From Testnet to Mainnet: Walrus Development Timeline Recap🦭
Walrus, the decentralized blob storage protocol built on Sui by Mysten Labs, has come a long way in redefining on-chain data availability for AI, media, NFTs, and more. Here's a quick journey recap:
June 2024: Walrus announced with a developer preview (Devnet phase). Introduced efficient erasure coding for low-replication (4x-5x) storage, Sui as coordination layer, and proof-of-availability certificates. Early builders started experimenting with blob storage.
August-September 2024: "Breaking the Ice" Devnet Hackathon kicked off community building — 200+ developers, 40+ projects, $50K+ prizes. Public Testnet launched on October 17, 2024, with 25+ community nodes, deletable blobs, staking app, WAL tokenomics (testnet version), explorer, and quests.
Late 2024 - Early 2025: Testnet matured with features like API improvements, more nodes, and real-world testing. Community grew through Galxe quests, meme contests, and integrations prep.
March 2025: Massive milestone — **Mainnet** launched on March 27, 2025! Real $WAL token went live (no more unlimited testnet WAL), storage fees/staking activated, $140M funding round announced (led by Standard Crypto, a16z crypto, etc.). Airdrops distributed to testnet users/early supporters (community allocation ~10%+ of 5B supply). Partners like Claynosaurz joined for launch.
Post-Mainnet (2025): Shift to production usage — dozens of projects integrated (AI models via OpenGradient/Talus, media/gaming like Pudgy Penguins, infra like Space and Time Explorer). Walrus Sites portal went mainnet, upgrades rolled out (e.g., v1.40.x), and real workloads scaled (TB+ data stored). From experimentation to live, programmable data markets taking shape.
Into 2026: Mainnet stable and growing — nodes expanding, more builders shipping data-heavy apps. 2025 recap posts highlight the breakthrough: from test deployments to real production usage. Now focused on scaling, chain-agnostic potential, and unlocking AI-era data markets.
