{{Short description|Decentralized darknet marketplace}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox software | name = OpenBazaar | title = | logo = OpenBazaar logo.png | logo caption = Logo | logo size = 256px | logo alt = OpenBazaar logo | screenshot = <!-- Image name is enough --> | caption = | screenshot size = | screenshot alt = | collapsible = <!-- Yes --> | author = Amir Taaki (DarkMarket), Brian Hoffman | developer = OpenBazaar Team | released = {{Start date and age|2016|04|04|df=yes}} | discontinued = yes | latest release version = 2.4.10 (Desktop Client) | latest release date = {{Start date and age|2020|12|30|df=yes}}<ref>{{cite web | url = https://github.com/OpenBazaar/openbazaar-desktop/releases | title = Releases · OpenBazaar/openbazaar-desktop | website = github.com | access-date = 2021-04-22 }}</ref> | latest preview version = | latest preview date = <!-- {{Start date and age|2015|06|02|df=no}} --> | programming language = Go, JavaScript | operating system = Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux | platform = | size = 130&nbsp;MB | language = English | language count = <!-- Number only --> | language footnote = | genre = Online marketplace | license = MIT License | website = | standard = | AsOf = }}

'''OpenBazaar''' was an open source project developing a protocol for e-commerce transactions in a fully decentralized marketplace.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=80EwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA21|title=Building Blockchain Projects|last=Prusty|first=Narayan|date=2017-04-27|publisher=Packt Publishing Ltd|isbn=9781787125339|language=en}}</ref> It used cryptocurrencies as medium of exchange and was inspired by a hackathon project called '''DarkMarket'''.

== History == Amir Taaki and a group of programmers from Bitcoin startup Airbitz created a decentralized marketplace prototype, called "DarkMarket", in April 2014 at a Bitcoin Hackathon in Toronto.<ref name=wired-darkmarket-prototype>{{cite magazine|url= https://www.wired.com/2014/04/darkmarket |title= Inside the 'DarkMarket' Prototype, a Silk Road the FBI Can Never Seize |last= Greenberg |first= Andy |magazine= Wired |date= 2014-04-24 |accessdate= 23 August 2014 }}</ref> DarkMarket was developed as a proof of concept in response to the seizure of the darknet market Silk Road in October 2013.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/30/silk-road-darkmarket-openbazaar-online-drugs-marketplace|title=Silk Road successor DarkMarket rebrands as OpenBazaar|last=Hern|first=Alex|date=2014-04-30|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-03-08|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Taaki compared DarkMarket's improvements on Silk Road to BitTorrent's improvements on Napster.<ref name=wired-darkmarket-prototype/>

After the hackathon, the original creators abandoned the prototype and it was later adopted and rebranded to OpenBazaar by a new team of developers.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2017/03/fed-proof-online-market-openbazaar-going-anonymous/|title=The Fed-Proof Online Market OpenBazaar Is Going Anonymous|last=Greenberg|first=Andy|date=2017-03-06|magazine=Wired|access-date=2019-03-08|issn=1059-1028}}</ref> On 4 April 2016, OpenBazaar released their first version, which allowed users to buy and sell goods for Bitcoin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/openbazaar-official-release-darkmarket/|title=OpenBazaar launches version 1.0 with aims to become the 'uncensored' Amazon|date=2016-04-04|website=The Daily Dot|language=en|access-date=2019-03-08}}</ref> The company announced the closure of their servers on 15 January 2021.<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=openbazaar |number=1346104369566121986 |title=It is with heavy hearts that we announce that @OB1Company will be decommissioning most of the infrastructure powering important parts of OpenBazaar on January 15th.}}</ref>

In 2015, Andreessen Horowitz and Union Square Ventures invested in OB1, the company behind OpenBazaar, backing the development of the decentralized marketplace.<ref>{{Cite web |title=OpenBazaar is Entering a New Phase with Funding |url=https://blog.openbazaar.org/openbazaar-is-entering-a-new-phase-with-funding/ |website=OpenBazaar Blog |access-date=2024-01-01}}</ref> {{-}} == See also == {{Portal|Free and open-source software}} * InterPlanetary File System * Tor (anonymity network)

== References == {{Reflist|32em}}

Category:Online marketplaces Category:Informal economy Category:Internet properties established in 2014 Category:Software using the MIT license Category:Free software programmed in Go Category:Peer-to-peer software