@Walrus 🦭/acc Most blockchains were designed to process transactions, not to hold large volumes of data for long periods of time. That design choice made sense when early applications were simple and state was minimal. As decentralized applications evolve, this assumption starts to break. Applications today generate large amounts of information including metadata, assets, media, and historical records. Trying to push all of that directly onto a blockchain becomes inefficient and costly.
Walrus exists because this problem does not solve itself.
Walrus approaches decentralized storage as a core infrastructure layer rather than an external service. Instead of forcing execution networks to handle data they were never optimized for, Walrus creates a dedicated system that applications can rely on while maintaining decentralization. This design is not about convenience. It is about sustainability as ecosystems grow.
The decision to build Walrus on Sui is central to this approach. Sui operates with an object based execution model that allows data references to move independently. Walrus uses this structure to manage storage commitments efficiently without overloading global consensus. Storage interactions remain fast while execution remains clean.
One of the defining technical choices Walrus makes is the use of erasure coding. Instead of storing full replicas of data on every node, files are split into fragments and distributed across many providers. Even if some nodes go offline, the original data can still be reconstructed. This reduces redundancy while preserving reliability. It is a practical approach that assumes networks are imperfect rather than ideal.
Another important element is the separation between data control and data content. On chain logic manages permissions, payments, and commitments. The actual data lives encrypted across the storage network. This keeps the base chain lightweight while preserving verifiable links between applications and their stored information.
The WAL token plays a functional role in this system. Storage is not free. Providers need incentives to remain reliable. Users need predictable pricing. WAL is used to pay for storage, reward node operators, and enforce commitments. Its relevance grows with real usage rather than speculative narratives.
Walrus is not trying to replace cloud providers or general purpose blockchains. It fills a gap that becomes unavoidable as decentralized applications mature. Once applications serve real users, data persistence stops being optional. Walrus is designed for that stage of growth.
