Jackdaw Memos: Metadata Set in Stone

We briefly mentioned Jackdaw memos in our first article but wanted to take a moment to expand on exactly what Jackdaw memos are. One of the most interesting features of Jackdaw, and Ravencoin Assets in general, is the ability to permananetly and immutably store information by simply transacting.

Any Jackdaw transaction can have a "memo" added to it. That memo can be in the form of a transaction ID or an IPFS hash. Whichever you choose, the information is stored to the Ravencoin blockchain forever, making Jackdaw memos a great way to add additional permanent information or other metadata to a transaction.[1]

In theory, a user could store an enormous amount of metadata by sending themselves Jackdaw tokens (creating a transaction) containing IPFS hashes where said data is stored. The Ravencoin blockchain will store that IPFS hash (or transaction ID) permananetly, allowing for users to access the data they've stored in Jackdaw memos on the blockchain, forever.

Memos are a great way to store virtually any metadata permanently, as both Ravencoin and IPFS are decentralized immutable solutions. Once a file is pinned to IPFS, no one can alter the hash (content ID) or the data it contains.[2]

You can use Jackdaw memos to store additional data about a transaction (including a transaction ID itself) or any other range of solutions that fit your needs. Perhaps simple file storage or record keeping, perhaps something more complex like game or website. In theory, memos could also be used for transaction verification should such a system come into existence.

Users can add messages, websites, or any other data they desire to a Jackdaw memo and create an immutable record reflecting anything they wish. This represents a powerful record keeping and data storage solution for anyone using the Jackdaw token. Try it out using a Ravencoin Wallet that supports the memo feature!

Sources:

[1] https://tronblack.medium.com/ravencoin-memos-84bdbd0dfe1c

[2] https://docs.ipfs.tech/concepts/how-ipfs-works/#how-ipfs-represents-and-addresses-data