Network consensus
The underlying technology behind Openverse is the Tendermint Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT) consensus algorithm, which is designed to ensure finality, order consistency, and optional availability.
Technical Parameter:
- Timing reference: Metaverse Time, a block as a time unit.
- Block peroid: 0.38 second
- Gas limit per block: none
- Transactions per second: 300K+
What is validator
The Openverse Network is based on Tendermint that relies on a set of validators that are responsible for committing new blocks in the blockchain. These validators participate in the consensus protocol by broadcasting votes that contain cryptographic signatures signed by each validator's private key.
Validator candidates can bond their own Bitgold and have Bitgold "delegated", or staked, to them by token holders. The Openverse Network has many validators , but over time the number of validators can be increased with governance proposals. The validators are determined by the total number of Bitgold tokens delegated to them — the top 11/31/61/91 validators with the most voting power are the current openverse validators.
Validators and their delegators earn Bitgold as block provisions and tokens as transaction fees through execution of the Tendermint consensus protocol. Note that validators can set a commission percentage on the fees their delegators receive as additional incentive. You can find an overview of all current validators and their voting power on explorers and wallets .
If validators double sign or are offline for an extended period, their staked Bitgold (including Bitgold of users that delegated to them) can be slashed. The penalty depends on the severity of the violation.
What is delegator
People that cannot or do not want to operate validator nodes can still participate in the staking process as delegators. Indeed, validators are not chosen based on their self-delegated stake but based on their total stake, which is the sum of their self-delegated stake and of the stake that is delegated to them. This is an important property, as it makes delegators a safeguard against validators that exhibit bad behavior. If a validator misbehaves, their delegators will move their Bitgolds away from them, thereby reducing their stake. Eventually, if a validator's stake falls under the top 125 addresses with highest stake, they will exit the validator set.
Delegators share the revenue of their validators, but they also share the risks. In terms of revenue, validators and delegators differ in that validators can apply a commission on the revenue that goes to their delegator before it is distributed. This commission is known to delegators beforehand and can only change according to predefined constraints (see section below). In terms of risk, delegators' Bitgolds can be slashed if their validator misbehaves. For more, see Risks section.
To become delegators, Bitgold holders need to send a "Delegate transaction" where they specify how many Bitgolds they want to bond and to which validator. A list of validator candidates will be displayed in Openverse Network explorers. Later, if a delegator wants to unbond part or all of their stake, they needs to send an "Unbond transaction". From there, the delegator will have to wait 3 weeks to retrieve their Bitgolds. Delegators can also send a "Rebond Transaction" to switch from one validator to another, without having to go through the 3 weeks waiting period.
For a practical guide on how to become a delegator, click here.
How validator works
The validator should have enough Bitgolds, high-performance hardware.
Run the server, and finish the serve prepare, then run the valitor program.
Build a validator website.
Create a thread in openserve forum or use another way to attract more delegators.
Validators roadmap
1st period - Founder/team Validators
Total count of validators: 11
The founders run 11 validators with the first 10M Bitgold from the genesis allocation. When the total number of nodes reaches 61, the founder node exits 10, leaving the remaining one.
2st period - Foundation Validators
Total count of validators: 31
The foundation runs runs 20 validators with the first 20M Bitgold from the genesis allocation.
3st period - Public Validators
Total count of validators: 61
With the release of Bitgold into people's hands, ordinary institutions and individuals can independently establish verification nodes, with a reference number of 30. When the number of ordinary validators reaches 61, the founder node and the foundation base point can start to unlock the tokens freely and release the verification nodes.
4st period - Country Validators
Total count of validators: 100+
Any country can apply to buy 1M Bitgolds from the Country Reserve Account which has 40M Bitgolds. Then, openverse community members will vote the apply (as on-chain proposals). Countries will run validators. Each sovereign country operates only one node.