GameChanger: Earn with On-Chain File Storage as a Service

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

GameChanger: Earn with On-Chain File Storage as a Service

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

200000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

7

[Proposal Summary] Translation Information

Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated

No

Original Language

en

[Proposal Summary] Problem Statement

What is the problem you want to solve?

Current Cardano governance and dApps rely a lot on centralized and external infrastructure for off-chain file, data and code storage, introducing single points of failure and limiting decentralization

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://youtu.be/042b4gQ3SZ0?si=RSkCw-hwAs-cvYQj
,
• https://x.com/GameChangerOk/status/1834062592060322161
,
• https://preprod-gcfs.onrender.com/gcfs/1170d12887c70593e40938a5ff1832f9eb2b8e4a328a982621b36a57/test/latest/www/KeepCalmMinterDapp.html
,
• https://preprod-gcfs.onrender.com/gcfs/1170d12887c70593e40938a5ff1832f9eb2b8e4a328a982621b36a57/test/latest/

[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies

Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

Yes

Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'

Dandelion-Lite: 1 or 2 official and community Cardano APIs/services to query the on-chain data. GameChanger Wallet: source of the code, for testing, monetization and as the current reference implementation.

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

Yes

Please provide details on the intellectual property (IP) status of your project outputs, including whether they will be released as open source or retained under another licence.

Reference source code is private, closed source, owned by Adriano Fiorenza (GameChanger Wallet). All of the outputs of this project will be written accordingly to the scope and platform of the project and released as open source under the MIT license for the community

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal

Infrastructure

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously launched in the market (whether by you or others).

Iagon aims to address file storage and hosting in decentralized way, but they are not focused on mission-critical solutions for Cardano. Like IPFS and other decentralized storage solutions, they store data outside the Cardano network itself, which can create single points of failure and data loss due to potential global outages, team challenges, or platform security breaches.

For mission-critical Cardano applications—and even minimal, essential versions of any Cardano app—the only reliable solution is to store on Cardano itself. This is the only path to a truly decentralized, fault-tolerant, and censorship-resistant infrastructure.

Cardano was not meant for file storage but that is completely irrelevant as the chain was designed for storing arbitrary data on transactions (metadata and datums) and GCFS only adds order to this "chaos" by concatenating, organizing, de-duplicating and indexing these data buckets.

Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.

It will demonstrate that files can be read, hosted, served using the chain itself as resilient, permament and censoship-resistant source of truth. Will enable node operators to run this service, will empower users to rely on on-chain storage for critical files, same for dapps which can also consume not only data but also source code from on-chain GCFS resources. It will demonstrate how operators can monetize, proving the model can be more sustainable.

Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.

GCFS protocol has been trying to maximize the use of the chain for years now, as is a multi-transaction protocol, meaning that even the smallest write event will trigger more than 1 transaction.

We foresee 2 main measurements of success:

• increased number of GCFS transactions (write events )
• increased number of GCFS read requests / services

As the protocol requires a considerable amount of ADA as a sort of "collateral" to boost write actions and we are unable to request budget for this purpose due to Fund rules, we cannot commit for mainnet metrics but we will do our best.

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

Are Cardano DApps Truly Decentralized?

Cardano takes a unique approach to DApps by offloading certain parts of their execution and storage off-chain. This strategy enhances performance and reliability compared to solutions like EVM chains. However, this design introduces a critical flaw—one that has become more pronounced with the adoption of the CIP-30 standard.

The off-chain components of Cardano DApps currently rely on centralized cloud or siloed infrastructures. Their source code and application data are not stored in a decentralized, long-term, fail-proof, and censorship-resistant solution.

For mission-critical Cardano applications—and even minimal, essential versions of any Cardano app—the only reliable solution is to rely on Cardano itself. This is the only path to a truly decentralized, fault-tolerant, and censorship-resistant infrastructure.

Currently, gigabytes of on-chain transaction metadata are being generated by apps and users. Yet, there’s no coherent strategy for indexing and searching this data. A system that can organize this "chaos" and treat it like searchable files would be invaluable for developers and users alike. Such a solution could also optimize the use of precious on-chain storage, reducing redundancy and potentially introducing compression features.

Since April 1st, 2023, Cardano has had GCFS—a fully on-chain file storage solution leveraging on a multi-transaction stream protocol, that has proven itself capable of storing files with sizes beyond maximum transaction size limits, and any kind of file type, even code,not only DApp off-chain code but also on-chain source code. It can even support minimal, cost-effective frontends, helping create a censorship-resistant, fault-tolerant Cardano ecosystem. This would position Cardano to remain competitive against other chains, like EVM, that have already embraced fully self-contained DApps with long-term viability, even in worst-case scenarios.

