Walrus Protocol: A New Generation Storage Solution for Sui Ecosystem

Mysten Labs is developing a new storage protocol called Walrus, following the Sui network and DeepBook protocol. Although there are many projects in the decentralized storage market, Walrus has still attracted widespread attention, mainly based on two aspects:

1. Cost-effectiveness and security: Walrus offers greater cost advantages and security compared to existing storage solutions.

2. Programmability: Walrus enables the stored data to be programmable through the Sui network.

As one of the advanced projects in the decentralized storage field, the future practicality and value of Walrus are worth looking forward to.

The Uniqueness of Walrus

storage cost efficiency

Walrus uses Red-Stuff encoding, which has significant cost advantages over Arweave and Filecoin, with efficiency reaching up to 100 times. Walrus only requires 4-5 times the replication cost to greatly reduce the probability of data loss.

In addition, as the network scale expands, each node of Walrus only needs to store part of the data, which further reduces the burden on the nodes, making storage costs more efficient.

programmability

The most significant feature of Walrus is its "programmability". Traditional storage systems serve merely as simple data warehouses, whereas Walrus achieves programmable decentralized storage through the Sui network, endowing data storage with more functionalities.

For example, the image files of NFTs can be stored in Walrus, and their blob data objects can be created on the Sui network and associated with NFT objects, thus solving the traditional NFT "incomplete" problem.

In addition, since the blob data of Walrus can be stored as Sui objects and controlled by Move smart contracts, smart contracts can transfer stored data or automatically change ownership. This gives the data in Walrus true programmability.

Data Access and Deletion

Unlike existing storage protocols, Walrus allows users to discard or modify data when needed. This feature greatly enhances Walrus's application potential in traditional enterprises and Web2 companies, further increasing market expectations for its diversity.

Walrus and Sui Network Collaboration

Walrus should not be seen as diverting attention from Sui, but rather as a storage stack that enhances Sui applications. Walrus not only complements the Sui network from a storage perspective but also actively influences the governance token SUI of the Sui network, making the two inseparable.

The symbiotic relationship between Sui and Walrus

Mysten Labs focused on storage issues in the early design of Sui and proposed a unique storage fund concept. Sui addresses the sustainability issues related to storage by pre-collecting storage fees and using them as rewards for future validating nodes.

Walrus achieves programmability of data by storing large-scale blob data and objectifying its metadata on Sui, without directly storing the data on Sui. This approach creates a symbiotic relationship between Sui and Walrus, with complementary advantages for both parties.

The impact of Walrus on SUI token

When creating blob data objects in Walrus, SUI will be locked in the storage fund based on the object size. Although some fees can be refunded by deleting data, a portion of the fees will have a destruction effect, permanently reducing the circulation of SUI.

This creates a positive feedback loop: the increase in Walrus usage leads to a decrease in SUI circulation, potentially enhancing the value of SUI.

The Strategic Significance of Walrus

Mysten Labs' grand vision

Mysten Labs is not just building a blockchain; they are creating a complete decentralized infrastructure for Web3. Their vision includes leading innovation in various areas such as execution, storage, consensus, and communication, while also creating a user-friendly UI.

In this vision, the Sui network handles execution and consensus, Walrus is responsible for storage, SCION manages communication, while technologies like zkLogin provide a familiar Web2 UI experience.

The potential of Walrus

Walrus is not limited to the Sui ecosystem; it can be used by any third party and may even become an alternative to existing storage protocols or other DA layers. This broad application potential makes Walrus promising as a bridge connecting Sui to the wider Web3 world.

Considering the efficient operational mechanism, unique features of Walrus, and the solid foundation obtained through the Sui network, it has the potential to become a leading protocol in the storage field, even surpassing existing mainstream storage solutions.