How redundant uploads can be avoided in social media apps?

People spend more time on social media, and it influences the most and changes to societies. They want to share photos and videos often when an incident has become trendy. Social media users download and upload the same content that is viral through some apps. It takes redundant space in servers in addition to the data transmission cost. Although data comes at a cheap cost nowadays, nothing comes free as it pollutes the environment in many ways. Such redundant uploads can be avoided to reduce unwanted tariffs and traffic on the internet.

A file can be redundancy checked using its hash value. Let's see how it will be possible. Hash values of the uploaded content should be stored in a database. When a user uploads a file, for example, a video, the app should check it with the server. It is worth checking its hash value of the content if the size of the content exceeds a limit.

The hash value of the content can be calculated on the client-side i.e., mobile, and sent over a request to the server, it may include some metadata like file size, etc. The server will check whether the hash and the file size are matched with a record in the server. Few bits from the content can also be used for further validation. If all the above are matched with a record in the server, it means that the video has already been uploaded and available for watching. Thus, it can be avoided uploading it to the central server and the same link to the video can be used.

It prevents redundant uploads and hence the server loads because of trendy content sharing. It is very useful in content-sharing social networks. For example, WhatsApp, Facebook. A user may be prompted whether he wants it to be uploaded again for some other reason.

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