# Data Flow

#### Under the Hood

<figure><img src="/files/gAX1WNcnWRFKOPxTpgrm" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

The Data Anchor leverages a modified version of state compression.

For each dataset, the module hashes individual elements and generates a commitment over the whole set. This commitment is saved in Solana’s accounts space, while a compressed form of the original data is stored in Solana’s ledger history. If longer term storage is needed beyond the ledger’s short lifespan of a few days, the module supports external storage providers such as IPFS, Light Protocol’s archival nodes, or self-hosted cloud databases.

It’s easy to check the presence or absence of any data element by submitting a Merkle proof on-chain. The data is temporary and can be removed after a specified period or event, e.g. X time has elapsed or Y event has occurred, which puts a maximum time bound on the elements. Since Solana requires rent for accounts, removing outdated data allows rent to be reclaimed and prevents the lock-up of increasing amounts of capital over time.

To help teams plan their integration, here’s a snapshot of current upload performance and cost across supported Solana RPCs:

<table><thead><tr><th width="120.11004638671875">RPC Endpoint </th><th width="173.98101806640625">Data Bandwidth (KB/s)</th><th width="264.192626953125">Cost per GB directly on Solana (SOL)</th><th>Constant with DA (SOL)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>devnet</strong></td><td>80.2</td><td>7K</td><td>0.001</td></tr><tr><td><strong>mainnet</strong></td><td>145</td><td>7K</td><td>0.001</td></tr><tr><td><strong>mainnet-staked</strong></td><td>150</td><td>7K</td><td>0.001</td></tr></tbody></table>

To achieve 100 KB/s, uploads are priced at a flat 0.006 SOL (6 million lamports) per MB, with no change based on priority fees or network congestion.

***

#### Glossary

| Term      | Definition                                                                                                                         | Notes                                                         |
| --------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Namespace | A single data collection, dependent on the domain                                                                                  | e.g. Alice’s rollup, Bob’s rewards                            |
| Blober    | Generates Merkle proofs over incoming data and is unique to each namespace                                                         |                                                               |
| Blob      | Each logical unit within a namespace or data collection                                                                            | e.g. Alice’s rollup has a blob for every rollup block         |
| Chunk     | A blob may be split into multiple chunks as part of the upload process to Solana so that each transaction stays within size limits | (Internal implementation detail, irrelevant for the end user) |


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.termina.technology/documentation/open-source-contributions/modules/data-anchor/data-flow.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.