Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed adding distributed validator technology (DVT) to the blockchain’s staking mechanism, arguing that it could simplify the process and the technology supporting it.
Buterin introduced “native DVT” in: post at the Ethereum Research forum on Wednesday, which he said would allow those dealing with Ether (ETH) to “stake without completely relying on one single node.”
Currently, Ethereum validators can only run one node to secure the blockchain, which can result in penalties if it fails.
Using DVT would mean that a validator could operate their key on several nodes to facilitate the network, reducing the risk of penalties.
“The key is shared by several nodes and all signatures have a threshold,” he explained, adding that “we guarantee a node will function correctly” as long as more than two of three of them “are honest.”
Buterin said several protocols operate DVT, which he noted “doesn’t provide full consensus across every validator, so they offer slightly worse guarantees, but are slightly simpler.”
DVT should be implemented in the following protocol: Buterin
Buterin said that while DVT solutions require convoluted configurations, he presented a “surprisingly simple alternative: We write DVT into the protocol.”
Buterin’s design assumed that a verifier could create a maximum of 16 keys, or “virtual identities,” that operate independently but are considered one by the blockchain.
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This so-called “group identity,” Buterin said, is treated as taking an action, such as executing a block, only if a minimum number of “virtual identities” sign up to it and is rewarded or punished based on the actions of the majority.
“This project is incredibly simple from a user perspective,” he said, because DVT stacks become running copies of a standard client node.
Buterin added that this would also facilitate security-conscious people with significant amounts of ETH opt for a more secure configuration instead of relying on a single node. Stakers could more easily stake their own tokens rather than using a provider, increasing the decentralization of staking.
Buterin’s proposal comes after the co-founder floated other ideas aimed at making Ethereum easier to operate, and his latest proposal requires further debate before it can be added to the network.
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