[DAO:ba390f4] Should stale profiles be removed from the Content Servers? (DRAFT)

Governance
1

by 0xb8782cf628357ce2751a4ea3007934048fbaa672

Linked Pre-Proposal

Should stale profiles be removed from the Content Servers?

Summary

This proposal addresses the accumulation of dormant profile entities in the content servers, outlining the necessity for their removal to optimize server resources and the synchronization time for new nodes.

Abstract

Establish and implement a content server policy for the removal of stale profile entities, aiming to enhance server resource utilization and synchronization efficiency, particularly for new nodes. The focus is on profiles that have remained inactive for over a year.

Motivation

The motivation stems from the accumulation of dormant profile entities on content servers that don’t hold any value, impacting resource optimization and synchronization efficiency. The proposal seeks to address this by establishing a default behavior to permanently remove profiles inactive for more than a year. This approach aims to enhance synchronization processes, minimizing the download of unnecessary stale data during node synchronization.

Specification

A new process will be implemented on the content servers to routinely assess all existing profiles and determine whether they should be retained. Currently, some nodes host over 2 million profiles, each consisting solely of information related to avatar configuration and outfit details.

In the event of a profile entity being lost or deleted, returning users will only need to reconfigure their avatar and outfit. No tangible content or ownership data would be compromised, given that ownership information is blockchain-based. Additionally, all owned assets remain accessible, as the 3D models for each asset will persist on the content servers.

A profile entity is composed of a definition file, two snapshot PNG images (body.png and face.png), and an entry in the local database on the server. Through this cleanup process, these resources can be released, streamlining the system’s efficiency.

You can validate the content of a profile entity by executing the following HTTP request and ensuring that it does not retain any historically valuable data. The profile entity works solely as an avatar configuration, capable of being reconstructed at any given time.

curl --location 'https://peer.decentraland.org/lambdas/profiles' \ --header 'Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8' \ --header 'Accept: application/json' \ --data '{ "ids": [ "0xAddress" ] }'

Conclusion

The proposed policy for the permanent removal of stale profile entities, those inactive for over a year, presents a solution to optimize server resources and improve synchronization efficiency for new Catalyst nodes. By implementing this policy, the content servers can be more efficient and minimizing the download of unnecessary, dormant data during synchronization.

Vote on this proposal on the Decentraland DAO

View this proposal on Snapshot

1 Like
2

Will there be an option/enviornment variable to disable this “feature”?

1 Like
3

Are you certain that removing it won’t have any negative consequences? This won’t result in certain files being permanently lost to users, will it?

1 Like
4

If you don’t login for a year, your profile will be deleted, you will have to recreate your profile with your wearables, all the outfits, etc…
Also your profile image, used in the DAO page for example, so if you don’t login for a year, that profile image will be deleted

1 Like
5

1 year is not that long really…
One of my account’s I’ve logged in twice in 4 years because the value of the assets on the account shouldn’t be used to regularly sign transaction IMO…
But it has OG wearables and a lot of VP…

I’m voting no because I don’t think it’s worth losing people’s identities…

If this passes then my suggestion is that if the account has some VP then it is not deleted…

1 Like
6

Thanks @HPrivakos for explaining . in this case i will not said yes . this is decentralized , we can’t or shouldn’t deleted users any data.Don’t think of this as a minor issue. It will cause users may have misconceptions about decentralization, and they will think we can delete anything. Please consider things from the user’s perspective.

1 Like
7

Why do you see ephemeral data, such as profile configurations, to be so valuable that it necessitates persistence for an indefinite period? There are dormant profiles associated with millions of wallets, and the average concurrent user count hovers around 300. From a user’s perspective, returning to the platform after more than a year yields no data loss; one simply needs to undergo the profile reconfiguration process. The images referenced by HPriavakos won’t be utilized anywhere, given that the users associated with them are inactive and not referenced by the DAO pages.

1 Like
8

There are some proposals on the DAO started by accounts which are now inactive, deleting those profiles would delete their name (just in the profile, they’ll still own it) and avatar.

So it leads to data loss. The user has to configure their name again, their avatar wearable.
If they have anyone blocked or muted, that will also be erased, so someone that left because of harassment might come back to all their blocked avatars unblocked.

I could understand deleting the images, but deleting the profiles when it takes that little space is a big issue for decentraland history.
Having those profiles, even from guests, allows us to retrace new users in Decentraland, or follow trends in wearables/emotes, see if an offensive name was used, etc… That’s a big part of Decentraland history.
Yes it could be backed up outside of the catalyst, but it’s a step backwards to make the catalyst worst and to have to move data out of it when it’s supposed to hold data basically forever.

1 Like
9

Analyzing wearable trends from users who have been inactive on the platform for over a year yields no value, especially when more insightful metrics can be gathered from marketplace activities. The current functionality of blocked users is not working pretty well, there is no easy way to unblock and it offers little practical value.

Even if a user profile is deleted, the associated wallet’s interaction with a poll is permanently recorded. Retrieving all assets tied to that wallet, such as NAMEs, becomes effortlessly achievable through a straightforward catalyst call using the address.

In my perspective, this adjustment is not a step backward, instead, it enhances catalyst efficiency by optimizing resource utilization. It also contributes to quicker server deployments for new nodes, diminishes the content in the database for streamlined profile queries, and importantly, this cache configuration doesn’t represent the Decentraland history.

1 Like
10

I actually kinda disagree with this.
Someone sent me a link to another metaverse platform recently that I forgot I had used before.
When I logged in I had my name set and had all my wearables customized…

Pros:
“Hey look at bet! He already has stuff here! How?!”
“Bet is 1337 metaverse master. Respect!”
I remember this platform now!
You guys remembered me too? :pleading_face:
Lucky I don’t have to set my stuff again…
Nostalgia

Cons:
Ahh Decentraland forgot me again… That sucks… Great for their storage though :nerd_face:

This one needs to be refined a lot for me…
Is it not better to start a secondary server group that can store old and more specific stuff?

1 Like
11

Should stale profiles be removed from the Content Servers? (DRAFT)

This proposal is now in status: PASSED.

Voting Results:

  • Yes 73% 5,273,877 VP (79 votes)
  • No 26% 1,943,221 VP (16 votes)
  • Abstain 1% 6,307 VP (13 votes)