This was a great space today on Spooks Labs with Greg Nazario and Pranav Raval, all about Shelby.
Here are some of the highlights from the transcript of the space:
What Is Shelby?
Shelby is Aptos Labs’ decentralized storage solution, designed for high-performance data needs like:
‣ Streaming video (YouTube/Netflix alternatives)
‣ AI inference workloads
‣ Decentralized content delivery
Why Shelby Was Built:
‣ Existing decentralized storage (like IPFS, Filecoin, Arweave) is too slow for real-time use.
‣ Web3 apps often rely on centralized storage, breaking decentralization.
‣ Shelby aims to match or exceed Web2 performance (like AWS S3) while staying decentralized.
How Shelby Works:
‣ Uses dedicated decentralized fiber networks via a partner (DoubleZero).
‣ Features a novel auditing protocol for data availability with low overhead.
‣ Leverages Aptos blockchain as the fast coordination layer (sub-500ms latency).
‣ Uses Clay codes for optimal storage & bandwidth efficiency.
‣ Includes battle-tested, high-performance software from @jump.
Unique Innovations:
‣ Charges for reads, not just writes:
‣ Incentivizes high-performance node operation.
‣ Attracts valuable data worth paying for.
‣ Expected to be cheaper than cloud providers over time with scale.
Use Cases Being Built:
‣ Decentralized YouTube/Netflix: Stream content based on NFT/token access.
‣ AI Data Marketplaces: Sell specialized datasets (e.g., nature photography).
‣ Model Benchmarking & Inference: Shelby will serve as a data layer for LLM & model testing.
‣ Photography/Creator Monetization: Ownership and direct monetization of content.
‣ Flashback Labs: Monetize anonymized personal data for AI training.
Developer Info:
‣ CLI + SDK already in private testing with partners.
‣ Form will open soon on https://shelby.xyz/ for early dev access.
‣ Shelby DevNet will be around the Aptos Experience timeline.
‣ Supports integration/migration from existing storage (like IPFS).
‣ Open for community-built migration tools and plugin layers.
Alpha Drops:
‣ Top-tier L1 blockchain wants to use Shelby as storage.
‣ A major Hollywood studio is building a streaming platform on Shelby.
‣ Entire Creator Economy platform is coming to Shelby (led by Aptos’ Andrew Hariri).
‣ Shelby will be cross-chain compatible, not just for Aptos.
Make sure to listen to the entire Spooks Labs space if you missed it !