Walrus is an application development platform that allows builders to store, read, manage, and program large data and media files, like video, images, and PDFs.
Walrus’ data storage and delivery is...
Resilient
- Nodes can fail and data remains accessible
- Efficient replication factor ensures your data is secure
Scalable
- Performance and capacity scales with each new node
- More nodes equals higher throughput
Programmable
- Storage space as tokenized asset
- Smart contracts enable storage marketplaces and rental protocols
Secured by WAL
- Staked WAL token used for governance and recovery coordination
Data lifecycle
In Walrus, the client orchestrates the data flow.
Uploaded data is sent to a publisher that encodes and stores it securely. Metadata and proof of availability are stored on Sui, allowing users to leverage the composability, expressivity, and security offered by Sui and the Move programming language.
Storage capacity can be tokenized and used as a programmable asset, allowing developers to integrate storage with apps on Sui. Storing data on Walrus isn’t limited to Sui, however, as builders on other blockchains like Solana and Ethereum can integrate Walrus as well.
To access your data, the aggregator collects it from the storage nodes and then delivers it through a content delivery network (CDN) or read cache.
Walrus’ innovations
Red Stuff for low-overhead storage
Red Stuff, Walrus’ innovative encoding algorithm, breaks data into slivers for efficient storage. Allows for faster data access, increased resiliency, and scalability.
Incentivized proofs of availability
Proofs of availability are established upfront and confirmed via random challenges to reduce cost of proving file storage and ensure nodes maintain blobs.
Storage as tokenized asset
Blobs and storage capacity are stored as objects on Sui, immediately enabling to be used as resources in smart contracts.
Tokenomics
Delegated Proof of Stake (dPoS) network
The dPoS system prevents sybil behavior, and uses the WAL token for governance and staking to incentivize effective network operation. Storage nodes must stake WAL to participate in the network.
Reliable data migration and recovery
Delegated Proof of Stake network ensures data recovery is possible even when nodes join, leave, adjust stake, or fail to cooperate. Nodes determine slashing penalties through governance to incentivize good behavior.