Something to Think About (SuiNS/Walrus)

General
1

I recently started building on Sui, and the project is called Walpress. It’s designed to be decentralized from top to bottom and built with censorship-resistance in mind—something still uncommon in most user-facing applications today. That’s made possible thanks to the architecture provided by Mysten Labs and the Sui blockchain.

Here’s the stack:

  • Sui handles authentication.
  • Walrus handles data and storage.
  • SuiNS brings in the identity layer.

All these layers snap together like LEGO, and just like that, you’ve got a framework where no single entity can shut things down or gatekeep users.

Now… Something to Think About

Let’s look at how most Web2 hosting services actually make money. Here’s the simplified breakdown:

1. Hosting Fees (a.k.a. Reselling Infra)

A good number of platforms profit off hosting fees. Technically, Walpress is a reseller right now, since we don’t currently run a storage node on Walrus. That opens up a path where Walpress can charge a small service fee on top of the blob storage fee. That means whenever a user deploys something through the app, Walpress can take a tiny cut. It’s like how you pay extra when hosting via a third-party provider instead of spinning your own infra.

2. Domain Registration (Registrar Model)

Let’s break this one down.

What’s a registrar?
It’s an entity allowed to sell and manage domain names — think GoDaddy or Namecheap. They operate as middlemen between you and the root of the internet (ICANN, Verisign, etc.).

Now, apply that to SuiNS — technically, Walpress is also acting as a registrar, since users can register a .sui name via the app and link it to their blob ID (which hosts their site or app).

Here’s the idea:
Companies like GoDaddy make their money on the margin between what they pay registries like Verisign and what they charge users. SuiNS could do the same thing — and should.

It’s something I’d love to see discussed in forums:
SuiNS should create a registrar category, which would let projects like Walpress become official identity vendors. It gives builders a financial incentive to help grow the SuiNS ecosystem.

Yes, grants are great, and I’m not against taking one — but we’d also like to be able to make sustainable revenue from people buying identities via Walpress and linking them to their onchain content.

How Could a Registrar Model Work on SuiNS?

Two paths come to mind:

a) Discount Code Approach

Not a literal discount code — more like a tag attached to every domain purchase via an approved registrar. Every time an ID is bought, the full fee (say, $10) is charged to the user. The difference between the base fee and full price is credited back to the registrar’s wallet.

b) Smart Contract Registrar

This is cleaner and more decentralized.
SuiNS sets a base registrar fee (maybe $5 per ID for all purchases coming from a registrar). Then the registrar (e.g., Walpress) can add any markup on top — $7, $9, $10 — whatever fits their business model.

This way, everyone wins:

  • Users still get access to IDs.
  • Registrars can earn.
  • SuiNS drives adoption without bottlenecking identity sales.

Let’s Push It Further

Here’s a bigger idea:
What if SuiNS got a .sui domain from ICANN?

Imagine if SuiNS became the official registry of .sui domains. Then, whenever you register a .ns onchain, and link it to a Walrus blob ID, you also get www.name.sui.

Let that sink in.

Instead of deploying your site to something like sitename.wal.app, you get sitename.sui. That’s powerful. It gives your dApp or site a clean, trustworthy, human-readable domain — onchain. And it brings that full Web3 domain story to life.

But this needs coordination between SuiNS and Walrus to align incentives and infrastructure. There’s a lot to figure out, but the vision is there — and it’s within reach.

TL;DR

This is the new frontier.
The Web3 web — not just decentralized hosting, but native identity, monetization, and ownership.

I’m here for the ride.

Shameless Plug:

You can check out Walpress here:
:globe_showing_europe_africa: https://walpress.wal.app

We’ve got a MacOS app that lets you:
:white_check_mark: Build a site
:white_check_mark: Register a SuiNS ID
:white_check_mark: Deploy the site
:white_check_mark: Link it to your ID — all in one flow.

Right now, it’s a POC and Hackathon project — but it works.
We’re aiming to release a Pro version at the OceanDAO Summit in July — web and mobile versions coming soon.

I also write sometimes. You can find my blog here:
:open_book: https://flarcos.wal.app

Stay curious.

1 Like