What Is Urbit?
Urbit is a decentralized, peer-to-peer personal server platform that functions as a full-stack operating system. It is designed to provide users with a simplified, entirely owned, and controlled digital infrastructure.
Background
Urbit represents a unique approach to digital identity and online interaction, creating a network where each user has a distinct, non-fungible identity. These identities are persistent and act as network addresses within the Urbit ecosystem, establishing a new layer of digital autonomy.
How It Works
Urbit identities are tied to private keys using Ethereum’s public key infrastructure (PKI), ensuring security and Sybil resistance. These identities are used to create individual Urbit instances, which are hosted on Unix devices. Within these instances, users can run various applications, similar to any other operating system. However, since Urbit is fully decentralized and peer-to-peer, there is no central app store; apps are hosted and shared directly between Urbit instances across the network.
Five Key Takeaways
- Decentralized Identity: Urbit provides unique, non-fungible identities that users fully own and control, making the network permissionless.
- Persistent Personal Server: Each user’s Urbit instance acts as a persistent server that maintains their digital presence continuously.
- Built on Ethereum: Uses Ethereum for identity verification and security, leveraging blockchain technology for robustness.
- Peer-to-Peer Network: Operates on a decentralized, peer-to-peer basis without central oversight, promoting privacy and autonomy.
- Decentralized App Ecosystem: Allows users to directly host and share applications with others within the Urbit network, bypassing the need for a central app store.
