Concept

Pod tokens as storage quota. Instead of (or in addition to) admin-assigned byte limits, users hold pod tokens that grant storage capacity. More tokens = more storage.

How it works

1. Token balance = quota — e.g. 1 PODS token = 1 MB of storage
2. Webledger tracks balance — existing infrastructure, no new deps
3. Quota check on PUT — before writing, check user's token balance vs current usage
4. Automatic or manual — pod owner configures rate (tokens per MB)
5. Top up anytime — buy more tokens via /pay/.buy, deposit via /pay/.deposit
6. Withdraw unused — /pay/.withdraw converts unused quota back to portable tokens

Integration with existing quota system

JSS already has --default-quota (bytes per pod). Token quota would be an alternative mode:

# Traditional: fixed 50MB quota
jss start --default-quota 50MB

# Token-based: 1 token = 1MB, users buy their own quota
jss start --pay --pay-token PODS --quota-per-token 1MB

Both could coexist — a base free quota + token-purchased additional storage.

Economics

• Free tier: pod owner mints small allocation per user (e.g. 10 tokens = 10MB free)
• Paid tier: when free storage fills up, buy more tokens
• Market pricing: storage cost follows token price on secondary market
• Deflation: as pod fills up, remaining quota becomes scarcer/more valuable

Related

• Existing quota system: src/storage/quota.js
• Pay API: /pay/.buy, /pay/.withdraw, /pay/.balance
• Token management: jss token mint/transfer/info