The Data Storage Battle in the Sui Ecosystem: Walrus vs Irys

Walrus and Irys are both committed to solving the problem of reliable data storage on the blockchain, but they adopt different design philosophies. Irys is a Layer 1 blockchain specifically designed for data storage, integrating storage, execution, and consensus into one. Walrus, on the other hand, is a modular storage network built on top of Sui, relying on Sui for coordination and settlement.

This article provides an objective comparison of the two from six dimensions:

1. Protocol Architecture

Irys adopts a vertically integrated monolithic architecture, where validation nodes are responsible for data storage, contract execution, and network security. The advantage is high consistency, but the startup cost is relatively high.

Walrus adopts a modular overlay design, with storage nodes operating off-chain, while Sui is responsible for ordering and payment. The advantage is the rapid integration of the existing ecosystem, but cross-layer coordination is required.

2. Token Economics and Incentive Mechanisms

Irys uses a single token, IRYS, to unify payment fees and rewards, simplifying the user experience, but concentrating the risk.

Walrus adopts a dual-token model of WAL and SUI, achieving economic risk separation, but it requires managing two market systems.

3. Data Persistence and Redundancy Strategies

Walrus uses erasure codes to achieve about 5 times redundancy, which is space-efficient but complex to implement.

Irys adopts a conservative strategy with 10 complete replicas, which is simple in logic but incurs high storage overhead.

4. Programmable Data and On-Chain Computation

Irys natively supports contracts to directly read on-chain data, suitable for complex data processing scenarios.

Walrus adopts a "verify before compute" model, achieving simplicity but with certain limitations.

5. Storage Duration and Permanence

Walrus offers a pay-as-you-go rental model, flexible but requires regular renewals.

Irys supports a one-time payment "permanent storage" option, suitable for long-term data but with high initial costs.

6. Network Maturity and Usage

Walrus has reached PB-level storage scale, with multiple high-traffic projects adopting it.

Irys is still in its early stages, with limited storage capacity and user base.

Both solutions have their pros and cons, and developers need to weigh their choices based on their own needs. In the future, they are likely to develop in parallel within the expanding on-chain data economy, serving different types of application scenarios.