Inside the Pavilion Network: A Deep Dive into Our Peer-to-Peer Architecture
The Pavilion Network isn’t just another social media platform—it’s an architectural rethink of how real-time, creator-driven platforms can operate at scale, with resilience, decentralization, and flexibility at their core.
In our latest video, we walk through the full technical architecture that powers Pavilion. From APIs to distributed databases, from real-time messaging to blockchain-backed transactions, Pavilion is built to be fast, fault-tolerant, and future-ready. Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAFm1rGhipQ
A Decentralized Foundation
At the heart of Pavilion is a peer-to-peer (P2P) network. Instead of relying on a single server or cloud instance, Pavilion distributes its services—API requests, video delivery, user data, and even ads—across a network of independent nodes.
A smart proxy system directs traffic based on load and location, ensuring fast response times while allowing the system to scale horizontally. Each component is decoupled, meaning upgrades, patches, or scaling can happen without interrupting the rest of the platform.
Specialized Databases for Specific Jobs
We use three distinct databases, each chosen for its strengths:
- CockroachDB handles structured, relational data such as user profiles, channel metadata, and system settings. It’s globally distributed, ensuring fault-tolerance and consistency.
- ScyllaDB stores sequential data like comments and notifications, offering low-latency writes and real-time sync across regions.
- PulsarDB is our real-time engine—perfect for live streams, reactions, and chat messages that require instant updates.
This separation allows us to optimize performance, reduce complexity, and keep each part of the system focused on what it does best.
Blockchain for Trust and Traceability
Our internal blockchain, built on Tendermint, records important events such as rewards or user point transactions. To maintain transparency and security, we anchor this blockchain to Ethereum. By batching updates, we keep operational costs low without sacrificing auditability.
Recent transactions are cached for quick lookups, while the blockchain’s modular design allows us to evolve the system over time without disrupting the core platform.
AI and Distributed Workers
Pavilion’s workers handle everything from video processing to AI-generated enhancements. Some transcode video into streamable formats, while others generate thumbnails, subtitles, or relevant tags. Ad-serving workers pull real-time contextual ads, all matched dynamically to content.
These processes are coordinated through PulsarDB and supported by a separate analytics database that tracks performance metrics across the network.
Storage Built for Speed and Redundancy
Our hybrid storage approach combines traditional CDN delivery with decentralized IPFS storage. CDN nodes serve videos quickly to nearby users, while IPFS ensures redundancy and durability by distributing content across nodes. If one node goes down, content remains accessible through others.
Designed to Scale, Built to Last
What brings all these components together is our commitment to modularity and resilience. APIs, databases, blockchain, AI, and storage all run independently—but communicate through the P2P network to function as a cohesive system.
This architecture gives Pavilion the ability to adapt to spikes in usage, update services independently, and stay online even when parts of the system experience issues.
If you’re interested in the future of decentralized platforms—or simply curious about how modern infrastructure can power real-time social experiences—check out the full video:
Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAFm1rGhipQ
Have thoughts or questions? We’d love to hear them.