Aptos Labs and Jump Crypto launch Shelby, a decentralized hot-storage protocol built for speed

Aptos Labs has joined forces with Jump Crypto to unveil Shelby, a new decentralized hot-storage protocol designed to support real-time, high-throughput web3 applications, according to a Tuesday announcement.

Storage is broken. Big Tech controls data. Web3 can’t rely on Web2 infra. It ends now.@ShelbyServes, Web3’s 1st cloud-grade infra, by @jump_ @AptosLabs.
Decentralized, monetizable storage for data-rich apps.

Hot by design. Chain-agnostic. Incentivized.https://t.co/5upCfuzVT5 pic.twitter.com/4CRT0jI1iB

— Aptos (@Aptos) June 24, 2025

Built for nonstop web3 workloads like streaming video, AI training, DePIN data feeds, and token-gated content, Shelby promises to deliver cloud-level performance while preserving the transparency and ownership guarantees of decentralization.

High-bandwidth, low-latency use cases like streaming and live feeds are reshaping internet traffic patterns, exposing the limits of decentralized storage networks. Designed for static content, these systems lack the speed and responsiveness needed for web3 demands, as noted by Aptos Labs and Jump Crypto.

With Shelby, the team aims to address that performance gap, offering web3 builders “the next chapter of decentralized infrastructure,” according to Aptos CEO Avery Ching.

“It’s not just faster or more flexible. It unlocks entirely new categories of applications that can operate in real time, scale across chains, and give creators and developers full control over their data and economics,” Ching said in a statement.

How Shelby works

Shelby will operate on a global mesh of high-performance nodes connected by a dedicated fiber-optic backbone, with edge caching that enables sub-second data access at scale.

Edge caching is a technique where data is temporarily stored closer to users, enabling them to access content in less than a second, even if it’s hosted far away.

According to the team, the protocol supports real-time reads, smart contract–based access control, and flexible monetization tools such as usage-based pricing, tipping, and DRM enforcement.

While Aptos serves as the native coordination layer, offering 600ms finality, 30,000 transactions per second, and ultra-low gas fees, Shelby is designed to be chain-agnostic, with planned support for ecosystems including Ethereum, Solana, and other modular environments.

“We are building Shelby to end the false choice between speed and centralization,” commented Saurabh Sharma, Partner, Head of Investments at Jump Crypto. “The ability to move data at scale, program access logic, and monetize content natively is a leap forward not just for Web3, but for the internet as a whole.”

Shelby has drawn attention from key players such as Metaplex, Story Protocol, and Pipe Network. The platform is setting its sights on a Q4 2025 developer-focused devnet, followed by a public testnet rollout.

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