Behind Pavilion’s Tech: A Look Under the Hood
Pavilion’s Decentralized Blockchain Media Architecture
At Pavilion, we talk a lot about freedom, fairness, and creator control. But these aren’t just values — they’re design decisions. They’re baked into the tech that runs everything you see (and don’t see) on the platform.
So today, let’s pull back the curtain and show you what powers Pavilion under the hood — and how every part of the architecture is shaped by our core belief: no one should be able to take your voice away.
Why We Had to Build This Differently
Most social media platforms are centralized by design. That means:
- A single point of failure can bring everything down
- Content can be removed — or hidden — without transparency
- Monetization is controlled by algorithms and ad revenue logic
- Your account isn’t really yours — it’s a rental
We wanted to build something that didn’t just look different — but was fundamentally unkillable, unriggable, and user-owned.
That’s where decentralization comes in. But not the buzzword kind — the real, architectural kind.
The Three-Layered Engine of Pavilion
Pavilion’s tech stack is built like a living organism — flexible, resilient, and designed to evolve with its community.
Here’s the big picture:
1. Content Layer — Distributed, Fast, and Yours
Media is the heartbeat of Pavilion. Whether it’s livestreams, video clips, or written posts, your content doesn’t sit on a central server waiting to be censored.
Instead, we use a hybrid approach:
- CDNs for speed and reach (especially for video)
- IPFS for decentralized permanence
When you publish, your content is broadcast, not uploaded to a gatekeeper. You own it, and you choose how it travels.
2. Identity & Governance Layer — You Are Your Key
No usernames and passwords here. Pavilion uses self-sovereign identities anchored to public-key cryptography.
This gives you:
- Total control over your identity and wallet
- Transparent participation in governance
- The ability to delegate or challenge decisions on-chain
We also use a challenge-response moderation system. That means moderation isn’t arbitrary — it’s a public, defendable process. Think Wikipedia, but with receipts.
3. Consensus Layer — Anchored on Blockchain, Powered by You
Pavilion doesn’t run on a centralized backend. It runs on a network of workers, validators, and peers, each doing their part:
- Tendermint-based consensus handles protocol-level governance
- Anchoring to Ethereum adds tamper-proof finality
- CockroachDB, ScyllaDB, and Pulsar ensure scalable data flow without bottlenecks
This layer is what makes Pavilion resistant to censorship. No one entity can “turn it off” — not even us.
What This Means for You
Whether you’re a creator, a community builder, or just someone looking for a digital home that won’t disappear, here’s what Pavilion’s architecture gives you:
- True ownership of your voice and your audience
- Transparent governance, not backroom algorithms
- Platform resilience, even in times of pressure or attack
- Direct monetization, without middlemen or black-box ad revenue splits
In short: You’re not just using Pavilion. You’re helping run it.
A Network That Grows with Its People
Technology is just scaffolding. What really matters is what we build on top of it.
As Pavilion evolves, we’ll keep opening up new parts of the system:
- Community tooling and dashboards
- Open API integrations
- Creator monetization layers
- Reputation-based curation and filtering
And we’ll do it all in the open, with the same commitment to fairness and transparency that brought us here.
Want to Go Deeper?
For a more technical breakdown, check out our original architecture blog:
👉 pavilion.network/blog/pavilion-network-architecture-breakdown
Or if you just want to explore, post, or tune in — dive into the platform and start building with us.
This isn’t just a new app.
It’s a new foundation.