Migrate to/from Storj DCS (Decentralized Storage)

What is Storj?

Storj is the decentralized object-storage network where every uploaded file is split into 80 encrypted erasure-coded pieces, distributed across thousands of independent storage nodes worldwide, and reassembled on download — only 29 of the 80 pieces are needed to reconstruct a file, providing built-in redundancy without traditional cloud regions or single points of failure. Files are end-to-end encrypted client-side with zero-knowledge architecture: Storj's network never holds your encryption keys, and even compromised storage nodes hold only encrypted shards. Storage is $0.004/GB/month ($4/TB) — among the cheapest in the industry — with 1× free egress per month equal to your stored volume on Regional, Archive, and Global tiers. The decentralized backbone, S3-compatible gateway, and developer-friendly pricing have made Storj a default destination for ML training data archives, CDN origins, and regulated-industry backups that can't trust a single cloud provider.

Storj's S3 gateway lets any tool that speaks S3 — including CloudsLinker — write to and read from the decentralized network without users managing the underlying erasure-coding mechanics. The gateway endpoint is gateway.storjshare.io, the auth is standard Access Key + Secret + Endpoint, and Storj's recommended multipart part size is 64 MB (vs the typical 8–10 MB) for optimal throughput across the distributed nodes. With 10,000 parts max per object, single objects can reach hundreds of GB without issues. CloudsLinker connects via the S3 gateway path, making Storj a drop-in destination for any cloud-to-cloud migration — particularly attractive when the source workload paid steep AWS egress fees or needs jurisdictionally-distributed redundancy that traditional clouds can't offer.

Key features of Storj

$0.004/GB storage = $4/TB

Storj's flat $4/TB/month rate matches IDrive e2 as the lowest among major S3-compatible providers — paired with 1× free egress per month and no API request fees on standard tiers.

1× free egress (stored volume)

Each month you can egress up to your stored volume for free — 1 TB stored gives 1 TB free downloads. Active Archive tier excludes free egress and bills at $0.02/GB.

End-to-end client-side encryption

Files are encrypted with your private key before upload. Zero-knowledge by design — Storj cannot read your data, and individual storage nodes only hold encrypted shards.

80 erasure-coded pieces, 29 needed

Each file is split into 80 pieces distributed across the network. Only 29 pieces are needed to reconstruct — providing extreme redundancy without traditional region replication.

Multipart: 10,000 parts, 64 MB recommended

Storj's S3 gateway supports up to 10,000 parts per object; the network performs best with 64 MB part sizes (larger than typical S3 8–10 MB). CloudsLinker tunes accordingly.

New tiered pricing (Nov 2025)

Projects after Nov 1, 2025 use Global Collaboration / Regional Workflows / Active Archive tiers. Legacy projects continue under existing pricing through Oct 31, 2026.

Why connect Storj to CloudsLinker

CloudsLinker connects to Storj DCS via the S3-compatible gateway with Access Key ID + Secret Access Key + Endpoint gateway.storjshare.io. Once connected, every transfer runs server-to-server using S3 multipart upload with Storj's recommended 64 MB chunk size. The gateway transparently handles client-side encryption and erasure-coding distribution to the storage node network — CloudsLinker just sees a standard S3 API. Use as source for migrating data off Storj, as destination for writing into the decentralized network, or for cross-cloud DR replicas where Storj's distributed model adds independence from any single cloud provider.

What you can do with Storj on CloudsLinker

S3-gateway server-to-server copies

Migrate from AWS S3, Wasabi, B2, or R2 into Storj's decentralized network at full multipart speed via the S3-compatible gateway.

Runs on our servers

Storj transfers execute on CloudsLinker's infrastructure — your home or office bandwidth is irrelevant to job throughput.

Scheduled & incremental sync

Hourly / daily / weekly schedules with delta mode — only changed objects are written to the Storj network on each run.

Filter by prefix, size, modified date

Migrate only specific bucket prefixes, skip files > 100 GB, or sync only this week's writes. Filters layer for surgical control.

Common Storj transfer scenarios

Cross-cloud DR independent of any single provider

S3-to-S3 replication keeps you locked inside AWS; a region-wide AWS outage or account compromise hits both copies. Schedule a CloudsLinker incremental from your primary S3 / Wasabi / B2 bucket to Storj — files land distributed across thousands of independent nodes worldwide, completely outside the source provider's failure domain. At $4/TB plus 1× free egress, a 10 TB DR copy costs ~$40/month with built-in geo-redundancy.

