The Problem
Every blockchain accumulates data over time. Full node operators must store the entire history of every transaction ever made. As chains grow, this becomes increasingly expensive and impractical. Cosmos Hub, Ethereum, and other networks now require terabytes of storage to run a full node.
This is chain bloat: the ever-growing storage requirement that makes it harder for independent operators to participate in network validation.
KYVE Network
KYVE Network is a Cosmos SDK chain purpose-built to solve this problem. KYVE validators fetch data from source chains, validate it through consensus, and permanently archive it onto Arweave.
The result: node operators on supported chains can safely prune historical data, knowing that a validated, permanent copy exists on Arweave. This makes every supported chain more efficient to run.
How Validation Works
KYVE's validation process ensures data integrity before it reaches Arweave:
- Data fetchers retrieve historical data from source chains
- Validators independently verify the data through KYVE's consensus mechanism
- Validated data is bundled and stored permanently on Arweave
- Node operators can prune their local copies with confidence
This is not just archival storage. KYVE provides cryptographic proof that the archived data is identical to what was originally on the source chain.
Supported Chains
Mainnet chains currently archived through KYVE include:
| Chain | Status |
|---|---|
| Cosmos Hub | Active |
| Osmosis | Active |
| Archway | Active |
| Axelar | Active |
| Cronos | Active |
| Noble | Active |
| Celestia | Active |
| Ethereum | Testing |
| Arbitrum | Testing |
| Optimism | Testing |
Scale
Over 5 TB of validated historical blockchain data has been permanently archived on Arweave through KYVE. This number grows continuously as new blocks are produced on each supported chain.
Backing
KYVE has received support from Arweave, Ava Labs (Avalanche), Solana Foundation, Interchain Foundation, and other major ecosystem participants. The breadth of backing reflects how fundamental the chain bloat problem is across the industry.
Why Arweave
KYVE chose Arweave for several specific reasons:
- Permanent storage: Data must exist as long as the source chains themselves
- One-time payment: No recurring storage fees that could lapse, funded by the storage endowment
- Decentralized: No single entity controls the archived data
- Verifiable: Every piece of data has a transaction ID that can be independently verified
What This Means
Arweave is not just storing files and websites. It is becoming the permanent data layer for other blockchains. By archiving chain history, Arweave makes it possible for anyone to run a node without storing terabytes of historical data locally. This is infrastructure-level adoption.