Pipe Network Launches PipeQuest Incentive Program for Testnet

Pipe Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on the decentralization, adoption, and expansion of Pipe Network, has announced the launch of the PipeQuest incentive program for the Pipe Network testnet. The announcement was made on stage at Token2049 in Dubai. The PipeQuest program is designed as a multi-season initiative aimed at supporting ecosystem growth, node operator performance, community engagement, and demand-side traction ahead of the mainnet launch, scheduled for this summer.

The Pipe Network is the first decentralized content delivery network (CDN) built on Solana. Its architecture is designed to be easily scalable and foster a self-sustaining ecosystem where users are rewarded for active network participation. This incentivizes content and media companies, web3 developers, and digital service providers to support and scale the network. The network's core innovation is its fleet of decentralized Point of Presence (PoP) nodes, which can be deployed by anyone, from internet service providers (ISPs) to enterprise and web3 companies, as close as 50 miles from end users. The permissionless model and Linux-based software allow virtually any device to be turned into a PoP node, eliminating typical entry barriers in the traditional ISP partnership and PoP deployment model.

Since launching in private devnet at the end of January, the Pipe Network has seen significant activity, including 200,000 PoP nodes onboarded, more than 200,000 files uploaded, and over 250 Terabytes of cumulative storage used. David Rhodus, Founder of Permissionless Labs, the research and development team behind Pipe Network, and Core Contributor to the Pipe Network, commented on the testnet launch, expressing excitement about the potential of a decentralized CDN to increase bandwidth and reduce latency beyond what has been possible with off-chain solutions. He highlighted the success of 30% lower initialization times for Solana network validators that downloaded their Solana Snapshot via the Pipe CDN.

PipeQuest Season 1, focused on PoP Node Performance, will open on May 5th, 2025, and each season will run for approximately 7 days. The core objective of Season 1 is to benchmark raw PoP performance to identify and reward high-performing node operators based on uptime, RTT, and cache efficacy. Node performance metrics will be audited via Guardian Node tooling, and incentives will be awarded based on an internal leaderboard position, which will inform node operators of future Mainnet roles and visibility. For example, the top 1% of PoP operators will earn a 2x points multiplier and a Mainnet “Edge Captain” badge.

Season 2 of PipeQuest will focus on Community Engagement, with the core objective of growing mindshare and literacy around decentralized CDNs. Community engagement will be measured by activities such as meme challenges, completing CDN literacy quizzes, developing CDN literacy campaigns, and Pipe Network referrals. Incentives will be awarded based on content quality, reach, and contribution consistency. For example, users can earn 100 points for creating a meme that hits 500 impressions on X or by achieving an 80% or higher completion rate on a CDN literacy quiz.

Season 3 of PipeQuest will concentrate on Demand Generation and Onboarding, with the core objective of driving real traffic through the network and battle-testing partner integrations. Demand generation and the onboarding of end users and infrastructure partners will be measured by activities such as running content through the Pipe CDN, providing feedback on network benefits, helping develop network case studies, and supporting the integration of dApps, RPC services, and infra clients to the Pipe Network. Incentives will be awarded in the form of mystery boxes based on qualified usage, onboarding volume, and depth of engagement. For example, a mystery box can be earned by uploading more than 1TB of data to the Pipe CDN, with the potential for a capped 3x mystery box bonus for uploading up to the 10TB data cap.

Points earned across these seasons are non-transferable and are intended to measure meaningful participation within each phase of PipeQuest’s rollout and reward early adopters. The Pipe Network’s core contributors at Permissionless Labs are composed of former AWS principal engineers who built Amazon Elemental Cloud, which has onboarded service providers including Netflix, Comcast, ABC, and NBC. The team’s combined decades of experience in software engineering, technical program management, and strategic product growth uniquely qualify them to disrupt the CDN market by building a new solution that leverages the power of blockchain technology.

For more information and to participate in the testnet, please visit the PipeQuest blog. The Pipe Foundation is dedicated to the decentralization, adoption, and expansion of Pipe Network, built as the first decentralized CDN for Solana. The network leverages high-throughput blockchain technology and hyperlocalized nodes to deliver content quickly and securely on a massive scale by increasing bandwidth and reducing latency. To learn more, please visit https://pipe.network/.