It’s always exciting to hear about fresh grants as they are distributed, but what takes place following the announcement? In this series, we will follow up on a few initiatives that are either progressing well or already completed. Continue reading to discover some recent achievements and milestones attained by grantees!
SSZ.dev: Technical Specifications and Resources for SSZ – SimpleSerialize
In anticipation of the shift to Proof of Stake, Ethereum’s primary developers have seized the chance to overhaul various components of the Ethereum protocol. This was true for SSZ, or Simple SerialiZe, the designated serialization format for Ethereum’s PoS consensus layer.
Serialization refers to the method of transforming data into a format suitable for transmission or storage – in the context of SSZ, this means altering consensus data into bytes to be represented as a Merkle tree. While SSZ was developed specifically for Ethereum, it has been crafted to be adaptable to various other applications. With this in mind, SSZ.dev was established to enhance the accessibility of SSZ for developers both within and outside the Ethereum ecosystem.
SSZ.dev received funding in March 2021, launched in May, and has been expanding since then. It offers a wealth of excellent resources, including some original content and others compiled from prior community efforts, for anyone looking to learn or develop using SSZ. Some highlights:
- Visualizer: experiment with variables across various serialization types and observe the output as both serialized values and details of the Merkle tree.
- Implementations: a compilation of active SSZ implementations and their fundamental characteristics (language, license, maintainer etc).
- Testing: gathers test suites developed by various implementers alongside general information like terminology, output formats, and test configuration.
There’s already a substantial amount of valuable content available, but SSZ.dev remains a work in development. Whether you’re a seasoned serializer or merely curious about SSZ, your insights and contributions are appreciated! Check out the GitHub repository to provide feedback or contribute.
CadCAD Edu for cadCAD Masterclass: Ethereum Validator Economics
CadCAD, an initiative of BlockScience, is an open-source framework designed for simulating complex adaptive dynamics (cad), harnessing the benefits of Computer Aided Design (CAD) in designing and verifying intricate systems like blockchain networks. CadCAD Edu was initiated to offer educational resources for employing cadCAD in systems engineering contexts.
The initial cadCAD Edu courses, a beginner bootcamp and the “cadCAD Hacks” series aimed at intermediate users, centered on learning how to utilize the cadCAD framework for modeling and simulation. With the launch of their first masterclass, the cadCAD EDU team aspired to allow students to enhance their cadCAD proficiency through hands-on experience with a complex system we are all familiar with: Ethereum. Specifically, the course presents the radCAD library and the Ethereum Economic Model, which students utilize to model and explore Ethereum validator economics.
Following its funding in early 2021, the Ethereum Validator Economics Masterclass launched in early September. The program encompasses approximately 3 hours of lectures supplemented by Jupyter notebooks, exercises, and exams, with a certificate awarded upon completion of all course requirements. The course is free for anyone, although a solid understanding of both Ethereum and cadCAD is necessary to maximize its benefits.
The Ethereum Economic Model, on the other hand, has developed a presence of its own. It was originally conceived for the Masterclass in collaboration with the EF Robust Incentives Group, but has grown into a robust and multifaceted research instrument on its own. The repository features comprehensive documentation for researchers, engineers, stakers, or anyone else interested in experimenting with or building upon the model – or you can visit the front-end simulator at ethmodel.io to observe it in action with no technical expertise required.
Follow @cadCAD_org and @cadCAD_Edu for the latest news and updates!
Are you engaged in a project that you believe could positively impact Ethereum? Visit our grants page to discover more about what we seek in the projects we support.
