Aptos Labs and Jump Crypto are working on a new decentralized storage project called Shelby, aiming to combine the openness of Web3 with the performance of traditional cloud giants like AWS and Google Cloud. Unlike existing decentralized storage networks such as Filecoin and Arweave — which mainly handle cold, archival data — Shelby promises hot storage: ultra-fast, low-latency access to large, frequently accessed datasets.
According to documents shared so far, Shelby’s architecture includes a dedicated fiber network for sub-second reads, micropayment channels for real-time monetization, and advanced erasure coding to keep storage costs low. The system also plans to reward data creators and storage node operators whenever data is accessed, potentially aligning incentives in a way traditional models don’t.
Shelby sees its main use cases in areas like AI pipelines, video streaming, gaming, and decentralized physical infrastructure networks, where speed and reliability are critical. Yet, despite its bold vision, the project remains in early development: there is no live network, testnet, or benchmarks yet. A limited developer devnet is scheduled for late 2025, with a public testnet and mainnet launch targeted for 2026.
Analysts highlight that many of Shelby’s ideas aren’t entirely new — such as erasure coding, micropayments, or private backbones — but integrating them into a single, crypto-native, high-speed storage layer is ambitious. Whether it can deliver truly decentralized performance without falling back on centralized solutions will be the real test.
If successful, Shelby could fill a key gap in Web3 infrastructure, especially as AI and data-driven apps demand faster, programmable, and censorship-resistant storage.