Walrus | WAL

Overview

Walrus (WAL) is the native token of the Walrus decentralized data storage and availability protocol, built within the Sui ecosystem. The project enables applications to store and retrieve large files, including media, archives, and AI datasets, without placing all file data directly on a blockchain. Walrus distributes encoded data across storage nodes and uses verification mechanisms to support data availability. WAL is used within the protocol for storage payments, staking-related network participation, and governance. The network is designed to support decentralized applications that need scalable, verifiable data infrastructure, including Web3 services and data-intensive AI applications. Walrus is a decentralized storage and data availability protocol designed to make large files usable by blockchain-based applications. Rather than recording entire files directly on-chain, it stores data across a distributed network while using Sui-based objects and proofs to support verification and management. The protocol uses an erasure-coding approach known as Red Stuff to divide data into encoded fragments distributed across storage nodes. This architecture is intended to maintain data recoverability without requiring every node to store a complete copy of every file. Walrus supports use cases such as decentralized websites, media storage, data availability for blockchain applications, and AI datasets. WAL is the protocol's native token. Its utility includes paying for storage, supporting staking and network participation, and enabling governance. The Walrus mainnet launched in March 2025, bringing production storage and retrieval capabilities to the network. Walrus has also become relevant to AI data infrastructure. On October 12, 2026, Sui Foundation announced that DATA Network and its Trace registry would join the Sui ecosystem, with Walrus serving as the default storage layer for DATA Foundation applications. This integration is an announced ecosystem development; its full implementation and effects should be distinguished from capabilities already operating on mainnet.

Project features

• Decentralized large-file storage
• Erasure-coded data distribution
• Red Stuff encoding
• Data availability support
• Sui ecosystem integration
• WAL storage payments
• WAL staking and delegation
• WAL governance participation
• Decentralized website hosting
• AI dataset storage use cases
• Verifiable data integrity
• Distributed storage-node architecture