Validation Layer

The validation layer in Gateway Protocol is a crucial component that ensures the integrity, security, and efficiency of data processing and storage within the network.

It consists of two key participants: validators and sharders, whose interplay and distinct responsibilities form the backbone of the protocol’s infrastructure.

Staking and Service Provider Roles

Gateway Protocol operates under a Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) consensus mechanism, where token holders can delegate their staking power to service providers, including validators, sharders, and encrypted data vaults (EDVs). These service providers must stake a certain amount of tokens to ensure their proper behavior and face potential slashing if they fail to perform their duties adequately.

Validators: Transaction Validation and Consensus

Validators are responsible for confirming the legitimacy of transactions, participating in the consensus mechanism, creating new blocks, and managing the blockchain’s state. They verify transactions, smart contract executions, token management, reward systems, and consensus. Validators also identify appropriate EDVs to store data, negotiate between clients and EDVs, and record shards and their primitives.

Sharders: Data Storage and Availability

Sharders ensure data distribution and availability by storing shards of data, facilitating retrieval requests from clients, and assisting in synchronizing the blockchain’s state across the network. They work collaboratively with validators to optimize network performance and prevent overload.

Indexer: Efficient Data Retrieval

The protocol incorporates an advanced indexing mechanism to enable seamless data retrieval and interaction with the decentralized network. The Indexer processes and catalogs smart contract events, making the data accessible through an optimized, searchable structure. It handles both raw and encrypted data, ensuring data integrity and confidentiality while supporting diverse querying capabilities via a sophisticated API layer.

Epochs and Validator Pool Dynamics

Epochs represent unique validator pools for transaction validation, with validators being selected or reaffirmed through a consensus mechanism at the beginning of each epoch. Validators transition through various states based on their participation, performance, and network conditions.

Block Mining Process and Verifiable Random Functions (VRFs)

Block mining in the Gateway Protocol involves a collaborative effort between validators and sharders. Validators propose new blocks by aggregating transactions, executing them, and computing state transitions. Sharders then segment the proposed block into shards, replicate them across the network, and assist validators in historical data provision for validation and state transition proofs.

VRFs play a vital role in ensuring fairness and security in block proposer selection and data integrity verification through the Challenge Protocol. They inject unpredictability and resistance to manipulation, mitigating Sybil attacks and maintaining the network’s integrity.