RaptorCast: Designing a Messaging Layer

RaptorCast: Designing a Messaging Layer

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In Proof of Stake blockchains, a pre-determined leader typically proposes a block of transactions at each round. The propagation of this block to all validators is one of the most challenging and time-consuming steps in the consensus protocol. In this blog post, we examine RaptorCast, a solution designed to address the following considerations:

Performance - a block proposal needs to be sent quickly to the rest of the network

Security - each recipient of the block (or its pieces) needs to be able to verify that it originated from the correct leader and arrived untampered

Robustness - honest validators need guarantees that in the presence of packet loss and a Byzantine minority they can reconstruct the block proposal

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Background

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How does a leader get their block proposal to other validators?

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