Check yourself: Store without landlords

Questions and answers, readable without JavaScript.

1. Where is plaintext supposed to be handled?

   • On the close-group nodes, which decrypt to verify
   • In the ANT payment proof
   • On the client, before upload. Nodes are described as holding encrypted chunks
   • Only after the DataMap is published
   Answer 1

   On the client, before upload. Nodes are described as holding encrypted chunks

   The pipeline is client-side: chunk, compress, self-encrypt, content-address. Nodes hold encrypted chunks. Plaintext stays a client problem if the client did its job.

   Read the note → · Autonomi Without the Data Map Is Just Scattered Ciphertext

2. What do you lose if you lose a private DataMap?

   • Practical access. The chunks can still exist as ciphertext you cannot reassemble
   • The payment receipt only
   • The close group's XOR addresses, which the network then deletes
   • Nothing. Any node can rebuild the file
   Answer 2

   Practical access. The chunks can still exist as ciphertext you cannot reassemble

   The DataMap is the key to the content. Without it the network holds meaningless ciphertext. Lose a private-only map and the content can be inaccessible even if every chunk remains.

   Read the note → · Autonomi Without the Data Map Is Just Scattered Ciphertext

3. What does the self-encryption step itself not do?

   • Chunk the file
   • Store anything on the network. Persistence and payment belong to higher-level tools
   • Derive keys from chunk hashes
   • Produce a DataMap
   Answer 3

   Store anything on the network. Persistence and payment belong to higher-level tools

   The crate produces a DataMap plus encrypted chunks. It does not store them. Upload, payment, and public versus private placement are separate jobs.

   Read the note → · Autonomi Without the Data Map Is Just Scattered Ciphertext