is Ethereum-aligned and powered by GLM, expanding the token’s utility beyond compute into data infrastructure. By being Ethereum-aligned, Arkiv reduces friction for developers already building in the Ethereum ecosystem.

Despite being built as a solution for web3, Arkiv’s beneficiaries extend far beyond the crypto-native world. Web2 innovators can use the ecosystem to benefit from globally replicated data without the burden of managing infrastructure on their own, while DePIN builders can create transparent, resilient marketplaces backed by data that is always available, instantly propagated, and secured with blockchain-like features.

Arkiv, bringing the future now

Arkiv has engaged hundreds of developers through major ecosystem events, including Devconnect activations, Sub0, and ETHArgentina hackathons. More than 40 projects have already been submitted by about 450 hackers who have participated across Sub0 and Eth Argentina Hackathons, a clear signal that Arkiv is gaining a new cohort of web3 builders to the benefit of decentralised data. To sustain this momentum, Arkiv, together with the Golem Network ecosystem, is committed to supporting developers and contributors building on the platform with support from the Golem Ecosystem Fund.

As web3 matures, the question is no longer whether decentralized databases are needed, but how quickly they can be made usable at scale. Arkiv represents a step toward answering that question.

For the latest updates, visit X, Discord, and read the Arkiv Litepaper.