In our previous post — an application layer vision for the decentralized data streaming network — a transformative shift from middleware in the background to freedom technology in the forefront was announced. In this update, we’ll discuss the protocol upgrades that will be developed in tandem to the applications built on top.
These upgrades fall under three main categories: security, usability, and scalability.
Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
Network Security
Quantum resistant streaming
A quantum-secure Streamr resists attacks from future quantum computers that could decrypt today’s data. Without quantum security, adversaries can record encrypted traffic now and decrypt it once quantum capabilities mature — especially relevant for government or military use cases. As the biggest players realize the need to upgrade and adapt their communications, Streamr positions itself as the secure element for global Internet communications in a multipolar world.
Network Usability
To make Streamr as widely adopted as possible we have been investing in three long term development tracks: native language bindings, flexible data validation and a multichain architecture.
Native language bindings
Our native SDK has already hit two of five milestones, enabling signed and unencrypted proxy publishing from low-level clients to Streamr nodes and convenience wrappers have been built for C, C++, Python, Go, Kotlin (Android), and Swift (iOS). The next milestones will bring encryption, and full data relaying capabilities to the native SDK, enabling fully featured Streamr nodes to be embedded in low level hardware among most other consumer devices and apps.
Flexible data validation
Today, data in the Streamr Network is signed and validated using cryptographic key pairs and algorithms closely matching those used in Ethereum and other EVM chains. As of January 2025, arbitrary publisher identities are now supported. With this foundational support developed and shipped, we are now ready to integrate with any form of cryptography and identity system, paving the way for new partnerships and integrations.
Multichain Architecture
The Streamr Network works in tandem with an adjacent blockchain, which is used to store stream permissions and other metadata required for the operation of the network. Streamr’s multichain strategy fits together with our flexible data validation support so that any external system can integrate with Streamr, allowing projects to build on whichever chain they prefer, using whichever cryptography and identity system they prefer, while still benefiting from Streamr’s decentralized data transport.
Network Scalability
Landmark benchtest results prove decentralized scalability
Any fast growing use case has to deal with technical scalability. Scaling up is always a massive technical challenge and is often a life or death issue for startup founders. Streamr doesn’t have this problem, since the technology scales in an effortless P2P architecture.
We do, however, have an interesting challenge of selling limitless scalability — technical teams don’t easily believe this statement without hard proof. Effortless scalability is a key selling point for real-time applications — particularly in the live video sector — where low time-to-data and latency are must-haves. To this end, we’ve conducted large-scale tests to benchmark latency, time-to-data, and scalability in the Streamr 1.0 network. The full results will be published in H1/2025.
Looking Ahead
As Streamr approaches its first anniversary as a fully decentralized network, we remain committed to high-velocity R&D on the protocol layer, even as we execute on the application layer. The future is bright: secure, scalable, and decentralized data streaming is poised to fuel new innovations in a multipolar world. Here’s to an exciting 2025!
To learn more about the future of Streamr, join us for an X Spaces AMA on 26th February at 15:00 UTC and drop your questions in the Discord #governance channel.
