What is Sui?
- Author
- CRYPTO PORT Editorial
- Published
- Updated
- Reading time
- 6 min
In short
Sui is a Proof of Stake blockchain that launched in May 2023. It is built by Mysten Labs, founded by engineers from Meta's blockchain project, and uses the Move language with an object-centric data model. Unrelated transactions run in parallel, shortening time to confirmation.
Key points
- Treats on-chain data as objects and processes singly-owned ones in parallel
- Uses Move, a language that constrains how assets can be handled at the language level
- Simple transfers can finalise on a fast path without full consensus
- Fees are paid in SUI and validators are selected by stake
Definition
A Move-based Proof of Stake blockchain that reduces latency by processing clearly-owned data in parallel.
Sui's starting observation is that most blockchains assume every transaction must be placed in a single global order. A transfer from A to B has nothing to do with a transfer from C to D, so reaching network-wide agreement just to order them is wasted work.
To exploit that, Sui represents state as objects rather than account balances. Every object records an owner, and transactions involving only one owner — such as sending a singly-owned object — can finalise without waiting for global ordering. Shared objects, like an exchange's liquidity pool that many users touch at once, still go through the consensus protocol.
Contracts are written in Move, a language in which an asset can be defined as a type that cannot be copied or silently discarded, preventing double-spend and balance-mix-up bugs at the language level. Sui uses a variant of Move adapted to its object model.
In practice the chain is used for games, NFTs, payment apps and exchanges that benefit from fast finality. It also includes features that hide crypto mechanics from users, such as prepaid storage fees with partial rebates when data is deleted, and sponsored transactions where an operator covers gas.
Watch out for
- · It launched only in 2023, so long-run operational issues have yet to surface
- · A substantial share of the initial allocation unlocks on a published schedule, adding to circulating supply
- · Move and the object model are not EVM-compatible, so Ethereum apps must be rewritten
Frequently asked questions
How is it different from Aptos?
Both came out of Meta's project and use Move, but Sui parallelises per object, while Aptos executes transactions optimistically in parallel and re-runs those that conflict.