We perform transfers, mint NFTs, and deploy smart contracts on the blockchain every day, but there's a rarely asked question: behind those hash values representing your asset ownership, where do the actual files, data, and content truly reside?

The reality is a bit awkward. In most cases, they are stored in centralized cloud services like AWS, Google Cloud, or hosted by some restricted storage protocols. It's like buying a house and obtaining a decentralized ownership certificate, but handing the keys over to a third party for safekeeping—that sounds a bit absurd, right?

That's why projects like Walrus exist. It’s not just another storage solution; it aims to fundamentally redefine the position of data in Web3. Specifically, it wants to become the "persistent memory layer" for smart contracts. Developers can write applications that, like manipulating on-chain state, reliably and verifiably store data into a decentralized network—no need to worry about a cloud service suddenly crashing or being censored.

What does this change? From a user experience perspective, it shifts how we perceive the current "semi-decentralized" state when using DApps. Some data is on-chain, some off-chain, and this split has become commonplace. But if Walrus is widely adopted, users might no longer need to think about these distinctions—everything is stored and verified through the same trusted layer.

The $WAL token plays a crucial role in this system. Paying for storage and retrieval is a fundamental function, but it also participates in node incentives, resource allocation, and even governance voting. This means that "long-term storage" is no longer just a technical issue but is integrated into a complete economic cycle.