Definition ∞ Reduced storage requirements pertain to methods and technologies that decrease the amount of data storage needed for a system to operate efficiently. In blockchain contexts, this involves techniques that allow nodes to verify the network state or data availability without downloading and storing the entire transaction history. This optimization is crucial for improving scalability and enabling more participants to run nodes.
Context ∞ Achieving reduced storage requirements is a primary objective in blockchain scaling research, particularly for light clients and data availability sampling solutions. The ongoing conversation addresses how to maintain data integrity and security guarantees while minimizing the storage burden on individual nodes. Innovations in this area directly influence the decentralization and accessibility of blockchain networks.