Many people mention proof of stake in a passing manner — staking for rewards and simultaneously enhancing network security. But when shifting the perspective to storage networks, dPoS (delegated proof of stake) becomes something different. Nodes compete for delegation, which is not just about gaining more voting rights; the real goal is to acquire more storage orders and process more data. Understanding this deeply allows you to see how data infrastructure ensures security and quality of service through economic mechanisms.

Imagine it from a different angle. Suppose you run a small storage node shop. Your daily tasks are very specific: storing data, ensuring data can be retrieved at any time, and responding quickly when the network needs verification. But there’s a hard constraint in this business — the scale you want to operate at is not decided by you alone.

First, you need to gain qualification and trust. In dPoS, qualification comes from delegation: when stakers vote for you, your security weight increases; trust is based on actual performance — stable operation, quick responses, and not dropping the ball during network turbulence. This creates a critical positive feedback loop: good performance → increased delegation → ability to handle more data tasks → continuous revenue growth → budget to upgrade hardware and maintenance → further performance improvement. Conversely, poor performance leads to losing delegation, and the orders you can accept shrink accordingly. This cycle tightly binds economic incentives with network security.