Unlike many blockchains that struggle to store anything larger than a tiny text file, Walrus uses a proprietary technology called Red Stuff (a 2D erasure coding algorithm). This allows it to:
Store Massive Files: It can handle gigabytes and terabytes of unstructured data ("blobs") efficiently.
Reduce Costs: It claims to be up to 100x cheaper than competitors like Filecoin because it doesn't require every node to store a full copy of the data.
High Resilience: Even if up to two-thirds of the storage nodes go offline, the network can still reconstruct your original file instantly.
Real-Life Use Cases for
In the Walrus ecosystem, the $WAL coin has four concrete functions that drive its value:
Storage Payment: Just like a subscription, you pay in $WAL to store data for a specific duration (up to 2 years, with options to extend).
Node Incentives: Storage providers #walrus for proving they are actually holding your data safely.
Governance: Holders vote on network parameters, such as storage pricing and security settings.
Programmable Assets: Because it’s built on Sui, stored data (like an NFT image) is a "smart object." A developer can write a contract that automatically deletes a file when a game ends or updates a file when a user changes their profile.
