Soroban implements state expiration to address blockchain state bloat, becoming the first blockchain to deploy this solution at mainnet launch. The design includes an Expired State Store, two storage types (Temporary and Persistent), and a rent model to prioritize important data and improve network scalability.
Soroban designers have developed a state expiration solution to tackle state bloat, a critical scalability issue where blockchain state grows unbounded, increasing validator hardware requirements and reducing transaction throughput. The solution features three components: an Expired State Store (ESS) for archiving expired data, two distinct storage types (Temporary for short-lived data and Persistent for critical data like balances), and a rent model where entries pay fees based on size and duration. Unlike Ethereum's band-aid approaches like danksharding, Soroban benefits from second-mover advantage by building state expiration into its design from the outset. The design underwent ten iterations with extensive community feedback through Discord and design discussions, and the first phase is now live on Futurenet.
