Block Production
Who can become a block producer, and what are the requirements?
Eligibility:
Anyone can register as a block producer (validator candidate) on the Toto Chain.
Requirements:
Session Keys: Block producers must set up session keys to participate in block production.
Staking: While economic staking is not required, session keys act as a commitment, and block producers must re-stake their keys if they are penalized for being offline.
What is the block production speed (e.g., block time), and how does it impact performance?
Block Production Speed:
The target block time is 3 seconds. However, if validators go offline, this time can increase, up to a maximum of 30 minutes in extreme cases.
Impact on Performance:
Fast Blocks: Enhances transaction throughput and ensures the network can handle a higher volume of operations efficiently.
Offline Validators: Slows down the network, highlighting the need for reliable validator uptime and efficient offline detection mechanisms.
What role do block producers play in the network?
Primary Responsibilities:
Collecting and signing transactions.
Adding signed transactions to blocks.
Distributing blocks to the network for validation.
Additional Contributions:
Block producers contribute to the network's stability by earning and distributing rewards like POTENTIAL and participating in community growth through referrals.
How are blocks validated, and what happens if a block producer goes offline or fails?
Block Validation:
Blocks are validated using the GRANDPA consensus mechanism, where validators vote on blocks, ensuring the network agrees on the finalized chain.
Offline Block Producers:
Offline validators are detected using a system that increases block time when their absence is noticed.
Penalized validators lose their session keys and must re-stake to rejoin the validator pool.
A proposed "heartbeat mechanism" may enhance offline detection in the future.
How is randomness introduced in block production to ensure fairness?
Randomness in Block Production:
The Toto Chain’s validator selection process incorporates a custom "Proof of Pulse" mechanism, introducing randomness during the selection of 11 validators every hour from the candidate pool.
This prevents predictability and ensures fairness in validator selection.
How are block producers selected?
Selection Process:
Validators are chosen hourly from a pool of candidates, ensuring a rotating selection of block producers.
Selection factors include transaction weights and uptime, promoting fairness and rewarding high-performing nodes.
What is Proof of Pulse consensus?
Definition:
Proof of Pulse is a custom consensus mechanism that governs validator selection, block building, and finality.
Key Characteristics:
It differs from traditional mechanisms by incorporating validator selection as a distinct phase, enabling a combination of randomness and performance-based criteria for block producer selection.
This process emphasizes active participation, uptime, and fair distribution of responsibilities among validators.
Last updated