What Is Sector (Filecoin)?
Also known as: Sector, Filecoin Sector, Storage Sector
In short
A sector is the basic storage unit on the Filecoin network in which storage providers store user data and prove what they store with cryptographic proofs; the network uses sectors of 32 GiB and 64 GiB.
Filecoin is a decentralized storage network in which users pay storage providers to store their data, and its native token is FIL. When a storage provider accepts a deal, it places the data into a sector and converts the sector into a unique copy through a computationally intensive process called 'sealing'. This process produces the Proof-of-Replication, which shows that the provider is really storing the data as a separate copy.
For sealed sectors, providers regularly submit a Proof-of-Spacetime throughout the term of the deal, proving that the data is still being stored. A provider's power on the network, and therefore its chance of earning block rewards, is proportional to the storage capacity it offers and proves; this is why sectors are the basic building block of storage mining on Filecoin.
Providers that fail to submit proofs on time or lose their sectors early are penalized by having a portion of the FIL they locked as collateral slashed. Because sealing requires powerful hardware, the entry cost of becoming a storage provider is high. The term should not be confused with the general meaning of 'sector' as a branch of industry.
Last updated: · This content is for information purposes only and is not investment advice.