View Proposal Detail:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YZ5G_8e_FV7CzBwFHzlPReawwLrD9iFCs5JqUvYJeR0/edit?tab=t.z0w0qiozos5l

Executive Summary

Subscan is the leading high-precision Web3 explorer and essential data infrastructure for the Polkadot, Kusama, and Substrate-based ecosystems. It provides a comprehensive, user-friendly interface for ecosystem participants to track extrinsics, events, transfers, and governance activities. Beyond a visual block explorer, Subscan serves as a critical developer tool, offering the free API plan that powers numerous wallets, DApps, and analytics platforms across the network. For a testnet like Westend, Subscan acts as the indispensable foundational data layer that allows developers to seamlessly debug, verify, and monitor their applications before deploying them to production environments

To ensure the community can quickly understand the scope, cost, and structural changes of this service, we have prepared this one-page executive summary. This guide provides a clear overview of the 2026 forward-looking maintenance proposal, allowing the community to evaluate the structural changes and funding request at a glance.

Global Notice & Testnet Exclusive Discount

In response to valuable community feedback, and to provide the Treasury with absolute transparent control over infrastructure budgets, this proposal exclusively establishes a 2026 forward-looking SaaS subscription framework for the Westend testnet, utilizing the OpenGov Milestone mechanism.

Unconditional 40% Community Contribution Discount:

As the primary testnet, Westend serves as the vanguard for testing a massive array of complex new features for both Polkadot and Kusama (e.g., destructive architectural upgrades). Consequently, Subscan absorbs a significantly high degree of instability risk and dedicates immense R&D resources to pioneer adaptations on this network.

To thank the community and drastically lower the ecosystem's testing overhead, Subscan has decided to disregard standard "annual-prepayment only" commercial rules. For Westend's month-to-month milestone subscription in 2026, we are applying a massive unconditional 40% discount directly to the baseline price as our contribution to the Polkadot ecosystem's ongoing R&D.

1. Proposal Purpose & Background

This proposal establishes a forward-looking 2026 Enterprise SaaS Subscription for Subscan services covering the Westend Relay Chain and selected public parachains. Our goal for 2026 is to make ongoing maintenance highly predictable, easier to evaluate, and fully controllable by the community through monthly OpenGov milestones.

Past Proposals Reference

#151 Subscan | Infrastructure Costs of Subscan for Polkadot & Westend & Rococo Networks

#20 Subscan | Infrastructure Costs of Subscan for Polkadot & Westend & Rococo & Statemint & Rockmine Networks (from July to December 2022)

#1056 Subscan | Infrastructure Costs of Subscan for Polkadot & Westend & Rococo & Statemint & Rockmine Networks (from October 2023 to June 2024)

#1366 Subscan Q3/Q4 2024 Funding Proposal: Basic service fee & Development cost for the Polkadot, Westend, and Rococo Ecosystems

#1727 Subscan Q4 2024 – Q2 2025 Funding Proposal: Basic Service Fee & Development Cost for the Polkadot and Westend Ecosystems

#1866 [Polkadot] Subscan 2025 Q2-Q4 Funding Proposal: Basic service fee for the Polkadot Relaychain and Polkadot public parachain

#1865 [Westend] Subscan 2025 Q3-Q4 Funding Proposal: Basic service fee for the Westend Relaychain and Westend public parachain

2. Moving to a Predictable Subscription Model

The era of "post-paid" historic settlements is over. This proposal establishes a forward-looking Enterprise SaaS Subscription for Westend’s infrastructure. Funding will be disbursed via OpenGov Milestones on a strict monthly basis, ensuring the Treasury retains the power to adjust or halt funding as ecosystem testing needs evolve.

3. GCP Optimization & Massive Cost Reductions

We successfully piloted our Hot/Cold storage separation architecture on Westend, drastically reducing our underlying GCP costs. These baseline price reductions, coupled with the exclusive 40% testnet discount, result in an exceptionally cost-efficient maintenance framework for 2026.

4. 2026 Subscription Fee Breakdown

(Note: The monthly fees below have the unconditional 40% testnet discount already applied.)

5. Monthly Milestone Delivery Plan

The total annual fee of $35,244 will be strictly divided into 12 monthly milestones of just $2,937 each. Each month corresponds to one independently reviewable and payable milestone.

6. SLA, Monitoring, and Refund Policy

Given the highly experimental nature of the Westend testnet—where destructive upgrades, experimental deployments, and unpredictable chain halts are expected parts of the development lifecycle—we have adjusted our SLA refund ratios to accurately reflect this volatile environment. Our service uptime remains completely transparent and monitored 24/7 at: https://subscan.statuspage.io/

For each monthly milestone, if we fail to maintain a 99.5% uptime standard, we will refund the Treasury based on the following adjusted schedule. This guarantees our accountability while acknowledging the extreme conditions of a testnet:

7. Community Discussion: Sunset Plan & Transition to Paseo

We are fully aware that the ecosystem is gradually transitioning its testing focus toward Paseo. However, without a confirmed deprecation timeline, an abrupt shutdown of Westend would severely disrupt the pipelines of developers currently relying on its API and explorer.

If the community finds value in maintaining Westend through 2026, we will strictly fulfill the milestones outlined in this proposal.

If the community decides to fully deprecate Westend in 2026, the Treasury can simply reject the remaining milestones. Subscan plans to execute a proper sunset process in Q2 2026 to ensure developers have ample time to migrate. Any additional server costs incurred during this sunset transition phase will be fully subsidized by the Subscan team out-of-pocket.

8. Review Checklist for the Community

To make review practical and to underline our commitment to alignment with the community's desires, voters can evaluate this proposal using the following checklist:

Structure: Is the 2026 service separated from past retroactive settlement items? Yes. This is the standalone 2026 forward-looking subscription.

Payment cadence: Is treasury outflow monthly rather than lump-sum? Yes. 12 monthly milestones.

Termination control: Can the community stop future payments? Yes. Future milestones can be stopped by the community at any time.

Pricing & Discount: Does the proposal reflect reduced cost and testnet subsidies? Yes. An unconditional 40% discount has been applied directly to the base monthly fees.

SLA accountability: Are refunds/credits defined for the testnet? Yes. Refund tiers are rigorously based on monthly uptime adapted for Westend's experimental nature.