Aptos Labs is partnering with Jump Crypto to launch Shelby: a high-performance, decentralized hot storage network challenging traditional cloud services

2025-06-25 10:13

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Metaplex、Story Protocol、DoubleZero 和Pipe Network等已率先关注，Shelby将为流媒体、AI与实时内容提供具备云端速度的去中心化存储解决方案

Source: Aptos Labs

Aptos Labs and Jump Crypto today jointly announced Shelby, an independent hot storage network and protocol designed for continuous, high-frequency Web3 application scenarios. Shelby combines a high-performance node network, dedicated fiber backbone, and on-chain programmable architecture, aiming to provide decentralized storage support for real-time applications such as video streaming, AI data pipelines, social networks, and DePIN, while delivering cloud-level performance and maintaining full decentralization.

Currently, over 82.5% of global internet traffic comes from video and live content, and traditional cloud services struggle to meet real-time requirements, leaving developers locked into closed systems. Shelby will offer a new on-chain path: achieving cloud-like performance through decentralized hot storage protocol while ensuring all data flows are on-chain verifiable, allowing developers to build next-generation applications without compromise.

Shelby is the result of deep collaboration between two major forces in the current Web3 space, Aptos Labs and Jump Crypto. Multiple Aptos Labs engineers previously participated in expansion work on platforms like Instagram at Meta and are currently building consumer-grade blockchain infrastructure for Shelby to achieve rapid coordination, flexible logic, and plug-and-play capabilities. At the same time, the Jump Crypto team, as one of the most active infrastructure builders in the digital asset industry, leveraging their experience in real-time systems and high-speed trading, provides Shelby with low-latency read/write and parallel data stream support. By utilizing the economic model of Web3 and the speed of Web2 to achieve large-scale data services, Shelby integrates cutting-edge Web3 and Web2 technological advantages, poised to bring a new data storage vertical to the market.

Balancing the flexibility of Web3 with the economic model while achieving the performance of Web2 has always been a common challenge for leading projects. Decentralized storage has often meant "cold," slow, and static, suitable for archiving but difficult to meet real-time demands. Shelby has created a new data primitive for this: a "hot," programmable storage system that supports streaming, native monetization, and evolves with usage. This will bring sub-second read speeds, enforceable access control logic, and dynamic pricing capabilities.

Operating Mechanism of Shelby

Shelby will operate on a network composed of globally high-performance servers connected by a dedicated fiber backbone and supplemented with edge caching, enabling sub-second content access in large-scale scenarios.

Its architecture supports usage-based billing, token-based access control, tipping mechanism, DRM permission protection, and permission management defined by smart contracts, all without performance loss. Shelby leverages the Aptos main chain's 600-millisecond finality, 30,000 TPS throughput, and a mere $0.000005 Gas fee per transaction.

Although Aptos serves as the protocol's native coordination layer, Shelby is designed as a multi-chain compatible system that will eventually support mainstream ecosystems such as Ethereum and Solana.

Aptos Labs CEO Avery Ching stated:

"Shelby represents the next chapter in decentralized infrastructure. It is not only faster and more flexible but also opens up an entirely new category of real-time applications that can scale across chains, empowering developers and creators to truly control their data and economic models."

Jump Crypto Investment Lead Saurabh Sharma said:

"Through Shelby, we aim to break the 'speed versus centralization' dichotomy. Shelby achieves native scalable high-speed data transmission, on-chain permission logic, and content monetization. This is not just a breakthrough in the Web3 space but a redefinition of the entire internet."

Key scenarios supported by Shelby include:

· Streaming services: Creators can deploy pay-per-view live streaming or premium video-on-demand services without cold storage delays;

· On-chain data: Serving as a decentralized data source for indexers and block snapshots;

· AI Data Marketplace: Training datasets always available without frequent uploads/downloads, supporting versioning;

· DePIN and social networks: Sensor data and user-generated content can be updated in real-time, empowering decentralized social interactions and on-chain metrics;

Projects from both Web2 and Web3 ecosystems such as Metaplex, Story Protocol, DoubleZero, and Pipe will delve into Shelby, showcasing the market's strong demand for cross-chain real-time infrastructure and the continuous growth of the Aptos ecosystem's influence.

The Developer Exclusive Testnet (Devnet) is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of 2025, followed by a public test network rollout. Shelby will support Aptos, Ethereum, Solana chains, and plans to further expand to other modular ecosystems.

Shelby is not just a new entity, but also a paradigmatic evolution of infrastructure, symbolizing the future integration of Web3 and Web2, a new data layer oriented towards speed, scalability, and a sustainable economic model.