Sui focuses on large-scale coordination of digital assets, while Walrus provides robust support through decentralized data storage. Together, they unlock new possibilities for developers and users.
The Current Chaos Of Data Ownership
Today’s landscape of data ownership and control is a mess.
We live in a world where people think they own their data, but in reality, they don’t truly control it. Our personal information is scattered across centralized services. While this offers convenience, it comes at the cost of genuine ownership.
Imagine publishing content online—an article, a photo, or anything else. How can you reliably prove it’s yours? How do you demonstrate when it was published?
The truth is, you can’t. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
AI models are being trained on potentially unverified data. News articles circulate with no way to confirm their authenticity. This environment fosters misinformation and erodes trust.
The consequences are evident in our increasingly divided society. No one knows what to believe, yet everyone claims to hold the truth.
In finance, the situation is even worse. Reconciliation issues are constant. Why? Because data across services is inconsistent. Enormous amounts of time and resources are wasted just to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Privacy is another major concern. Storing personal information on a public blockchain? That would be a disaster. Regulations like GDPR’s “right to be forgotten” allow individuals to request the deletion of their data—but how can this be enforced when data is stored everywhere?
The core issue is this:
In the current state of the internet, there is no real data sovereignty.
We lack a foundational layer of data trust. Without it, we are building systems on unreliable and unverifiable information.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
The Need For Democratic Data Storage
What we need are democratic data storage solutions that empower people with true data sovereignty.
At Mysten Labs, we recognized that existing decentralized storage solutions weren’t sufficient. Decentralized storage should be smart—not simplistic.
Several platforms offer decentralized storage, but they fail to address core challenges due to two fundamental problems:
First, their business models are misaligned with user needs.
Second, their designs make integration into complex systems and applications difficult.
In the Web2 world, data storage is highly commoditized. Systems like AWS S3 and Microsoft Azure are not only affordable but also tightly integrated with other Web2 services. They are convenient—and convenience matters more than just cost.
Consider Filecoin. Its pitch is decentralization and low cost—but that’s not enough. Real value lies in what you can do with the stored data. Treating storage as a passive box misses the point. Integrability, programmability, and composability are what make storage powerful in the Web3 world.
Then there’s Arweave, which promises permanent storage. But who really needs that? More importantly, who can afford it? Prepaying for 200 years of storage is unrealistic. Even updating a file from 5MB to 6MB requires paying for entirely new storage—it’s like buying a new house just to add a room. And deletion? Once something is stored, it’s there forever under their model.
This isn’t practical.
The internet needs a democratic storage solution that returns data sovereignty to users, allows developers to set rules around assets, enables new business models, and coordinates data in unprecedented ways.
The real value isn’t in competing on price with Amazon or Google—it’s in empowering new use cases that prioritize data provenance, decentralization, and user collaboration. These are things centralized services simply can’t match.
Answering The Call For A Decentralized Web
Back in 2016, internet pioneers like Tim Berners-Lee and Vint Cerf attended the Decentralized Web Summit in San Francisco. These were the visionaries who built the internet we use today—and they were deeply concerned.
Their original dream of an open internet was turning into a series of walled gardens controlled by big tech companies. They called for a new, decentralized web.
At Mysten Labs, we’ve taken that call to heart. We started with Sui, the global layer for digital asset coordination. But we knew that was only the beginning.
A decentralized web isn’t just about handling small pieces of data—it’s also about storing and accessing large amounts of information. This includes long-form text, audio files, videos, images, and massive datasets—none of which can be stored on-chain efficiently.
It requires a cost-effective, fast, and programmable home.
That’s why we built Walrus.
What Is Walrus?
At its core, Walrus is a decentralized storage network—but it’s much more than that.
The system consists of storage nodes that hold the data. These nodes are organized into committees that change over time. Then there’s the encoding system, called Red Stuff. It’s a two-dimensional algorithm based on fountain codes.
If that sounds technical, don’t worry—what matters is what it does.
Here’s how it works:
Instead of making full copies or using complex traditional encoding, Red Stuff breaks data into smaller pieces (“slices”) and processes them in two dimensions.
Think of it this way:
Traditional backup systems make full copies and store them in different locations. Red Stuff, however, breaks data into fragments, creates redundant pieces, and distrib them widely. Even if some pieces are lost, the original data can still be reconstructed.
Why is this groundbreaking?
Because Walrus achieves the holy grail of decentralized storage:
- Low storage overhead: No need to store multiple full copies of data.
- Fast recovery: If a node goes down, data can be quickly rebuilt without large transfers.
- High scalability: The system can handle more data without significant effort.
But Walrus isn’t just about smart data encoding—it also uses a blockchain (specifically Sui) as its control layer.
In this setup, Sui acts as a super-smart traffic controller for your data. This enables two key advantages:
- Speed: Since Sui is fast, Walrus is too. Data transfers happen at near-light speed.
- Programmability: This is where it gets exciting. Storage proofs become programmable assets. They can integrate with smart contracts, be packaged as objects—the possibilities are endless.
Unlocking The Power Of Data Coordination
The combination of Walrus and Sui enables possibilities that other decentralized platforms can’t match.
This isn’t just “dumb” storage—it’s intelligent, responsive, and composable.
