When mentioning a blockchain project, its native token is often the "heart" of the entire ecosystem. The Walrus protocol is no exception, and the importance of WAL tokens far exceeds expectations. It is not just a tradable "digital asset," but more like the engine, key, and pillar that drive this privacy storage network. To thoroughly understand Walrus, you need to first understand how WAL supports the three pillars of incentives, security, and governance.

Let's start with the most intuitive point—serving as the ecosystem's "fuel" and settlement tool. Any service on the network has costs, and Walrus is no different. Users need to pay for storing files, conducting privacy transactions, and calling various services, with WAL as the medium of settlement. You can think of it as tolls on a highway, guiding the rational allocation of resources and ensuring that all value exchanges (from storage service transactions to privacy transaction settlements) proceed smoothly and transparently.

Looking at security—this is a deeper meaning. To maintain stable operation, a decentralized network cannot rely solely on participants' enthusiasm; it must be supported by real economic incentives. Walrus employs a staking mechanism to ensure the network's security and reliability. Participants can stake their WAL tokens into the network, effectively using their assets to guarantee the network's stable operation. In return, stakers continuously earn WAL rewards. This mechanism is clever—it incentivizes more "loyal" nodes to diligently store data and honestly verify transactions, while also creating economic constraints against misconduct, because malicious behavior could result in the forfeiture of staked assets.