Privacy-first ML training dataset distribution

Open-source ML projects publishing model weights or training datasets often pay AWS thousands a month in egress. Migrate to Storj via CloudsLinker — storage at $4/TB, 1× free egress equal to stored volume, and end-to-end encryption that protects pre-release datasets even from Storj operators. Especially attractive for projects with 5–50 TB of public artifacts.

Regulated-industry backup with jurisdictional independence

Healthcare, legal, and financial customers sometimes require backups outside any single nation's jurisdiction. Storj's distributed network places erasure-coded shards across nodes in dozens of countries — no single subpoena can compel access to a complete file. CloudsLinker schedules nightly incrementals from your primary cloud (often S3 or Azure Blob) into Storj for true cross-jurisdictional redundancy.

Migrate from AWS S3 → Storj to escape egress fees

If your S3 bucket serves > $200/month in public egress, migrating to Storj cuts egress cost dramatically. The initial S3 → Storj seed pays AWS egress on the source side, but ongoing serving from Storj sits within the 1× free egress allowance for most workloads. CloudsLinker handles the multipart-parallel seed at typical 1–3 TB/day per connection.

Cold archive at $4/TB on Active Archive tier

Storj's Active Archive tier targets workloads that store more than they egress — at $4/TB storage, $0.02/GB egress, and no inactivity fees, it competes with AWS S3 Glacier Deep Archive on raw cost while providing instant retrieval (no thaw delay). CloudsLinker filters by modification date to migrate cold prefixes from S3 / GCS into Storj Active Archive.

How to connect Storj to CloudsLinker

Storj DCS uses S3-compatible authentication through Storj’s hosted gateway: Access Key + Secret + universal endpoint gateway.storjshare.io.

Before you start

Generate Storj S3 credentials from the Storj satellite console (not the same as your account login):

Sign in to the Storj satellite at https://storj.io/login (or your enterprise satellite URL).
Go to your project and click Access → S3 Credentials.
Click Create S3 Credentials (or New Access Grant depending on your console version).
Configure:
- Name — e.g. cloudslinker-migrate
- Permissions — Read for source, Read+Write+Delete for destination
- Buckets — restrict to specific buckets where possible
- Encryption passphrase — Storj generates an encryption key from this; save it securely — without it, encrypted files become unrecoverable
Storj displays the Access Key, Secret Key, and Endpoint once. Copy all three.

Connection steps

In CloudsLinker, click Add Cloud → choose Storj.
Enter a display name (e.g. “Storj — production-archive”).
Paste the Access Key and Secret Key from step 5 above.
Enter the Endpoint URL: gateway.storjshare.io (universal — Storj uses a single global gateway endpoint, not per-region).
Click Confirm — CloudsLinker validates with ListBuckets and shows the connection ready.

Multipart tuning

For best performance with Storj’s distributed network, multipart uploads use 64 MB part size by default in CloudsLinker (larger than typical S3 8–10 MB). This optimizes throughput across the erasure-coded node network.

Revoke access

To revoke CloudsLinker’s S3 credentials later: Storj satellite console → Access → S3 Credentials → find the entry → Delete. The credential becomes immediately invalid; reconnect by generating new credentials.

Storj upload & download limits you should know

Storj’s pricing model differs significantly from centralized S3-compatible providers — focus on the 1× free egress rule and the new tiered structure that replaced legacy pricing in November 2025:

Maximum object size: 5 TB via multipart upload (using 5 GB max parts × 1,000 parts) — or up to ~640 GB with the recommended 64 MB part size.
Maximum parts per multipart upload: 10,000.
Recommended part size: 64 MB (larger than AWS S3’s typical 5 MB minimum, optimized for the distributed network).
Storage pricing: $0.004/GB/month ($4/TB) on standard tiers — among the cheapest in the industry.
Egress: 1× stored volume free per month on Regional, Archive, and Global tiers. Beyond that, $0.005–$0.02/GB depending on tier.
Active Archive tier: $4/TB storage, but excludes free egress — outbound billed at $0.02/GB.
No API request fees on standard tiers.
Pricing tier transition: New projects (after Nov 1, 2025) use Global Collaboration / Regional Workflows / Active Archive tiers. Legacy projects continue on prior pricing through October 31, 2026.
Encryption: End-to-end client-side; zero-knowledge — Storj cannot read your data.
Erasure coding: Each file split into 80 pieces, 29 needed to reconstruct — distributed across thousands of independent storage node operators globally.
API rate limits: Storj’s gateway throttles aggressive patterns; CloudsLinker handles back-off.
Bucket / object count: practically unlimited.

