What is the Network Availability Score (NAS)?
The Network Availability Score (NAS) is a key metric for evaluating the health and reliability of the BTFS Storage Provider network.
In decentralised storage, performance isn’t defined by a single server, but by thousands of independent nodes distributed globally. NAS provides a standardised way to measure how dependable the network is in real-world conditions.
How NAS works:
NAS reflects how accessible and responsive the BTFS network is when users store or retrieve data. It’s derived from observations of representative nodes rather than self-reported metrics, improving accuracy and trust.
Two main factors determine a node’s NAS:
Uptime (80%) – Measures how consistently a node remains online. High uptime ensures data is reliably available.
Latency (20%) – Measures how quickly a node responds to requests. Lower latency improves user experience for frequent or time-sensitive access.
Weighting uptime higher reflects the reality of decentralised storage: a slightly slower but always-available node is far more valuable than a fast node that frequently goes offline.
Each storage provider calculates its NAS based on these factors, and the network NAS is the average across all nodes, representing overall performance rather than a few high-performing outliers.
Why it matters:
For users and developers, NAS signals network reliability for building applications or storing data.
For storage providers, it provides a transparent benchmark, incentivising better uptime and infrastructure stability.
In short, NAS is more than a technical score it’s a trust indicator. By emphasising consistent availability, it ensures BTFS remains dependable as the network grows, supporting confidence and usability for the decentralised storage ecosystem.