Chorus One, a provider of staking services for more than 40 blockchains and protocols, is now offering a hosting platform on the Urbit peer-to-peer network. Called Red Horizon, this marks the first foray onto the Urbit network by a major blockchain or technology player that was not originally building within the close-knit ecosystem, according to Chorus One’s Gary Lieberman.
Urbit is a peer-to-peer network that works by giving each user a personal server to store their own data. It was started in 2002, well before Bitcoin’s launch in 2009. The network is not technically a blockchain but shares many of the same ideals, such as trying to short-circuit middlemen and centralized Web2 applications.
The new hosting service could be ideal for the general public, DAOs and any other community interested in leaving MegaCorps behind, according to Chorus One’s press release. A DAO is a decentralized autonomous organization – a type of group that’s governed by computer code and token holders.
In May, Urbit Foundation Executive Director Josh Lehman noted that the number of IDs or ships on the network had surged over the past year, as more hosting services became available. Urbit’s website shows three hosting providers currently up and running, including Tlon, the for-profit company that sponsored the network’s development until 2021.
We’re anticipating that Urbit itself is going to be a product that a lot of people are going to want to use, said Lieberman. Hosting was somewhat of an obvious place to go.