The CIP-30 wallet standard, inspired by MetaMask’s design, encourages the offloading of even more DApp code outside of decentralized storage and execution. This approach does little to foster open-source collaboration or DApp/protocol interoperability, limiting Cardano's potential. Other solutions such as GameChanger's Universal Dapp Connector specification are key to revert this situation.

GCFS development began in 2022 out of proposer’s funds and development efforts and remains unfunded and unsupported by Cardano, this is our 4th attempt to release it to the community.

GCFS is currently implemented on GameChanger Wallet and some tooling demos:

• on GCScript language, 4 functions available for developers to build dapps with it
• through the GCFS File Uploader UI at Playground IDE
• on a GCFS web server demo for Catalyst to prove this is not just a conceptual idea

The Solution:

We will build a GCFS Web Server in Typescript ( targetting NodeJs, backends ) for allowing applications to read and search for files stored on-chain as a proper implementation example (current one runs in browsers and Cardano ecosystem seems to prefer more for backend solutions unfortunately - specially considerng how CIP-30 over-complicates this kind of applications and the lack of wide-spread Universal Dapp Connector adoption)

Also we will add a monetization feature/interface to help operators to gain revenue with the protocol and as means for incentivizing adoption and community feedback. A service operator that earns revenue per protocol/server usage will be motivated also to spread the word and help with adoption.

This server will allow to consume files including HTML for fully on-chain hosted frontends as you can try out through our PoC demo GCFS web server published here: https://x.com/GameChangerOk/status/1834062592060322161

Image: A dapp 100% stored on-chain, yes, even the HTML file!

Image: Directory index of a user's on-chain file system

Image: One of the first files ever written on chain

GCFS allows for running filtered searches across all file systems stored on-chain allowing developers not only to store files but also to use them as a global database for dapps, fostering a grand variety of applications, from voting to social media, to oracles and fully on-chain open and universal protocols.

Check out other Catalyst proposals here:

https://github.com/GameChangerFinance/gamechanger.wallet/blob/main/catalyst/FUND15.md

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

A Cardano ecosystem that embraces GCFS would mean:

• no more broken links, perma-pin your files forever on Cardano: #governance #nfts #dapps
• dapps will be able to live as long as the chain itself, even if their creators leave the space
• dapps will be fault tolerant, anyone would be able to launch a mirror of your favorite dapp to keep it alive and to colaborate with decentralization
• source code will be cryptographically signed by creators and maintainers
• source code will be inmutable, yet updatable, as every modification will generate a new version of it
• dapps will be censorship resistant, moderate content through selective mirroring
• dapps will be even more transparent and auditable than open source ones, as here the concept of open deployment is introduced.
• users will have fault tolerant governance actions, NFTs and other kind of data and files stored on-chain forever
• user data, dapps, voting, oracles, social networks, source code maintainance, nfts, smart contracts, everything we do can benefit from this protocol
• a more sustainable ecosystem where we are incentivizing decentralized services on Cardano

[Your Project and Solution] Capabilities & Feasibility

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

We have a good track record on Catalyst with 10+ finished projects and on the Cardano community, delivering innovative solutions and tooling since 2021.

GCFS is a working protocol since Q1 2023, implemented on browser ( GameChanger Wallet File Uploader, DiskNFT Viewer and Workspace Loader ), GCScript DSL functions and on a demo web server for Catalyst to prove the protocol working state far beyond the idea stage.

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Base + API Provider

Milestone Outputs

On a branch or tag referencing current milestone:

• MIT license
• Base of the repository
• Create a first API provider, potencially using a GraphQL API or PostgreSQL
• Types and helper functions
• Testing
• Project documentation

Acceptance Criteria

• open public access to the repository and to the milestone's branch or tag
• MIT license
• First types and helper functions, an early API provider and the repository structure are present
• Tests are passing
• initial documentation is present

Evidence of Completion

• Source code and MIT license on github repository , on milestone branch or tag.
• Tests are passing
• initial documentation is present

Delivery Month

2

Cost

40000

Progress

20 %

Milestone Title

GCFS Headers and Data Streams

Milestone Outputs

On a branch or tag referencing current milestone:

• Adapt and use API provider for fetching a GCFS header
• Adapt and use API provider for fetching a GCFS data stream
• Types and/or helper functions
• TSDoc documentation
• Testing

Acceptance Criteria

• open public access to the repository and to the milestone's branch or tag
• New types and helper functions, GCFS header and data streams fetching functions, and unit tests are present
• Tests are passing

Evidence of Completion

• Source code and MIT license on github repository , on milestone branch or tag.
• Tests are passing.

