Which Sia software do I need?
A side-by-side guide to the Sia software and the terms used across these docs.
There are several pieces of Sia software, each for a different job. Use this page to find the one that matches what you want to do.
Store and manage files the easy way
The Sia Storage app (desktop, mobile) with a Sia Storage account — 50 GB free
Use Sia through an S3-compatible API
s3d, connected to an indexer such as Sia Storage
Build my own app
The Sia Storage SDKs
Run the indexer myself instead of using Sia Storage
indexd — requires PostgreSQL
Provide storage and earn Siacoin
Hold and manage Siacoin
Run the older all-in-one renter
renterd — no longer the preferred way to store data
How the pieces fit together
To store data on Sia you run a client that connects to an indexer. The client encrypts your files and moves them to and from storage providers; the indexer manages contracts and keeps your data healthy. By itself, an indexer like Sia Storage doesn't store your files — you need a client to use it. See About Storing Your Data for more.
Clients — how you use Sia storage
Sia Storage app — desktop and mobile apps for storing and retrieving files. Point it at an indexer; a Sia Storage account is the easiest option.
s3d— a lightweight, S3-compatible gateway. It translates the AWS S3 API to Sia and connects to an indexer such as Sia Storage, so existing S3 tools and applications can use Sia storage.Sia Storage SDKs — client libraries (Rust, Go, Python, JavaScript) for building your own app. The Sia Storage app and
s3dare currently the only ready-made clients.
Indexer — the backend
Sia Storage — a hosted indexer. It manages contracts and keeps your data healthy for you, with 50 GB free and nothing to run. Recommended for most people.
indexd— the indexer software, for running the backend yourself instead of using Sia Storage. Requires PostgreSQL.
Other software
hostd— storage-provider software. Stores encrypted data for the network and earns Siacoin.walletd— a standalone wallet for Siacoin and Siafunds, with Ledger support.renterd— the original all-in-one renter (wallet, contracts, and an upload/download UI in one program). Still works, but no longer the preferred way to store data.
Glossary
Renter — anyone storing data on Sia. The renter forms and pays for storage contracts; today an indexer fills this role on your behalf.
Storage provider (host) — an operator running
hostdthat stores encrypted data and earns Siacoin.Client — software you run to store and retrieve files, such as the Sia Storage app or
s3d. A client connects to an indexer.Indexer — the backend that manages contracts, tracks where data lives, and keeps it healthy. Sia Storage is a hosted indexer;
indexdis the software for running your own.Contract — a blockchain-enforced agreement between a renter and a storage provider covering how much data to store, for how long, and at what price.
Object — the application-level view of a stored file: its data, metadata, and storage layout under a single content-derived ID.
Slab — a unit of an object's data that is erasure-coded into shards.
Shard — one erasure-coded, encrypted piece of a slab, stored by a single provider.
Erasure coding — a method of splitting data into redundant pieces so the original can be rebuilt from a subset of them.
Siacoin (SC) — the network's utility token, used to pay for storage.
Siafund — a separate token that receives a fee from storage contracts.
Recovery phrase (seed) — the secret words that control a wallet and let you recover it.
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