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Filecoin

Filecoin — a reference card for a crypto project: what the product does and how verifiable the project’s key claims are; also — alignment with the Decentralized AI thesis (DecAI Fit).

Filecoin — an Infra project (a decentralized storage network), token (symbol: FIL).

Disclaimer

Important: this page is a reference overview of the project. Within DecAIHub, we separately record a verification based on open sources within the AI thesis (what is real AI/onchain/why a token, and which sources this is based on).
This is not financial advice and not a recommendation to buy/sell/hold any asset. We do not assess price, returns, or entry/exit timing.
Conclusions are based on publicly available materials found as of the verification date. The absence of confirmation does not imply the absence of the technology.

TL;DR (for readers who are not into AI)

  • What it is: an L1 network/protocol for decentralized data storage and retrieval via a provider market.
  • Who it’s for: clients/projects that need data storage; storage providers; developers building applications on top of the data.
  • Why onchain/token: onchain records deals/proofs of storage and distributes incentives; FIL is used to pay for storage/retrieval and for provider rewards.

How it works (very briefly)

  1. The client places data and makes a deal: chooses the storage provider(s) and the terms.
  2. The provider stores the data and submits proofs: per Tier‑1 docs, providers regularly confirm storage with cryptographic proofs; in case of violations, the collateral may be burned.
  3. The network accounts for deals/proofs: the onchain layer provides verifiability and economic incentives.
  4. Where the blockchain is: storage/retrieval markets and verification of proof artifacts, rewards/penalties.
  5. Token role: FIL is paid to providers for storage/retrieval and is used in rewards/collateral.

Quick links: AI thesis fit

Project passport

Field Value
Project name Filecoin
Also known as (aliases) FIL
Logo (logo) ../assets/filecoin_favicon_196.png
Token symbol (ticker) FIL
Category AI/Other | Infra
Primary chain (chain) Filecoin
Type Appchain
Network status mainnet
Consensus (consensus) Expected Consensus (EC)
Launch date (launch_date) 2020-10-15
Project status (status) active
Token (standard) native
Token contract —
Token model (token_type) utility (fee-mechanism)
Max supply 2,000,000,000 FIL
Issuance fixed (max 2B; minting schedule: simple+baseline minting)
Tokenomics (tokenomics, brief) Clients pay providers in FIL for storage/retrieval; providers receive rewards/fees; collateral is used (Tier‑1 docs).
Governance community (FIPs/community)
Admins/keys —
Audit yes
Bug bounty yes
Team (team) Protocol Labs / Filecoin Foundation
Funding (investors/funding) —
AI component (ai_component) IPC (scaling for AI)
Use‑case (use_case) decentralized data storage
DecAI Fit — AI thesis fit 3/6 — medium alignment with the Decentralized AI thesis
DecAI Fit component summary ai_score 1 / onchain_score 3 / token_score 2 / evidence_score 3
Last verified 2026-02-10

General project overview

Filecoin is a decentralized data storage network where clients pay providers for storage and retrieval, and providers are required to regularly confirm storage with cryptographic proofs. Per Tier‑1 docs, providers also lock FIL as collateral; upon repeated failures to submit proofs, the collateral may be burned. The network is organized as a storage and retrieval market, and the blockchain provides verifiability of deals and economic incentives.

Features/modules

  • Storage market / retrieval market: market mechanisms for storage and retrieval deals.
  • Proofs: cryptographic proofs of storage as the basis for the auditability of the service.
  • Collateral and penalties: economic mechanisms so that providers do not “lose data”.

Typical scenarios

  • Scenario 1: a client places data and pays for storage → the data is stored with the chosen providers.
  • Scenario 2: a provider accepts deals and submits proofs → receives rewards, maintains reputation/market access.
  • Scenario 3: a developer builds a service on top of the data (archives/datasets) → uses Filecoin as a storage backend.

Getting started (wallet/network)

  • What you need: tools/an account for working with the network and FIL for payment.
  • Network/chain: Filecoin mainnet.
  • Fees: storage/retrieval are paid for in FIL (Tier‑1 docs).

Architecture/tech (non‑AI)

  • Components: the Filecoin blockchain, storage providers, clients/nodes, proof mechanisms, deal markets.
  • Participant roles: clients, storage providers, network participants/validators.
  • Where logic runs: accounting/verification/economics — onchain; actual data storage — offchain (with providers) under the control of proof mechanisms.
  • Dependencies: — (integrations depend on the specific application).

