2026-01-16 19:24:25

Once high-performance public blockchains are truly operational, the bottleneck is often not performance itself, but whether they can run continuously and stably. When an application goes live and starts serving real users, data growth becomes uncontrollable. Complexity skyrockets, and the frequency of state updates sharply increases. At this point, the problem arises—relying solely on on-chain storage is simply not sustainable.

The emergence of infrastructure projects at the data layer has a clear background: a large amount of data cannot be stored on-chain, which is a consensus. But the contradiction lies in not losing trustworthiness. On-chain data cannot verify off-chain data, and as application scale increases, risks become more concentrated. How to break this dilemma?

From a technical perspective, the solution is division of labor. On-chain only needs to judge data results, without storing all the details. This model may not show its value in the early stages of application development, and might even seem redundant. But when concurrency explodes, and business complexity and user volume surge simultaneously, it becomes an essential requirement.

This is also why the value of such data layer components has little to do with any particular popular application; instead, it depends on whether the entire ecosystem has entered a scale-up phase. Once a tipping point is reached, they shift from optional technical solutions to indispensable prerequisites for the system.

Currently, the public chain ecosystem is still in the stage of rapidly deploying applications. But when this phase passes and the system begins to pursue stability and scalability, the true value of data layer infrastructure will gradually emerge. By then, its irreplaceability will no longer be theoretical but a reality.

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FOMOSapien

· 13h ago

You're right, we're still in the application development stage, and many people haven't realized the severity of this issue. When the explosion happens one day, we'll know, and the value of the data layer will then be apparent. Isn't this a typical case of infrastructure being underestimated? When no one is using it, it's considered redundant; once in use, you'll regret not investing earlier. It sounds like laying the groundwork for certain projects, but the logic is indeed solid. The division of labor approach is good, and the contradiction between on-chain verification and off-chain data is truly difficult to solve; this perspective is quite fresh. Trustworthiness will always be a hurdle; it's easy to talk about division of labor, but how many projects are truly implemented? Right now, we're still betting on ecosystem development. When the inflection point truly arrives, this kind of infrastructure will surge wildly. I can't quite understand who the real winner is here; it seems better to wait until real business volume comes in.

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LiquidationSurvivor

· 13h ago

Knowing early that the data layer is a necessity, why are so many chains still running naked? --- When the ecosystem truly gets going, you'll realize you didn't lay the infrastructure properly and regret it. --- To put it simply, it's still a matter of time. It seems useless now, but later you'll be begging the data layer for help. --- That's why I am optimistic about the data layer track, not because it's popular now, but because it can't be avoided later. --- The contradiction of on-chain verification of off-chain data... it feels like current solutions are still patching things up. --- How crazy will it get when the inflection point truly arrives? At that time, the valuation of infrastructure projects like these will skyrocket. --- We're still in the application deployment stage, so the necessity of the data layer isn't obvious yet and can easily be overlooked. --- Performance isn't the bottleneck; rather, stability is critical. This point is rarely discussed enough.

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SelfCustodyIssues

· 13h ago

That's right. Most projects are still in the self-congratulatory stage. Only when they have real volume will they understand what despair truly means. --- Data layer stuff... No one cared in the early days, and now few pay attention. You have to wait until it explodes to regret it. --- Hardcore, revealing the truth of this industry. Not everything can be on the chain. --- Actually, the core is just one sentence: the bottleneck is not technology, but whether we can survive tomorrow. --- The idea of division of labor is not wrong, but the premise is that the ecosystem can really get off the ground. Right now, it doesn't seem likely. --- It sounds a bit like an infrastructure story, but whether such projects can survive the bear market is also uncertain. --- The theory is perfect, but reality hits back. By the time you really need it, it's already too late. --- I agree, but the question is, who will pay for this infrastructure? Application providers simply don't want to pay this bill.

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SchrodingerPrivateKey

· 13h ago

You're right, these days everyone is hyping performance too much. The real challenge is stability. It's the same old story; it wasn't obvious in the early days, but once the user base grows, you'll be stunned. The data layer is indeed a necessity, but the market hasn't fully realized it yet. For the ecosystem to truly take off, infrastructure is the key. If I had known it would turn out this way, why didn't I plan ahead?

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SellLowExpert

· 13h ago

That's right, we're still in the land-grabbing phase; the real test is yet to come. Only when the chain is truly full will we know who is swimming naked. Data layer stuff is just forced out; early on, no one really cared. The turning point is when infrastructure like this can turn around; it's still too early. Performance isn't the bottleneck? That's a fresh perspective; I thought everyone was still competing over TPS. Basically, it's about how on-chain and off-chain collaboration works; trustworthiness is the hardest part. Currently, those buying these projects are betting on the turning point—it's a bit reckless.

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Ser_APY_2000

· 13h ago

In plain terms, it's only when a large number of users arrive that you'll know who is truly useful. TPS is hyped up endlessly, but when data explodes, everything collapses. This division of labor pattern really can't be seen through right now. Wait and see, in the end, it still depends on these underlying infrastructures.

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