🔥 A Guide for Storacha Decentralized Cloud Storage with UCAN

Web3 talks a lot about user ownership, decentralization, and privacy But most apps still rely on API keys, centralized auth servers, and custodial recovery systems. Storacha + UCAN changes that completely.Storacha

UCAN lets you delegate permissions instead of accounts. Storacha uses this to build passwordless, non-custodial, user-owned storage.

• No API keys.
• No centralized auth server.
• No platform lock-in.

Storacha is decentralized storage, but a hot new take. Storacha transforms web3.storage into a community-driven, decentralized hot storage network.

Storacha Key Concepts (Simple Definitions)

1. Spaces: Your Storage = Your Identity

In Storacha, your storage lives inside a Space.

• A Space is identified by a DID (Decentralized Identifier)
• It represents your namespace
• Files, blobs, and data belong to this Space—not an app

Think of it like this:

Google Drive account → Centralized identity
Storacha Space → Cryptographic identity (DID)


You own it. You control who can access it.

2. Agents: Permission Holders (Not Accounts)

An Agent is a local session (browser, backend, CLI, mobile app) that holds delegated permissions.

• Agents do NOT own data
• They only act within delegated capabilities
• Permissions can expire or be revoked

Example agents:

• A frontend web app
• A backend service
• A user’s browser session
• A mobile app instance

3. Capabilities: Fine-Grained Permissions

UCAN doesn’t give “full access”.

Instead, it grants capabilities like:

• space/blob/add → upload blobs
• space/blob/read → read data
• filecoin/offer → make storage deals
• space/admin → manage space

Each delegation is:

• Scoped (what can be done)
• Optional time-limited
• Cryptographically verifiable

4. Delegation Chains: How Authority Flows

Permissions flow through delegation chains, not logins.

Example:

Space (DID)
↓ delegates
Backend Agent
↓ delegates
User
↓ delegates
Frontend App


Every step:

• Is signed
• Is verifiable
• Has a cryptographic audit trail

No central authority required.

Don’t miss to checkout Storacha Portfolio – All Project Implementations

This repository contains my complete Storacha learning journey with implementations for all projects.

The Magic Feature: Email Recovery for Storacha

This is where Storacha truly shines.

The Problem with Web3 Recovery

• Lose your key → lose your data
• Custodial recovery → breaks decentralization

Storacha’s Solution

Your Space delegates recovery permissions to your email using UCAN.

How it works:

1. Your Space grants a delegation to your email identity
2. You lose access (device lost, keys gone)
3. You verify your email
4. You reclaim delegated permissions

✅ No one holds your keys
✅ No centralized recovery service
✅ No custodian

Recovery is permission-based, not account-based.

Developer Superpowers with UCAN + Storacha

This system unlocks entirely new application architectures.

1. Users Own Their Data

Apps don’t own storage.
Users do.

Apps receive temporary, scoped access only.

2. Permission-Based App Design

You can delegate:

• Read-only access
• Upload-only access
• Admin access
• Time-limited access (expiring tokens)

No API key rotation.
No OAuth servers.

3. Multi-Tenant Apps Without Managing Storage

Instead of:

• Managing buckets
• Handling user uploads
• Running proxy servers

You simply:

• Delegate permissions
• Let users interact directly with storage

Real Example: Backend Delegating Upload Permissions

Traditional Web App Flow

User → Backend → Storage


Problems:

• Backend becomes a bottleneck
• API keys exposed
• High infra costs

UCAN + Storacha Flow (Better)

Backend
└─ delegates upload permission
↓
User uploads directly to YOUR Space


Benefits:

• No backend proxy
• No exposed API keys
• Users act with your permissions, safely scoped

Security Benefits of Storacha

1. No API Keys in the Frontend

• Users receive time-limited UCAN tokens
• Tokens are scoped to specific actions
• Even if leaked → limited damage

2. No Single Point of Failure

• Auth verification happens locally
• No centralized auth server to attack
• No OAuth outage risk

3. Cryptographic Audit Trail

Every permission:

• Who delegated it
• To whom
• For what
• For how long

All verifiable.

4. Fully Revocable Access

• Delegations can be invalidated
• Expiring tokens auto-revoke
• No need to rotate secrets

The Bigger Picture: Why is the Future

UCAN + Storacha is not just storage tech.

It enables:

1. Serverless Backends for Storacha

• Frontends talk directly to storage using delegated auth.

2. Data Portability

• Users can move data between apps without migration hell.

3. Privacy-First Architecture

• No central server tracking user behavior.

4. True Web3 UX

• Passwordless
• Non-custodial
• User-owned

Getting Started Today

You can experiment right now:

1. Generate a Space

• This creates your DID

2. Create an Agent

• Browser, backend, or CLI

3. Issue a UCAN Delegation

• Define permissions and expiry

4. Delegate to Users or Apps

• Upload-only
• Read-only
• Admin

5. Inspect the Delegation Chain

• See cryptographic proof of authority

All tools are already live.

Final Thought

UCAN replaces accounts with authority.
Storacha turns storage into infrastructure owned by users—not platforms.

If you care about:

• Decentralization
• Privacy
• Developer simplicity
• Future-proof app design

UCAN + Storacha is worth learning today—not later.

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