An Integrated Blockchain and IPFS Solution for Secure and Efficient Source Code Repository Hosting using Middleman Approach

TL;DR

This paper presents a hybrid blockchain-IPFS system with trust-minimized key sharing and a novel retrieval protocol, enabling secure, efficient, and real-time source code hosting with improved user performance.

Contribution

It introduces a new architecture combining Ethereum and IPFS with SSS and an optimistic retrieval protocol, enhancing security and reducing latency in decentralized source code repositories.

Findings

Up to 49% reduction in push latency compared to standard git.

Successful prototype implementation on Sepolia testnet.

Achieves secure, auditable, and high-performance source code hosting.

Abstract

Centralized version control systems (VCS) are vital for software development but pose risks of data loss and ownership disputes. While blockchain offers a decentralized alternative, existing solutions are often hindered by high latency, compromising the real-time collaboration essential for modern workflows. This study introduces a novel hybrid architecture combining the security of the Ethereum blockchain and the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) with two key contributions: 1) Shamir's Secret Sharing (SSS) to create a trust-minimized model for key distribution, and 2) an authoritative-first, optimistic-fallback retrieval protocol utilizing a temporary middleware to decouple the user experience from blockchain confirmation delays. We implemented a full prototype and conducted a comprehensive performance evaluation on the public Sepolia testnet. Our results demonstrate that this architecture not only provides a secure, auditable, and resilient platform for source code hosting but also achieves highly competitive user-perceived performance. Our user-perceived push time reduces submission latency by up to 49% compared to a standard git push for common repository sizes, proving that a well-designed decentralized VCS can balance the core tenets of security and decentralization with the practical need for speed and efficiency.