If you're building on Sui and need reliable storage for large files, Walrus delivers without the usual bottlenecks. It handles blobs—think videos, images, or AI datasets—by splitting them via erasure coding across a network of independent nodes. Each blob gets a unique ID stored on Sui's ledger, with proofs of availability verified through smart contracts in Move language. This setup ensures data redundancy: even if 1/3 of nodes fail, you recover everything intact.
Practically, developers integrate via the Walrus CLI or SDK. Upload a file, pay in WAL for the specified epoch duration (minimum 1, up to 128 epochs, each ~24 hours), and get a blob certificate back. Retrieval is HTTP-compatible, pulling from any aggregator endpoint without custom clients. Costs scale linearly: ~0.1 WAL per MB per epoch, based on current staking rewards and network load.
Token side: WAL powers the dPoS system. Stake to run a storage node (minimum 1M WAL), earn from user fees minus a 10% commission to delegators. Governance votes on params like epoch length or fee rates via on-chain proposals. Supply caps at 5B, with 20% for ecosystem incentives—recently fueling integrations like Pudgy Penguins archiving NFT metadata or Talus agents storing AI models onchain.
Recent metrics show strength: Over 1.2B WAL staked across 50+ validators, averaging 8-12% APY. Daily blob uploads hit 500+ in Q4 2025, driven by SocialFi apps on Sui. Privacy boost incoming with Sui's Seal protocol, enabling encrypted blobs verifiable without revealing contents—key for sensitive data markets.
For devs testing: Spin up a local node with the open-source repo, simulate uploads on testnet. Real-world tip: Batch small files into one blob to cut fees 20-30%. Walrus isn't for tiny transactions; pair it with Sui's object model for hybrid storage.