@Walrus 🦭/acc #walrus $WAL

Walrus is more than a decentralized storage network — it is a full operational ecosystem where infrastructure providers play an active role in governance, upgrades, and economic participation. For storage node operators, running infrastructure isn’t just about serving data; it also involves managing permissions, commissions, and protocol evolution in a secure and structured way.

A key design principle is separation of responsibilities. The wallet used for day-to-day node operations does not need to control sensitive actions like contract upgrades or withdrawing earned commissions. Instead, operators can assign dedicated authorized entities for governance and commission management. These can be secure wallets or specific capability objects, allowing critical permissions to stay off the node machine itself. This reduces risk and aligns with best practices for operational security.

Commission handling is built to be flexible and transparent. Operators can designate where their rewards are sent and update the authorized receiver when needed. Whether using command-line tools or a web interface, the system ensures that only properly authorized entities can make these changes. Once an authorization is set, control remains strictly with that designated address or object, reinforcing the importance of secure key management.

Governance in Walrus follows a quorum-based upgrade process. Proposed protocol changes are shared openly, and node operators participate by reviewing the upgrade package, computing a digest, and casting votes. Only after sufficient consensus is reached can an upgrade be finalized. This prevents unilateral control and ensures that infrastructure providers collectively safeguard the network’s evolution.

When an upgrade is approved, the transition to the new version is handled in an orderly way, including any required migrations of system components. Operators use dedicated tooling to execute these steps, keeping the process consistent across the network.