$WAL #warlus Walrus" (WAL) is a decentralized storage and data availability protocol built on the Sui blockchain. Developed by Mysten Labs (the creators of Sui), it is designed to store large binary files—often called "blobs"—like videos, images, AI datasets, and social media content.
As of early 2026, Walrus has moved into its mainnet phase and is a central piece of the Sui "Full Stack" ecosystem.
1. How It Works: The "Red Stuff"
Walrus stands out from older storage protocols like Filecoin or Arweave by using a proprietary technology called Red Stuff.
Erasure Coding: Instead of making 20 copies of a file to ensure it doesn't get lost, Walrus breaks data into small fragments called "slivers."
Efficiency: It only needs about 4–5x replication to achieve the same security that other networks might need 25x or more to reach. This makes it significantly cheaper and faster.
Byzantine Fault Tolerance: The network can still recover your data even if up to one-third of the storage nodes are malicious or offline.
2. The $WAL Token
The WAL token is the native currency of the protocol and serves four main purposes:
Payment: Users pay in WAL (or sometimes SUI) to store their data.
Staking: Node operators must stake WAL to participate in the network.
Rewards: Storage providers earn WAL for successfully hosting and proving they have the data.
Governance: Token holders can vote on protocol upgrades and parameter changes.