Sources: Storj: Pricing, Storj Docs: S3 Compatibility, Storj Docs: Multipart Upload, Storj Docs: Tiered Pricing.

Storj + CloudsLinker — Frequently Asked Questions

Is Storj actually decentralized, or is it a centralized service that calls itself decentralized?

Genuinely decentralized at the storage layer. Files are split into 80 erasure-coded pieces and distributed across thousands of independent storage node operators worldwide; only 29 pieces are needed to reconstruct a file. Storj's centralized components are billing, the S3 gateway, and the satellite (which tracks piece locations) — but the actual bytes live on independent operator hardware, not in a Storj-owned datacenter.

What's the maximum object size I can transfer to Storj?

Storj's S3 gateway supports up to 10,000 parts per object. With the recommended 64 MB part size, that's a theoretical 640 GB ceiling per object. With 5 GB max parts, individual objects can reach the AWS-equivalent 5 TB. Storj's underlying network has no hard size limit, but client tooling typically does.

What does '1× free egress' actually mean?

Each month, the amount of data you can egress for free equals your average stored volume. Store 5 TB for the month → 5 TB free egress. Anything beyond is metered (rates depend on tier — typically $0.005–$0.02/GB). Most backup / archive workloads stay well under the 1× cap. Active Archive tier explicitly excludes free egress and bills outbound at $0.02/GB.

Are my files encrypted by Storj or by me?

By you, client-side, before upload. Storj uses zero-knowledge end-to-end encryption — your encryption key is derived locally and never transmitted to the network. CloudsLinker passes through this encryption transparently when using the gateway: your S3 Access Key is used to authenticate, while the encryption layer is handled inside the gateway. Storj cannot decrypt your files.

How does the gateway handle multipart uploads?

CloudsLinker uses Storj's recommended 64 MB part size for multipart uploads — larger than the typical 5–10 MB used with AWS S3, because Storj's distributed network benefits from coarser parts. Up to 10,000 parts per object are supported. CloudsLinker switches to multipart automatically for objects above 100 MB.

Are my Storj S3 keys safe with CloudsLinker?

Yes. Access Key and Secret are encrypted at rest with AES-256 and decrypted only inside the active transfer worker. Best practice on Storj: generate Access Grants scoped to specific buckets and with limited permissions, rather than using account-wide Access Keys.

What's changing with the new tiered pricing in November 2025?

Storj introduced Global Collaboration, Regional Workflows, and Active Archive tiers on November 1, 2025. New projects use the new tiers; existing projects created before Nov 1, 2025 continue on legacy pricing through October 31, 2026, then migrate to the new tiers. CloudsLinker connects work identically under both pricing models.

Can I use Storj for high-traffic CDN-style serving?

Yes, especially for workloads where monthly egress stays under 1× of stored volume. For high-egress workloads (CDN origins serving 10× stored volume), Cloudflare R2's true zero-egress model is cheaper. Storj is best for backup, archive, and balanced read/write workloads.

How does Storj compare to Wasabi, B2, and IDrive e2?

Storj ($4/TB): decentralized + E2E encrypted + 1× free egress. Wasabi ($6.99/TB): centralized + egress-≤-stored + 90-day retention. B2 ($6/TB): centralized + 3× free egress + no minimums. e2 ($4/TB): centralized + 3× free egress + no API fees. Pick Storj for jurisdictional independence and built-in encryption; e2 for cheapest centralized; B2 for highest free-egress ratio.

Is this an official Storj partnership?

No. CloudsLinker is a third-party tool that uses Storj's S3-compatible gateway under your Access Key. Revoke access by disabling the Access Grant in the Storj satellite console.

Storj transfer guides

Step-by-step walkthroughs for moving data to and from Storj.

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OneDrive to Storj: Unlocking Secure and Decentralized Cloud Storage

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Conclusion

Storj's decentralized network turns the standard cloud-storage threat model upside down — instead of trusting one provider's datacenters, you trust math (erasure coding) and cryptography (zero-knowledge encryption). CloudsLinker treats Storj as a first-class S3-compatible target via the gateway, with multipart-tuned chunk sizes and incremental sync. Connect with Access Key + gateway.storjshare.io endpoint and run your first decentralized migration in minutes.

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