Mysten Labs launches the Walrus protocol, leading a new direction in Decentralization storage.

Mysten Labs is preparing to venture into a new area - the Walrus protocol, following the successful launch of the Sui network and the DeepBook protocol. Although there are many protocols in the decentralized storage market, Walrus has attracted widespread attention due to its unique advantages:

1. Cost-effectiveness and security: Walrus is more cost-effective and secure than existing storage solutions.
2. Programmability: It allows the stored data to be programmed through the Sui network.

As one of the most advanced decentralized storage protocols, the future applications and value of Walrus are worth looking forward to.

The Uniqueness of Walrus

To understand the value of Walrus, we need to explore its differences from existing decentralized storage solutions. Walrus surpasses existing storage models in three main aspects:

storage cost efficiency

Walrus uses Red-Stuff encoding, demonstrating higher efficiency than Arweave and Filecoin, with costs as low as 1/100 of theirs. At the same time, the probability of data loss is significantly reduced. Walrus combines the advantages of Arweave and Filecoin by maintaining low replication costs and minimizing the risk of data loss.

In addition, the network structure of Walrus reduces the burden on each node as the number of nodes increases, which stands in stark contrast to Arweave. This structural difference makes Walrus's storage cost efficiency far superior to that of its competitors.

Programmability

The most notable feature of Walrus is its "programmability". Traditional storage is merely a simple data warehouse, while Walrus achieves programmable Decentralization storage through the Sui network, granting more functionality to the stored data.

For example, when minting an NFT, the image file can be stored in Walrus and its blob data object can be created on the Sui network, linked to the NFT object. This addresses the traditional NFT "incomplete" issue, making NFTs created through Walrus true Web3 assets.

Additionally, since Walrus's blob data can be stored as Sui objects and controlled through Sui's Move smart contracts, the smart contracts can transfer the stored data to other users or automatically change ownership. This programmability is a significant advantage of Walrus.

Data Access and Deletion

Unlike existing storage protocols, Walrus allows users to modify or delete their data when needed. Although this feature may raise concerns about blockchain immutability, it is important to note that what is deleted in Walrus is blob data, while transaction data unrelated to it remains unchanged, thus not affecting the integrity of the blockchain.

This flexibility greatly enhances Walrus's application potential in traditional enterprises and Web2 companies, bringing more expectations for its market diversity.

Collaboration between Walrus and the Sui Network

Walrus should not be seen as decentralizing attention on Sui, but rather as a refinement of the storage stack for applications on Sui. 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 during the early design phase of Sui. Sui's unique storage fund concept addresses the sustainability of on-chain data storage. However, large-scale blob data on-chain storage still poses a significant burden. Walrus enables programmability of data by storing large-scale blob data and managing it object-oriented on Sui, without directly storing it on Sui.

The impact of Walrus on SUI

The use of Walrus will lead to more SUI being locked in the storage fund, creating a virtuous cycle. As the usage of Walrus increases, the circulation of SUI will decrease, which may make SUI a deflationary asset.

Future Outlook of Walrus

Walrus is not limited to the Sui ecosystem; it may become a strong alternative to existing storage protocols and could even replace other DA layers. This broad application prospect may expand the demand for SUI beyond the Sui network, enhancing the appeal of SUI.

Considering the efficient operational mechanism, unique features, and existing network foundation of Walrus, it has the potential to become a leading protocol in the storage field, even surpassing Filecoin. If Walrus can become the representative storage protocol of Web3 as envisioned by Mysten Labs, it will occupy an important position in the Decentralization storage field.