Token/economics (expanded, no forecasts)

  • Token utility: FIL is used to pay for data storage/retrieval, for provider rewards, and for collateral.
  • Who pays fees: clients pay providers for storage (paid upfront for a period), and for retrieval — on the provider’s terms.
  • Where fees go: to storage/retrieval providers; providers also receive the block reward and transaction fees (Tier‑1 FIL token).
  • Security/incentive mechanisms: providers lock collateral; upon repeated failure to submit proofs, the collateral is burned (Tier‑1 “What is Filecoin”).

Governance

  • Who makes decisions: protocol/standard changes go through the FIP (Filecoin Improvement Proposals) process and are discussed by the community.

Security and incidents

  • Audits: there is a page listing audit reports (see links_*).
  • Bug bounty: there is a public program (see links_*).
  • Incidents: —.
  • System model: the specifics of provider operation, including data availability and fulfillment of obligations, are supported via proofs and economic incentives (collateral/burn).

Project status and timeline

  • Current status: mainnet.
  • Key releases/milestones: node/client releases are published on GitHub (see links_*).
  • Roadmap: published in the docs (see links_*).

Ecosystem/integrations

  • Integrations: many services use Filecoin as a storage backend (the Tier‑1 docs give examples of integrations).
  • Partners: —.
  • Where it’s actually used: archiving/datasets and Web3 storage (see Tier‑1 “What is Filecoin”).

AI component of the project

  • What is real AI here? In the Filecoin Tier‑1 docs, AI is mentioned as an area of application: IPC + Filecoin storage can support distributed computation for AI models (intent/applicability), but this is not an “AI module of the base storage protocol”.
  • What is truly onchain? a blockchain for storage deals/proofs and economic incentives.
  • Why is a token needed? payment for storage/retrieval, rewards, collateral/penalties.
  • Red flags (based on the information found): substituting “AI as applicability/an ecosystem layer (IPC)” for an “AI component of the Filecoin protocol”; mixing Tier‑2 marketing with Tier‑1 evidence.

DecAI Fit component summary

  • DecAI Fit: 3/6 — medium alignment with the Decentralized AI thesis
Component Level Score
AI reality low 1
Onchain necessity high 3
Token necessity medium 2
Evidence Tier‑1 present 3
Details

AI reality

AI_0 — AI intent (Tier‑1 roadmap) (1/0)

  • AI_0 (decision): 1
  • Claim (one line): Tier‑1 docs (IPC) link Filecoin storage to applicability to AI: distributed computation for AI models.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/interplanetary-consensus
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): This is AI intent/applicability (ecosystem/IPC), but not proof of an AI component of the base storage protocol.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

AI_1 — what the AI does (1/0)

  • AI_1 (decision): 0
  • Claim (one line): Filecoin as an L1 does not perform AI inference/training; it provides storage/market/proofs.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/what-is-filecoin
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): AI_1 requires a Tier‑1 artifact about a working AI component of the product; what is described here is a storage protocol.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

AI_2 — demos/examples (1/0)

  • AI_2 (decision): 0
  • Claim (one line): No Tier‑1 demo of Filecoin AI modules/an AI service is recorded (Filecoin = storage).
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/interplanetary-consensus
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): AI is mentioned as an area of applicability of IPC+storage, but without a demo of an “AI component of the protocol”.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

AI_3 — metrics/quality (1/0)

  • AI_3 (decision): 0
  • Metrics: —
  • Context (version/date/how measured): —
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/interplanetary-consensus
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): There are no Tier‑1 metrics for an AI component; Filecoin is storage infrastructure.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

AI_4 — tech description/architecture/versions (1/0)

  • AI_4 (decision): 0
  • Claim (one line): A technical description exists for the storage protocol and proof mechanics, but not for an AI module.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://filecoin.io/filecoin.pdf
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): The whitepaper describes DSN/PoRep/PoSt/markets, not an AI model/AI architecture.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

Onchain necessity

OC_1 — contracts/addresses/chain (1/0)

  • OC_1 (decision): 1
  • Chain: Filecoin mainnet
  • Addresses/identifiers: — (within this card we record the network and protocol; specific IDs depend on the entity)
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/the-blockchain ; https://filecoin.io/filecoin.pdf
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): Tier‑1 sources describe Filecoin as a blockchain/DSN with onchain accounting.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

OC_2 — onchain beyond just a token (1/0)

