Walrus Storage

Upload files to Walrus, a decentralised network that stores "blobs" (files) and records their lifetime on Sui, and manage how long they are kept. Open the app at sui-walrus-storage.meddleware.co.uk, or use the Walrus Storage tab of the dashboard.

This page describes the tool on Sui testnet. Getting started says which networks are live.

What it is

Walrus spreads each file across many independent storage nodes, so no single party holds or controls it. In the app you connect a wallet, upload a file, and get back a blob ID (the file's permanent name on Walrus) and a link to read it. Later you can list the blobs your wallet owns and extend their storage.

When to use it

• You need file storage that does not depend on one company, addressed by a stable ID.
• You are storing media, documents or datasets for an app or an NFT.
• You want to store encrypted content: Sealed Storage uses Walrus underneath.

It is not a free, permanent drive. Storage is paid for and time-limited, and files are public unless you encrypt them first.

Blobs expire

Walrus storage is time-limited

A blob is stored for a number of epochs, Walrus's unit of time. On mainnet an epoch is about two weeks. When the paid period ends the network may delete the blob. To keep a file, extend it before it expires: the My Blobs tab does this, and flags a blob as Expiring soon.

More epochs means a longer life and a higher price. One upload can reserve up to 53 epochs; you reach longer lifetimes by extending later. The app shows the cost before you confirm.

Permanent or deletable

When you upload you choose Permanent (the default) or untick it for a deletable blob.

• Permanent: nobody, including you, can remove it before it expires. If you upload the same file again, the app notices and offers to extend the copy you already have instead.
• Deletable: you can remove the blob early and reclaim the unused storage.

What you pay

You need two coins in your wallet:

• WAL, Walrus's storage token, pays for the storage. It depends on the file size and the number of epochs.
• SUI pays the network fee ("gas") and, through Meddleware's relay, a small relay fee. Meddleware's relay may also require a pass.

See Fees for the figures and who receives each part.

Meddleware's relay and the public relay

Your browser cannot write to Walrus directly, so uploads go through an upload relay.

• Meddleware's relay is what the app uses by default. On testnet it is pass-gated: you need an access pass, which the app sells you on the spot if you have none (see the walkthrough). A small relay fee (a "tip") goes with each upload, and the app never pays more than a fixed ceiling.
• The public Walrus relay is a fallback. The app uses it only if Meddleware's relay is not configured or is not responding. While Meddleware's relay is up, a wallet without a pass is asked to buy one and is not sent to the public relay.

Either way the file ends up on the same Walrus network.

What you get back

After an upload you see Uploaded with the Blob ID, a URL from which anyone can read the file, and the certification transaction. Keep the blob ID: it is how you, or anyone, reads the file back. See the reference for the details.

Next

• Walkthrough: upload, view and extend blobs step by step.
• Reference: limits, costs and the messages you may see.