Verified Client

A Verified Client is a registered entity on the Filecoin network authorized to initiate Verified Deals. This status is granted by Filecoin Plus, a community-run program designed to incentivize the storage of valuable, real-world data. Unlike regular clients who pay the full market rate for storage, Verified Clients receive a DataCap allowance, which they can allocate to storage providers. When a provider accepts a Verified Deal, they receive a significant boost in block rewards, making these deals highly desirable and often offered at a steep discount or for free to the client.

The verification process is managed by Notaries, who are trusted community members appointed to assess applications and allocate DataCap based on the perceived utility and authenticity of the client's proposed data storage. This creates a reputation-based layer atop the open marketplace, ensuring network subsidies flow toward beneficial data—such as open scientific datasets, historical archives, or public goods—rather than arbitrary or spam data. The goal is to align economic incentives with the network's long-term mission of storing humanity's most important information.

For a storage provider, sealing a sector containing data from a Verified Deal multiplies their quality-adjusted power by a factor of 10, dramatically increasing their probability of winning block rewards. Consequently, providers compete aggressively to serve Verified Clients, who can thus secure highly reliable, long-term storage at minimal cost. This mechanism effectively uses block reward subsidies to bootstrap demand and ensure the network stores useful data from day one.

The role of a Verified Client is distinct from that of a standard client or a storage provider. They act as curators of valuable data, with their verified status serving as a signal to the network. Misuse of DataCap—such as self-dealing or storing worthless data—can lead to the revocation of status and slashing of associated provider rewards, enforcing accountability. This system exemplifies a decentralized, incentive-aligned governance model for resource allocation.

Verified Client status is a cryptographically signed authorization granted by Filecoin Plus (Fil+) Notaries that allows a client's storage deals to receive a 10x boost in storage power allocation. This mechanism is the core incentive of the Fil+ program, designed to prioritize and subsidize valuable, real-world data storage on the Filecoin network. To initiate the process, a client submits a detailed application through the Filecoin Plus Registry, outlining the nature, size, and utility of the data they intend to store.

The application is then reviewed by a decentralized set of Notaries, who are community-selected entities responsible for stewarding the Fil+ program's data cap. Notaries assess the application against program guidelines, which emphasize data that serves a public good or demonstrates clear utility. Upon approval, the Notary issues a DataCap allowance to the client's wallet address. This DataCap is a spendable resource that is consumed when the client makes a storage deal, triggering the 10x multiplier for the associated storage provider.

Once verified, a client uses their DataCap allowance by specifying the verified_deal parameter when proposing a storage deal. The storage provider's Seal operation for this deal then generates significantly more Quality-Adjusted Power (QAP) for the network's consensus, making verified deals highly attractive to providers. The entire lifecycle—from allocation to consumption—is recorded on-chain, providing transparent audit trails. Notaries also perform ongoing stewardship, potentially revoking a client's status for misuse of DataCap, ensuring the economic subsidy aligns with the network's long-term goals of storing useful data.

A Verified Deal is a subsidized storage agreement on the Filecoin network, created when a Verified Client stores data with a Storage Provider. The verification process begins when a user applies to the Filecoin Plus program, where a Notary (a decentralized data cap allocator) assesses their application to ensure the data serves a legitimate, public-good purpose. Upon approval, the user receives a DataCap allowance, transforming them into a Verified Client authorized to create these incentivized deals.

The deal flow mechanism involves several key steps. First, the Verified Client uses their DataCap to propose a storage deal, which includes the data's CID (Content Identifier), storage duration, and replication requirements. Storage Providers, incentivized by a 10x block reward multiplier for serving Verified Deals, compete to accept this proposal. Once a provider is selected, the client sends the data, the provider seals it into a sector, and both parties cryptographically sign the deal, publishing it to the blockchain to create a verifiable, on-chain record.

This process creates powerful economic and cryptographic guarantees. The 10x reward multiplier aligns provider incentives with long-term data preservation. The on-chain deal record enables anyone to audit the storage commitment and verify the data's availability over time using Proofs of Spacetime. This entire flow—from verification to on-chain deal—ensures that valuable data is stored reliably while efficiently allocating network subsidies to the most socially useful information.