Core Concepts

Understanding the technical foundations that make Continuata's distribution platform reliable and efficient.

Content-Addressed Storage

Traditional file storage uses human-readable names that can change or conflict. Content-addressed storage uses the file's cryptographic hash as its identifier, creating several powerful benefits:

How It Works

When you upload a file, Continuata calculates its SHA-256 hash
The file is stored using this hash as the key (e.g., a3c2b1…)
Multiple files with identical content share the same storage space
File integrity can be verified by recalculating the hash

Benefits

Automatic deduplication
Tamper detection
Efficient delta updates
Immutable references

Use Cases

Sample library versions
Plugin distributions
Software updates
Asset collections

Delta Updates

When you release a new version of your product, users only download the files that have changed. This dramatically reduces download times and bandwidth usage.

Example: Sample Pack Update

Version 1.0	Version 1.1	User Downloads
`kick_01.wav`	`kick_01.wav` (same)	— skipped
`kick_02.wav`	`kick_02.wav` (modified)	✓ kick_02.wav
`snare_01.wav`	`snare_01.wav` (same)	— skipped
`readme.txt`	`readme.txt` (updated)	✓ readme.txt
—	`kick_03.wav` (new)	✓ kick_03.wav

In this example, the user downloads only 3 files instead of 5, saving 40% of the bandwidth and time.

Cryptographic Verification

Every file and chunk includes SHA-256 checksums to ensure perfect data integrity throughout the download process.

Manifest Signing

The manifest file listing all content is cryptographically signed to prevent tampering.

Pack Verification

Each ~8MB pack is verified against its expected SHA-256 hash after download, before any files are extracted from it.

File Extraction

Each file is extracted from its pack using a byte offset and length. Its SHA-256 is then verified against the manifest before it is written to disk.

Corruption Handling: If a pack fails size or hash verification, it is automatically retried up to three times with backoff. Corrupted data never reaches the user's filesystem.

Browser-Native Downloads

Continuata runs directly in Chrome and Edge without any installation. Safari and Firefox are supported via the free Continuata Bridge desktop app.

File System Access API

Modern browsers support direct file system access, allowing native-like folder selection and file writing.

Chrome

Full native support

Edge

Full native support

Firefox

Bridge required

Safari

Bridge required

Continuata Bridge

A free desktop companion app that provides native file system access for browsers that need it — Safari and Firefox. Download it at continuata.io/bridge.

Download Resume

Download progress is persisted in the browser's IndexedDB. If the page is closed or refreshed mid-download, a Resume Download button appears on the next visit. The download continues from the last completed pack — no data is re-downloaded.

Manifest Structure

The manifest is a JSON file that describes your product's files, their hashes, and download URLs.

{
  "v": 3,
  "vendorId": "audio-company",
  "productId": "epic-drums-v1",
  "productHash": "abc123...",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "folderName": "epic-drum-kit-v1",
  "packs": [
    {
      "key": "audio-company/packs/pack-deadbeef...",
      "sha256": "deadbeef...",
      "size": 8388608
    }
  ],
  "files": [
    {
      "path": "samples/kick_01.wav",
      "size": 2097152,
      "sha256": "a1b2c3d4e5f6...",
      "segments": [
        { "pack": 0, "offset": 0, "length": 2097152 }
      ]
    },
    {
      "path": "samples/snare_01.wav",
      "size": 2097152,
      "sha256": "b2c3d4e5f6a1...",
      "segments": [
        { "pack": 0, "offset": 2097152, "length": 2097152 }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "totalSize": 1073741824,
  "fileCount": 4789,
  "signature": "manifest_signature_here",
  "expiresAt": 1640995200000
}

Global Edge Architecture

Continuata runs on Cloudflare Workers and serves pack data from R2 via Cloudflare's global edge network — the same infrastructure that fronts a sizeable chunk of the internet.

Edge Caching

Cloudflare global edge presence
Automatic compression
HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 support

Performance Benefits

Low-latency edge delivery
Automatic failover
DDoS protection included
Usage-based bandwidth pricing

Browser Support Tiers

Two paths to a verified, resumable download — pick the one that matches your browser.

Native: Chrome and Edge

Direct file system access via the File System Access API. Parallel pack downloads, real-time progress, automatic resume — no installer.

Bridge: Safari and Firefox

Same download pipeline, served via the free Continuata Bridge desktop helper. Identical resume, integrity, and folder-picker behaviour.

Security Model

Multiple layers of security protect both content creators and end users.

Content Protection

Time-limited download tokens
IP-based access restrictions
Download count limits
Token revocation support

Data Integrity

End-to-end encryption in transit
Cryptographic verification
Tamper-proof manifests
Automatic corruption recovery

Ready to Implement? Now that you understand how Continuata works, check out our Quick Start Guide to upload your first product or explore platform integrations.

Quick Start Guide Uploading Products