Delivery Month

3

Cost

40000

Progress

40 %

Milestone Title

GCFS Record

Milestone Outputs

On a branch or tag referencing current milestone:

• Consume and process GCFS header and data stream to produce a GCFS file system record or instance
• Types and/or helper functions
• TSDoc documentation
• Testing
• Updated project documentation if required

Acceptance Criteria

• Open public access to the repository and to the milestone's branch or tag.
• New types and helper functions, GCFS record or instance helper functions, and unit tests are presents
• Tests are passing
• Documentation is updated if required

Evidence of Completion

• Source code and MIT license on github repository , on milestone branch or tag.
• Tests are passing.
• New documentation is present if required

Delivery Month

4

Cost

40000

Progress

70 %

Milestone Title

GCFS Web Server

Milestone Outputs

On a branch or tag referencing current milestone:

• Create an implementation of a NodeJs Express web server with a search API to search files using basic filters
• Create a monetization feature/interface either to get income based on http requests or write events (to be defined)
• Update previous GCFS module if needed to fit current needs
• TSDoc documentation
• Project documentation

Acceptance Criteria

• Open public access to the repository and to the milestone's branch or tag.
• The server implementation with documented code is present
• You can monetize either http requests OR write events (to be defined)
• You can run some queries over testnet filesystems
• Updates to the library are present if needed

Evidence of Completion

• Example server source code and MIT license and documentation on github repository , on milestone branch or tag.

Delivery Month

6

Cost

50000

Progress

80 %

Milestone Title

Final Milestone

Milestone Outputs

• Milestone 5 branch or tag containing this milestone's outputs plus all the previous outputs from other milestones
• Added missing documentation if any
• Closeout documentation and video demonstrating the project outcome

Acceptance Criteria

• Closeout report and video are published/submitted on App and links may be offered on repository if required.
• Added documentation if was necesary to be included
• All other previous outputs from previous milestones in their own accepted criteria state

Evidence of Completion

• The existance and public access of the repository with the branch or tag referencing final milestone
• The existance of more documentation if necesary
• The existances and public access to the final report and video

Delivery Month

7

Cost

30000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Milestone 1: 40000 ADA

Milestone 2: 40000 ADA

Milestone 3: 40000 ADA

Milestone 4: 50000 ADA

Milestone 5: 30000 ADA

~960hs x USD 85/hr = USD 81.600,00 = 272000,00 ADA at an expected rate taken from 2025 price volatility

Total: 200000 ADA

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?

GCFS has been delivered already without funding at our own risk. It took around 6 months from design, testing, full implementation on wallet side and dapp connector side for being used with dapps. It has been improved and maintained all this time since 2023 from it's builder's time and effort. A demo web server has been provided for early testing ground and for gathering real use case feedback prior to do a proper final implementation from ground up for this proposal. Taking into account that we are not charging for those research plus full working hours and that at the end even a web server for ready-to-use and easy integration will be provided we think It makes a good investment on community funds to allocate them on infrastructure everybody will be able to use from now on.

Also consider that there is no token launch involved here, that we will be open sourcing and redesigning code to let everyone be able to use and deploy on their own.

[Self-Assessment] Self-Assessment Checklist

I confirm that evidence of prior research, whitepaper, design, or proof-of-concept is provided.

Yes

I confirm that the proposal includes ecosystem research and uses the findings to either (a) justify its uniqueness over existing solutions or (b) demonstrate the value of its novel approach.

Yes

I confirm that the proposal demonstrates technical capability via verifiable in-house talent or a confirmed development partner (GitHub, LinkedIn, portfolio, etc.)

Yes

I confirm that the proposer and all team members are in good standing with prior Catalyst projects.

Yes

I confirm that the proposal clearly defines the problem and the value of the on-chain utility.

Yes

I confirm that the primary goal of the proposal is a working prototype deployed on at least a Cardano testnet.

Yes

I confirm that the proposal outlines a credible and clear technical plan and architecture.

Yes

I confirm that the budget and timeline (≤ 12 months) are realistic for the proposed work.

Yes

I confirm that the proposal includes a community engagement and feedback plan to amplify prototype adoption with the Cardano ecosystem.

Yes

I confirm that the budget is for future development only; excludes retroactive funding, incentives, giveaways, re-granting, or sub-treasuries.

Yes

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

I Agree

Yes