  • OC_2 (decision): 1
  • What useful logic is onchain: deal markets, proof verification, accounting of collateral/penalties, and distribution of rewards.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/what-is-filecoin ; https://filecoin.io/filecoin.pdf
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): This is protocol-level onchain logic that provides verifiable storage, not “just a token”.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

OC_3 — onchain is critical (1/0)

  • OC_3 (decision): 1
  • “Replace the blockchain” test: without onchain, the verifiability of deals and enforcement (proofs/collateral/rewards) between unfamiliar parties break down.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/what-is-filecoin ; https://filecoin.io/filecoin.pdf
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): The economics and auditability of the service are tied to the blockchain and cryptographic proofs.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

Token necessity

TK_0 — no token (1/0)

  • TK_0 (decision): 0
  • Claim (one line): The project has a native token, FIL.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/assets/the-fil-token
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): Tier‑1 docs describe the role of FIL in payments/rewards.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

TK_1..TK_4 (1/0)

TK_1 — payment for the service (1/0)

  • TK_1 (decision): 1
  • Claim (one line): Clients pay FIL to providers for storage (and the payment terms are set by the providers).
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/assets/the-fil-token ; https://filecoin.io/filecoin.pdf
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): Tier‑1 docs explicitly describe network payments for storage, and the whitepaper — “clients spend Filecoin”.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

TK_2 — incentives/collateral/penalties (1/0)

  • TK_2 (decision): 1
  • Claim (one line): Providers receive rewards/fees and lock collateral; upon proof failures the collateral may be burned.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/what-is-filecoin ; https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/assets/the-fil-token
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): Tier‑1 docs describe collateral and rewards as incentives/penalties.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

TK_3 — governance (1/0)

  • TK_3 (decision): 0
  • Claim (one line): The existence of token‑based onchain voting for governance is not confirmed in Tier‑1 (there is a community participation process).
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/assets/the-fil-token
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): The page speaks of participation in governance, but does not describe token voting mechanisms as a mandatory protocol element.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

TK_4 — token is replaceable (1/0)

  • TK_4 (decision): 0
  • Claim (one line): The token is embedded in payments, rewards and collateral; “replaceability” without loss of meaning is not confirmed per Tier‑1.
  • Evidence: Tier‑1 — https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/assets/the-fil-token ; https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/what-is-filecoin
  • Why sufficient / why not (one line): TK_4=1 requires an explicit Tier‑1 statement that “it can be replaced without loss of meaning”.
  • Conflict note (if any): —

Evidence (table)

Tier Source What it proves
Tier‑1 https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/what-is-filecoin What Filecoin is: storage providers, proofs, collateral and burn upon failures.
Tier‑1 https://filecoin.io/blog/posts/filecoin-mainnet-is-live/ Mainnet launch date: “Filecoin Mainnet is Live” (Oct 15, 2020).
Tier‑1 https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/the-blockchain/consensus Consensus: Expected Consensus (EC) and its properties (leader election, tipsets, WinningPoSt).
Tier‑1 https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/assets/the-fil-token The role of FIL: storage payments, rewards to providers, participation in the governance process.
Tier‑1 https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/project-and-community/forums-and-fips Governance/change process: the roles of the forums and the FIP process (lifecycle WIP→DRAFT→LAST CALL→ACCEPTED→FINAL).
Tier‑1 https://github.com/filecoin-project/FIPs The official FIPs repository (proposals and the process for making changes).
Tier‑1 https://filecoin.io/filecoin.pdf Whitepaper: Filecoin as a DSN, storage/retrieval markets, proofs and the role of the token.
Tier‑1 https://docs.filecoin.io/basics/interplanetary-consensus AI applicability (intent): IPC + Filecoin storage for distributed computation/AI models.
Tier‑1 https://spec.filecoin.io/systems/filecoin_token/token_allocation/ Max supply (FIL_BASE=2B) and allocation (miners/PL/Foundation/fundraising).
Tier‑1 https://spec.filecoin.io/systems/filecoin_token/minting_model/ Minting model: simple+baseline minting (block rewards per the baseline model).
Tier‑1 https://github.com/filecoin-project/lotus/releases/latest/ Releases/changes of the client (development life cycle).
Tier‑1 https://github.com/filecoin-project/lotus/security Security advisories (GitHub Security).
Tier‑1 https://spec.filecoin.io/appendix/audit_reports/ The existence of audit reports (list).
Tier‑1 https://security.filecoin.io/bug-bounty/ Bug bounty program.

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