Skip to main content

​
Decentralized Storage (Walrus & Seal)

For most file sizes and use cases, you won’t notice a significant difference. Walrus uses caching and content delivery optimization to ensure fast retrieval. Very large files may take slightly longer to upload due to the erasure coding process, but the difference is typically seconds, not minutes.
Walrus’s erasure coding means your file can be fully reconstructed even if up to two-thirds of the slivers become unavailable. As long as one-third of slivers remain accessible, your data is recoverable. The network continuously monitors node availability and can reconstruct data from remaining slivers if needed.
Walrus achieves cloud-grade reliability with 4-5x redundancy instead of the 100x+ required by full replication. The erasure coding approach means your data survives even if most storage nodes fail, providing resilience that surpasses traditional single-provider cloud storage.
Your encrypted files remain stored on Walrus, which operates independently of Zark. Access recovery depends on how you’ve configured your access policies. If you’ve set up access tied to your own wallet or keys (rather than only through Zark-managed credentials), you can access your files directly through Walrus and Seal, even without Zark.
Yes. Since your files are stored on Walrus independently, you can access them through any Walrus-compatible application. For Seal-encrypted files, you’ll need access to the same wallet or credentials used to set up the encryption.
No. Seal’s client-side encryption means your files are encrypted in your browser before they’re ever transmitted. Zark’s servers only ever see encrypted data. We don’t have access to the decryption keys, and the Seal key servers won’t release keys to us unless the access policy explicitly grants us access (which it doesn’t by default).
Any file type that works with Zark works with Walrus. Documents, spreadsheets, images, videos, audio files, datasets, code, archives—Walrus treats everything the same way.
Yes. You can move files from standard Zark storage to Walrus at any time. Zark handles the encryption (if enabled) and upload process. The file remains accessible in your workspace, with the same interface, just with different underlying storage.
No. Seal encryption is optional. You can store files on Walrus without encryption for public or non-sensitive data. Seal encryption is recommended for sensitive files requiring access control.
Pricing reflects storage duration and size. Zark handles all technical details and bills you in standard currency based on your usage. Pricing is competitive with traditional cloud storage, especially considering the enhanced resilience and ownership benefits.
No. You pay for what you use, with pricing based on storage size and duration. There are no minimum commitments or upfront costs.
Walrus achieves similar reliability with less redundancy, making pricing competitive with traditional cloud storage. The enhanced resilience, ownership guarantees, and censorship resistance provide additional value beyond just storage costs.
Files are broken into pieces and distributed across multiple storage nodes. Even if some nodes fail, your file can be reconstructed from the remaining pieces, achieving high reliability with minimal redundancy. For more technical details, see Architecture & Data Flow.
Key management is distributed across multiple independent servers. No single party can decrypt your data unilaterally. Keys are only released after verifying that access policies are satisfied. For more technical details, see Security, Encryption & Access Control.

​
Storage Limits & Retention

If you exceed your subscribed storage plan limits, files may be subject to retention policies. Files exceeding plan limits may be deleted using LIFO (Last-In-First-Out) after 30 days unless you upgrade your plan. To ensure uninterrupted access to your data, upgrade your plan or reduce storage usage within 30 days.
Storage usage is displayed in your account settings. Monitor your usage regularly to ensure you remain within your plan limits and avoid potential data deletion.