With Walrus, you get an immutable decentralized storage system tightly integrated with Sui.
Developers can now build end-to-end decentralized Web3 applications. The front end can run on Walrus, while the back end operates on Sui. This is a critical piece of the puzzle for building truly decentralized apps.
With Walrus and Sui, you can create rules around data. For example, you could set files to be publicly accessible for one year before they are automatically encrypted. Or you could build a system where data access is controlled by real-world events tracked on the blockchain.
And it doesn’t stop there.
You can build powerful data DAOs. Imagine communities collectively managing, curating, and monetizing valuable datasets. A DAO could maintain a vast database of verified scientific research, ensuring knowledge preservation and open access for future generations.
Then there’s AI. With Walrus, you can train AI models on trusted, verifiable data. This doesn’t just improve AI—it fundamentally changes how we trust and use AI in the future.
In business, Walrus enables entirely new models. You could create a service where users set up a payment mechanism for lifelong storage, with smart contracts automatically covering ongoing costs through transactions or yield farming.
Try doing that with AWS S3!
It’s important to remember: Walrus isn’t trying to compete with cloud services on price. Its strength lies in applications that require data provenance, decentralization, and unparalleled data coordination.
And it’s incredibly robust. Even if one-third of the network goes down, you can still read and write data. Try achieving that level of resilience with multiple centralized providers.
But to achieve this, a robust economic model is essential.
The Walrus Economic Model
Walrus operates on a Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) model powered by the WAL token.
Storage nodes that stake more WAL can participate more actively and manage more storage shards. Users can also delegate their WAL to nodes they trust.
If a node misbehaves—by not responding to challenges or failing to recover shards—it is penalized through slashing (loss of staked tokens). This creates strong incentives for nodes to invest in reliable technology and maintain high uptime.
Delegators, in turn, are motivated to choose the best nodes.
Storage resources are real, tradable assets on the Sui blockchain. Users can purchase storage for specific time periods, providing predictable income for storage providers.
A Storage Fund is also part of the ecosystem. When users buy storage, payments go into this fund, which is distributed to nodes at the end of each epoch. This structure aligns incentives between users and nodes, ensuring long-term network stability.
Pricing? Each epoch, nodes vote on storage prices. The system is designed to select a price acceptable to 2/3 of the nodes—functioning like a continuously adjusting fair market price.
When you combine all these elements, you get a fair, flexible, and value-backed system. It’s a全新的 way to manage and measure the value of data on the internet.
Walrus is the global democratic storage layer the internet deserves.
Let’s be clear:
There’s a lot of talk in this space—flashy whitepapers and big promises with little to show. At Mysten Labs, we don’t write fiction—we write code. We don’t just talk—we deliver.
And speaking of delivery, the Walrus testnet launched on October 17.
Exploring The Possibilities With Walrus
In Walrus, as in Sui, everything revolves around objects.
Walrus applies this concept to decentralized storage. Every piece of data you store becomes an object with a unique identity. This is a game-changer in how we think about and interact with data.
Developers can now create applications that treat each stored data item as an independent entity with unique attributes and behaviors.
For example, imagine a decentralized file-sharing system where every file is an object. You could program these objects to set specific access permissions, auto-delete after a certain time, or even interact with other objects in the system.
We are still in the early stages of exploring what this model can do.
👉 Explore the testnet opportunities today
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Walrus different from other decentralized storage solutions?
Walrus combines efficient data encoding with seamless blockchain integration through Sui. Unlike platforms that focus only on low cost or permanent storage, Walrus emphasizes programmability, scalability, and real-world usability.
How does Walrus ensure data durability and security?
Walrus uses a novel two-dimensional encoding algorithm called Red Stuff, which breaks data into redundant fragments. Even if multiple nodes fail, the original data can be recovered. Additionally, its economic model incentivizes honest node behavior through staking and slashing.
Can Walrus be used with blockchains other than Sui?
Walrus is designed to integrate natively with Sui’s high-speed infrastructure and object-centric model. While cross-chain functionality may be explored in the future, its current architecture is optimized for the Sui ecosystem.
What types of applications are best suited for Walrus?
Walrus is ideal for dApps requiring decentralized storage with high programmability—such as data DAOs, AI training platforms, content archives, and systems needing automated data management rules.
How can developers get started with Walrus?
Developers can participate in the Walrus testnet, experiment with storing and retrieving data, and integrate storage operations with Sui-based smart contracts. Detailed documentation and tutorials are available for onboarding.
Is Walrus compliant with data privacy regulations like GDPR?
By enabling programmable data management, Walrus allows developers to build compliance features—such as automated deletion or encryption—into their applications. However, specific compliance depends on implementation.
The Future Of Web3 Data: Built On Walrus
Ultimately, Walrus isn’t about competing with AWS or Google—and it’s not just about storing data. Through Walrus, we are laying the foundation for a more open, user-centric decentralized web.
The combination of Walrus and Sui empowers developers to build a new generation of decentralized applications that are more trustworthy, resilient, and interconnected than ever before.
This is a platform for innovation—and we are only beginning to tap into its potential.
As we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible, we believe we’ll see a wave of new applications and services that fundamentally change how we interact with the digital world.