When it comes to Walrus, many people's first reaction is to associate it with Filecoin, Arweave, or IPFS. But if you broaden your perspective and look closely, you'll find that these projects address fundamentally different problems and each take their own unique approach. Let's analyze Walrus's true positioning from five angles—don't just focus on whether it's "expensive" or not; the key is whether it can truly enable data to run on the chain.

**Architectural Logic: Data as "Object" or "Tail"?**

IPFS is essentially a content addressing mechanism, without an inherent economic incentive layer; Filecoin and Arweave, while built on complete storage networks, are independent blockchains. To enable data and smart contract interaction, additional bridging is required. Walrus's approach is different—it treats data (Blob) as something directly referenceable on the chain, allowing contracts to point to, manage, and verify it directly. This may sound like a detail, but it actually integrates data into the blockchain's programmable system, rather than strictly separating on-chain logic and storage.

**Token Design: One-Time Transaction or Continuous Consumption?**

Most storage tokens follow a pattern of one-off payments or rely on mining rewards to sustain the ecosystem. Walrus envisions a cycle of "use → spend → stake": each storage use continuously generates economic activity, with staking and penalty mechanisms ensuring long-term node reliability. In other words, the token's value is more tightly coupled with actual storage demand, and its long-term value depends more on real usage than on issuance schedules.

**Ecosystem Collaboration: Deep Integration or Loose Connection?**

Most other storage solutions tend to operate as "their own chain," with relatively passive ecosystem integration. Walrus, on the other hand, is designed from the ground up to deeply bind with various application chains and Layer 2 solutions, making its storage service a foundational infrastructure for other chains. It's not just about storing files but about becoming part of the entire Web3 infrastructure.