Consensus Mechanisms Offered by Cambrian

Welcome to the Cambrian tool store! Every developer might need the Cambrian solution when building and deploying an AVS/NCN across multiple Solana restaking protocols. Thanks to our comprehensive SDK tool, you will be able to develop and deploy various Actively Validated Services/Node Consensus Networks based on the Solana ecosystem.

Our modular architecture, which consists of pre-built models and standardized interfaces, lets AVS/NCN developers choose the best type of consensus. Let’s check out how it works.

In the decentralized network, a consensus mechanism verifies a transaction and marks it as authentic. This mechanism checks out all valid transactions in a blockchain. The goal is to build trust in a decentralized network by agreeing on a single version of the truth. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and other blockchain ecosystems with their distributed nodes use this mechanism as one of the fundamentals for security purposes.

As the proverb says, "Different strokes for different folks," blockchains use different consensus algorithms. There is a considerable choice of consensus types that fit developers' purposes, ranging from public blockchains to conditionally centralized blockchains. Issues arise when a project is launched on a public blockchain network, and the existing consensus mechanisms may not be suitable. This will require extra dev costs and time to build appropriate solutions for a common consensus mechanism by connecting with other nodes.

Cambrian's modular architecture, among other features, supports various consensus mechanisms. Please note that as the validator is expected to operate on a Proof-of-Stake basis, we will consider only PoS-based consensus types applicable to different use cases.

Solana implements various types of consensus. Let's briefly review the list and then switch to what Cambrian currently offers.

PBFT:

It stands for “Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance," a consensus mechanism that allows nodes to reach an agreement on the validity of transactions, even if some of them are malicious or faulty. Such an approach ensures the system can function even with potential failures or dishonest actors within the network, thus increasing its reliability. PFBT is a highly secure consensus algorithm, often used in permissioned blockchains where the identities of all nodes are known and trusted.

HotStuff:
It is a Byzantine fault-tolerant consensus based on leaders. It resembles PBFT but introduces a new stage to solve the hidden block problem. HotStuff employs a threshold signature scheme. All nodes do not directly send signed voting messages; instead, they first send their votes to the leader. The leader then aggregates all signatures before publishing them to other nodes. Such aggregation reduces signature verification time.

PoH (Proof of History):
Implemented in Solana, PoH is one of the primary reasons for Solana’s high speed and scalability. It helps reduce node loads when processing blocks.

PoA (Proof of Authority):
Here, validators confirm their real identities, which are established within this consensus. Network managers assess the trustworthiness of potential validators. In this scenario, the validator’s reputation matters. This mechanism is partially centralized because of the involvement of network managers.

QBFT:
It is a Byzantine-fault-tolerant blockchain consensus protocol, with its acronym standing for Quantum Blockchain Fault-tolerant. It involves validators taking turns creating the next block. Before adding a block to the network, 2/3 of validators or more must first sign the block.

PoI (Proof of Importance):
Utilized to determine which nodes are authorized to add a block to the blockchain. It allows for the assignment of specific conditions for AVS/NCN validators.

PoC (Proof of Capacity):
It assumes that miners must prove they have enough storage space for data. The more hard drive space a miner has, the higher the chance of obtaining the correct hash combination and winning a block reward. PoC can be adapted to serve like DAC (Data Availability Committee) for decentralized confirmation of validators’ ability to accept the necessary amount of data for storage.

Raft:
This type of consensus employs a leader and requires a network with at least 51%. It provides decent security, simplicity, activity, and clarity levels.

Tangaroa:
This type combines Byzantine fault tolerance with the best Raft features like security and simplicity. Tangaroa consists of three to five systems in a cluster, allowing for the failure of up to half of the nodes with the concept of ”randomization when selecting leadership.”

Сonsensus is about determining how network participants—nodes—agree on and validate data. Various factors influence the choice of consensus, which depends on your requirements for security, scalability, decentralization, simplicity, fault tolerance, and other criteria.

Developers choose various types of consensus based on their decentralized network goals. Thus, the benefit you get depends on choosing the consensus mechanism, in our case, in the Solana ecosystem. Some consensus mechanisms deliver higher security or efficiency. Others can provide more simplicity, decentralization, or clarity. Then, developers can run tests and compare what type of consensus performs better, given their use case requirements.

As a comprehensive Web3 infrastructure solution builder, Cambrian can offer AVS/NCN developers the option of selecting the proper tool—the consensus option—to fit the customer's needs. The number of these options will increase with each new customer request. This is comparable to cloud service providers offering their customers any database, front-end framework, or network time to develop and maintain their applications. This, in turn, puts Cambrian into the position of a Web3-native cloud service builder.

In fact, a quiet revolution in Web3 infrastructure development is happening, and Cambrian is a part of it. What can it be compared with?

Back in the day, in early 2002, the advent of cloud platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud marked a pivotal moment in the tech world. These platforms introduced ready-to-use solutions that allowed developers—from individuals to corporations—to deploy services on a pay-as-you-go model. This innovation eliminated time-consuming technical operations, enabling developers to focus directly on software creation and deployment. This shift streamlined processes and revolutionized the way online products were developed, making cloud computing an essential foundation for modern digital innovation.

Now, this is exactly what Cambrian offers for Web3 comprehensive solutions. The Cambrian solution lets builders significantly decrease dev costs and enjoy seamless AVS/NCN development and deployment across restaking protocols.

Let’s now turn to what consensus mechanisms Cambrian can currently offer:

What is it? PoA is about relying on a smaller pool of trusted validators; this is why it is optimized for faster transactions with reduced decentralization.

How to use: When speed and efficiency are your priorities over higher decentralization.

What is it? This consensus mechanism provides a high level of fault tolerance. So even if some nodes are not doing their job, being faulty or malicious, the network can still reach consensus.
How to use: This is a nice choice when you need higher security and reliability, but the number of nodes is less than it could have been.

What is it? Tendermint is about speed in the network. It is designed for faster finalization, where blocks are confirmed as soon as consensus is reached.

How to use: Suitable for applications requiring quick and consistent data finality in a moderately sized network.

The main point is that the range of consensus mechanisms is an ever-expanding task, and Cambrian works hard on it together with its customers. We are starting our journey with these three options. However, our goal is to offer as many PoS types of consensus as our potential customers might require.

Using Cambrian’s SDK as a single command line solution, AVS/NCN builders can dramatically decrease their dev costs and save time when choosing a proper type of consensus. Simply, as a comprehensive Web3 infrastructure solution builder, Cambrian helps AVS/NCN developers implement their projects by selecting the consensus mechanism that best fits their requirements.