Imagine a world where every goal scored, every race won, and every record broken isn’t just celebrated, but also captured, verified, and rewarded on a blockchain. That’s the vision behind ATLETA, a revolutionary blockchain network for the sports industry. But what makes ATLETA truly remarkable isn’t just its focus on sports. It’s the cutting-edge technology powering it under the hood.
At the heart of ATLETA lies a consensus mechanism that’s anything but ordinary. It’s a sophisticated blend of Nominated Proof of Stake (NPoS) with protocols like BABE and GRANDPA – might sound quirky but crucial in ensuring that ATLETA isn’t just another blockchain. These technologies work harmoniously to create a secure, scalable, and fast network.
NPoS as an Ideal Fit for ATLETA
The consensus mechanism is the engine that keeps the network running smoothly. It’s the invisible force that ensures everyone in a decentralized network is on the same page, without a central authority dictating what’s true or false. That said, not all consensus mechanisms are created equal. Each has strengths, weaknesses, and best-use cases.
When designing the ATLETA Network, we faced a question: How do we choose a consensus mechanism that aligns with our technical goals and also supports the demands of the sports industry? We needed something secure, scalable, and capable of handling the rapid pace of transactions within a global community of sports enthusiasts.
Enter Nominated Proof of Stake (NPoS), a flexible consensus mechanism, and a balance between security and efficiency. Unlike the energy-hungry Proof of Work (PoW) used by Bitcoin, or the potentially centralized Proof of Stake (PoS), NPoS introduces a system where validators and nominators maintain the network.
What is NPoS?
Nominated Proof of Stake is an evolution of the more traditional Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism. In a PoS system, validators are chosen based on the amount of cryptocurrency they are willing to lock up, or «stake,» as collateral. The more they stake, the more likely they are to be selected to validate transactions and produce new blocks. Yet, this can cause centralization, with a few wealthy participants controlling the network.
The NPoS mechanism combats this problem. At the heart of NPoS are two key participants: validators and nominators. Together, they form a relationship that protects the network’s integrity, security, and decentralization.
Validators
Validators are the nodes responsible for producing new blocks and validating transactions on the ATLETA blockchain. Validators ensure that the blockchain remains secure and that all transactions are legitimate. However, becoming a validator isn’t as simple as setting up a node. Validators undergo a selection process, where only the most reliable and trustworthy ones get chosen.
Validators need to run a node with the required technical setup. They must set up the necessary hardware and software, configure the node to connect to the ATLETA network and ensure it remains online and operational. Validators must also secure their node against potential threats.
To apply as a validator, users must bond 75,000 $ATLA tokens for 72 hours. This stake is a security deposit, essential for aligning the validator’s interests with the network’s well-being.
Once a user becomes a validator, they list themselves as a «candidate.» In other words, they put themselves forward to be selected for validating blocks on the network.
While listed as a candidate, validators gather support from nominators to meet a minimum threshold of votes. For that, candidates offer a percentage of token rewards. This way, candidate validators increase their chances of being selected.
Nominators
Nominators are participants who support the network by backing one or more validators with their stake. By nominating validators, they secure the network and confirm that only trustworthy validators are selected. Nominators share the rewards (or penalties) based on the performance of their validators.
To become a nominator on the ATLETA Network, users bond at least 10 $ATLA tokens + transaction fees.
Then, users research and select up to 16 validators. Not all nominated validators will make it to the epoch. As we said, validators produce blocks and validate transactions. So, choosing reliable validators is innate for the network’s security and nominators’ rewards. The nominator wins rewards when:
- The nominator elects more than one validator,
- At least one of their nominated validators gets included in the epoch,
- The nominator has provided enough staked $ATLA,
- Nominated validators don’t act maliciously.
Nominators’ votes take effect in the next era, or epoch, election. Each epoch lasts 36 hours. Validators propose blocks throughout the epoch. With epochs, the network maintains a consistent and orderly flow of blocks, even if some slots are missed or blocks are delayed.
Block-Building Mechanisms
In ATLETA, building and finalizing blocks adds to the security, speed, and reliability. ATLETA employs two protocols – BABE (Blind Assignment for Blockchain Extension) and GRANDPA (GHOST-based Recursive Ancestor Deriving Prefix Agreement). These protocols ensure that blocks are produced efficiently and finalized securely.
BABE
BABE is responsible for new blocks in the ATLETA blockchain. It operates as a slot-based mechanism, where time is divided into discrete slots, and validators take turns proposing new blocks.
Here’s how block production goes:
- Slot Assignment:
BABE assigns slots to validators in a randomized but fair manner. Randomness prevents malicious actors from predicting or manipulating the block production process.
- Block Proposals:
During their assigned slot, a validator creates and proposes a new block. This block includes all valid transactions since the last block was produced. The validator then broadcasts this block to the network.
The randomness in BABE’s slot assignment certifies that leadership (the role of proposing blocks) is distributed fairly among validators. It prevents centralization and guarantees that all validators can contribute to block production.
GRANDPA
While BABE produces blocks, GRANDPA finalizes them. Finality in blockchain refers to the point at which a block is considered permanent and cannot be altered or reversed. Here is how finalization goes:
- Voting for Finality:
Validators vote on the finality of blocks. After BABE produces a block, validators cast votes to confirm that this block with its entire history should be finalized and made irreversible.
- Chain Finalization:
Once a supermajority of validators (typically two-thirds) agree on a block, GRANDPA finalizes it. This means that the block and all previous blocks in the chain are now immutable and can no longer be changed. This ensures that the blockchain remains consistent and secure.
The collaboration of BABE and GRANDPA allows ATLETA to build and finalize blocks efficiently and securely. BABE’s random and fair slot assignment prevents any validator from dominating block production. Meanwhile, GRANDPA certifies that once blocks are produced, they are quickly confirmed and made irreversible.
This Is Why We Choose NPoS for ATLETA
NPoS ensures that the network is governed by a broad community, rather than a small group of heavyweight entities. Important for ATLETA because it aims to serve a global community of sports enthusiasts with many interests and stakes in the system.
Also, NPoS brings:
- Decentralization with Control: Validators are selected not just based on the size of their stake but also on the support they receive from nominators. This dual-layered approach promotes a more decentralized network with distributed trust;
- Scalability and Speed: Sports events move fast, and so should the blockchain that supports them. NPoS produces and finalizes blocks without compromising on security. Ideal for high volumes of transactions and interactions, be it minting NFTs of game highlights or managing real-time sports betting;
- Security and Flexibility: NPoS is resilient against various attacks. The system adapts to different network conditions, ensuring that ATLETA remains secure even as it scales.
In short, NPoS wasn’t just a random choice. It was a well-measured decision that aligns with our vision for ATLETA. It’s a dynamic and competitive consensus mechanism as the sports world itself.
Check out our resources:
🌐 Website | 📃 Whitepaper | 🌴LinkTree | 📲 Dapps
Connect with us and join our community: