Walrus Decentralized Storage
Decentralized blob storage protocol on Sui, priced in USD terms and paid in the WAL token.
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Walrus key facts
| Category | Decentralized storage |
|---|---|
| Chains | Sui |
| Platforms | CLI, SDK, API |
| Pricing | $0.023/GB/month, paid in WAL, billed on encoded size (about 4.5x plus 64 MB per blob); SUI gas extra |
| Token | WAL, max supply 5,000,000,000 |
| Company | Created by Mysten Labs; ecosystem supported by Walrus Foundation |
| Open source | Apache-2.0 |
| US availability | Available: terms restrict only sanctioned jurisdictions |
WAL token
- Price
- $0.0284 +1.8% 24h
- Market cap
- $76M
- Fully diluted value
- $142.2M
- 30-day change
- -23.9%
Market data: CoinGecko, updated Nov 9, 2026. Educational content, not financial advice.
What is Walrus?
Walrus is a decentralized blob storage protocol built on Sui by Mysten Labs. Storage is paid in WAL but priced at a fixed $0.023/GB/month, billed on encoded size, which is about 4.5x the original plus 64 MB of metadata per blob. WAL has a max supply of 5,000,000,000; transactions also cost SUI gas.
How Walrus works
Walrus stores data as blobs, immutable arrays of bytes, and binds each one to a Blob object on Sui.
Every blob is erasure-coded into slivers spread across all shards. A Sui smart contract assigns shards to storage nodes for each storage epoch, which lasts two weeks on Mainnet. The system assumes more than two thirds of shards are held by honest nodes and tolerates up to one third being faulty or malicious.
Storing a blob takes up to three Sui transactions: reserve_space to buy a storage resource, registering the blob, and certifying it as available. The BlobCertified event records the epoch until which the blob is guaranteed available, and a light client proof of that event serves as proof of availability. WAL paid into the storage fund is split across the purchased epochs and paid to nodes at each epoch's end based on light audits they run on each other.
How to start with Walrus
- The docs recommend starting on Testnet, where tokens are free.
- Install suiup, run suiup install sui and suiup install walrus, point the client at Testnet, get free Testnet SUI and swap some for WAL, then store and read a blob.
- Mainnet has no public unauthenticated publisher, so for production you run a private authenticated publisher, use an upload relay or integrate the TypeScript SDK.
- Walrus Sites let you publish static websites with the site-builder CLI.
Walrus fees and limits
- Small files are costly: 600 files of 10 KiB stored separately bill as about 38.4 GB, while batching them with Walrus Quilt measured a 409x saving on Testnet.
Beyond the WAL storage price, registering a blob costs a WAL upload fee, and each Sui transaction costs SUI gas. Creating Blob objects also deposits SUI into the Sui storage fund, most of which is refunded when you delete them. Run walrus store --dry-run to see the encoded size first.
Risks to know before using Walrus
- All blobs uploaded to Walrus are publicly available, so encrypt anything private before you upload it.
- Testnet does not guarantee persistence and can wipe data without warning.
- Walrus Sites serve static files only, with no backends, databases or server-side rendering.
- A read of a blob with an inconsistency proof, meaning the uploader encoded it incorrectly, returns nothing.
Walrus usage
From DefiLlama (fees users paid), updated Nov 9, 2026.
Walrus alternatives
Other projects people compare with Walrus.
Permanent data storage network where uploaders pay once into an endowment that funds miners over time.
Peer-to-peer storage network where clients pay providers who post collateral and prove storage cryptographically.
Decentralized cloud storage network where renters contract with independent hosts and pay in Siacoin.
S3-compatible object storage that spreads encrypted data across tens of thousands of independent storage nodes.
Where Walrus ranks on DappAtlas
Walrus pros and cons
- Fixed USD-denominated price of $0.023/GB/month
- Storage bought for a set number of epochs, with extensions
- Code is open source under Apache 2.0
- Billed on encoded size, about 4.5x the file plus 64 MB per blob
- Needs both WAL for storage and SUI for gas
Walrus FAQ
What is Walrus?
Walrus is a decentralized blob storage protocol built on Sui by Mysten Labs. Storage is paid in WAL but priced at a fixed $0.023/GB/month, billed on encoded size, which is about 4.5x the original plus 64 MB of metadata per blob. WAL has a max supply of 5,000,000,000; transactions also cost SUI gas.
Which chains does Walrus support?
Sui.
How much does Walrus cost?
$0.023/GB/month, paid in WAL, billed on encoded size (about 4.5x plus 64 MB per blob); SUI gas extra, according to Walrus’s own page (checked Sep 26, 2026).
How much do users pay Walrus in fees?
$2,612 over the last 30 days, according to DefiLlama on Nov 9, 2026.
Does Walrus have a token?
Yes, WAL. Its market cap was $76M on CoinGecko on Nov 9, 2026. Educational content, not financial advice.
Is Walrus available in the US?
Available: terms restrict only sanctioned jurisdictions, according to Walrus’s own page (checked Sep 26, 2026).
Sources
How this page works
Sources: Walrus: official site, Walrus Docs: Storage costs, Walrus: WAL token. Data as of Sep 26, 2026.
Not affiliated with any project listed. Educational content, not financial advice.