{"id":6374,"date":"2024-12-21T06:44:50","date_gmt":"2024-12-21T05:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wsj-crypto.com\/?p=6374"},"modified":"2024-12-21T06:44:50","modified_gmt":"2024-12-21T05:44:50","slug":"spotlight-on-grantees-may-2022-update-from-the-ethereum-foundation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wsj-crypto.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/21\/spotlight-on-grantees-may-2022-update-from-the-ethereum-foundation\/","title":{"rendered":"Spotlight on Grantees: May 2022 Update from the Ethereum Foundation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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It’s always exciting to learn about new grants when they are granted, but what follows after the declaration? In this collection, we revisit projects that are either in progress – or have already reached completion. Continue reading to discover some recent achievements and benchmarks by the recipients of the grants!<\/em><\/p>\n

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Nimbus<\/a>** for **Fluffy Portal Client<\/a> and Portal Network Development<\/h3>\n

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Nimbus<\/a> is primarily recognized by many as a beacon chain client, distinguished by its minimal resource requirements needing only ~750mb of memory<\/a> to operate a complete consensus node. However, beyond the attention garnered from The Merge, the skilled team behind Nimbus (part of the Status organization<\/a>) is doing significantly more to ensure participation in the Ethereum network is available to anyone, on any device. The Portal Network<\/a> is a collaborative, ongoing initiative aimed at redefining how devices with limited resources engage with the Ethereum network, wherein the Nimbus team plays a crucial role in its realization.<\/p>\n

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Efforts to develop light clients have been underway for years, focusing on creating clients that utilize minimal resources. Numerous clients now provide some version of a light client; Nimbus has recently introduced a standalone light client<\/a>, facilitating access to the head of the beacon chain without necessitating a full synchronization. Nevertheless, the capabilities of Ethereum light clients are ultimately restricted by the network’s inherent design<\/a>. The existing light client network<\/a> depends on a client\/server model: light clients obtain block headers and other necessary data, yet do not contribute anything. Light clients are reliant on full nodes to provide the needed data, but the number of full nodes opting to offer this data is minimal, rendering it a restricted and unreliable source.<\/p>\n

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Understanding that various applications demand different data and functionalities, the Portal Network is created with adaptability in mind. Instead of merging all functionalities, it integrates several subprotocols, each dedicated to a particular function. Portal clients can connect to all the subprotocols or only a selection, based on their requirements. Equally essential, a device operating a portal client can contribute any available resources it possesses (e.g., saving a small amount of state or transmitting peer-to-peer messages). In essence, every client also serves as a server, capable of accessing necessary information while adding capacity to the network in relation to its capabilities. An increase in online clients strengthens the network, rather than creating a zero-sum competition for scarce resources.<\/p>\n

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The Nimbus team has been vital to the design and execution of the Portal Network. They have been the pioneers in implementing the majority of network functionalities through the development of Fluffy<\/a>, a Nimbus variant conceived specifically for the Portal Network and one of the three clients expected to be operational at the launch of the Portal Network (two additional are being developed by teams from the Ethereum Foundation). Fluffy was the inaugural client capable of both storing and distributing content, serving as the backbone for initial test networks and aiding in noting necessary adjustments to the network specifications as challenges arose during implementation.<\/p>\n

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The team aspires for Fluffy to be lightweight enough to function from within a wallet, eventually integrating it into the Status mobile app<\/a>. The possibility of executing a full client from inside a wallet or dapp carries significant implications, not merely for the network’s vitality but also for decentralization and privacy, as it alleviates the dependence on centralized infrastructure that the majority of wallets currently rely on to access Ethereum data.<\/p>\n

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Should this industrious team have their way, you might soon have an Ethereum client readily available at your disposal! Regular updates on Fluffy and Portal Network progression will be shared on HackMD<\/a> and the Nimbus blog<\/a>. You can also stay in the loop with Nimbus on Twitter @ethnimbus<\/a>; monitor Github<\/a> for advances on the Fluffy and Nimbus clients (and did we mention they\u2019re working on an execution client<\/a>?), or engage with the team via Discord<\/a>, Status<\/a> or Gitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Paul Miller<\/a>** for **Ethereum-Cryptography<\/a> Enhancements<\/h3>\n

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Ethereum-Cryptography<\/a> ranks among the most utilized Ethereum libraries, containing vital cryptographic primitives essential for the development of Ethereum applications in JavaScript and TypeScript. Itwas introduced<\/a> in 2020 by Nomic Foundation<\/a> to enhance the Ethereum developer experience by consolidating Ethereum-specific cryptography dependencies into a single library, thereby removing the often problematic node-gyp-based dependencies that developers had previously depended on.<\/p>\n

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Collecting these widely-used cryptography tools in one place alleviated significant pain points for developers; however, Paul Miller identified opportunities for further enhancement by decreasing both the quantity of dependencies and the overall codebase size. It\u2019s no surprise that Paul was keen to undertake this challenge – he boasts a commendable history of creating tools that assist developers in achieving more efficient and secure builds, including Chokidar<\/a>, a cross-platform file-monitoring utility; and noble-secp256k1<\/a>, a JavaScript rendition of the secp256k1 elliptic curve.<\/p>\n

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Upon commencing work on ethereum-cryptography, the installation package included 38 dependencies and 3.46 megabytes of source code. While not all of this source code is utilized in production, an end user of a dapp developed with this library was still downloading up to 793kb, approximately 24,000 lines of code. Paul aimed to create a more streamlined and secure library that would deliver the same capabilities by rewriting numerous cryptographic implementations and subjecting the new iteration to a formal audit. This transformation resulted in substantial enhancements to efficiency and security:<\/p>\n

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  • External dependencies decreased from 38 to 5<\/li>\n
  • Directory size minimized from 10.2MB to 650KB<\/li>\n
  • Source code reduced from 23,799 lines to 5,225 lines<\/li>\n
  • NPM traffic diminished from 3.6MB to 324KB uncached<\/li>\n
  • Audit<\/a> conducted by Cure53<\/a> and all vulnerabilities rectified<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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    For additional information, refer to the v1.0.0 release article<\/a>, or explore some of the technical details<\/a> that emerged during the reconstruction. You can delve into ethereum-cryptography<\/a> on Github; stay updated with the Nomic Foundation on Twitter<\/a> or check their blog<\/a>; and follow Paul on Twitter @paulmillr<\/a> or his personal Github<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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    Are you engaged in a project you believe could enhance Ethereum? Visit our website<\/a> to discover more about the Ecosystem Support Program and submit an application for assistance.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n