Validator Overview
Introduction
Gno.land is a blockchain powered by the Gno tech stack, which consists of the Gno Language (Gno), Tendermint2 (TM2), and GnoVM. Unlike existing Proof of Stake (PoS) blockchains in the Cosmos ecosystem, gno.land runs on Proof of Contribution (PoC), a novel reputation-based consensus mechanism that values expertise and alignment with the project. In PoC, validators are selected via governance based on their contribution to the project and technical proficiency. The voting power of the network is equally distributed across all validators to achieve a high nakamoto coefficient. A portion of all transaction fees paid to the network are evenly shared between all validators to provide a fair incentive structure.
| Blockchain | Cosmos | Gno.land |
|---|---|---|
| Consensus Protocol | Comet BFT | Tendermint2 |
| Consensus Mechanism | Proof of Stake | Proof of Contribution |
| Requirement | Delegation of Stake | Contribution |
| Voting Power Reward Distribution | Capital-based | Evenly-distributed |
| Number of Validators | 180 | 20~200 (gradually increasing) |
| Virtual Machine | N/A | GnoVM |
| Tokenomics | Inflationary (Dilutive) | Deflationary (Non-dilutive) |
Hardware Requirements
The following minimum hardware requirements are recommended for running a validator node.
- Memory: 16 GB RAM (Recommended: 32 GB)
- CPU: 2 cores (Recommended: 4 cores)
- Disk: 100 GB SSD (Depends on the level of pruning)
These hardware requirements are currently approximate based on the Cosmos validator specifications. Final requirements will be determined following thorough testing and optimization experiments in Testnet 4.
Good Validators
Validators for gno.land are trusted to demonstrate professionalism and responsibility. Below are best practices that can be expected from a good, reliable validator.
Ecosystem Contribution
- Contributing to the core development of the gno.land project
- Providing useful tools or infrastructure services (wallets, explorers, public RPCs, etc.)
- Creating educational materials to guide new members
- Localizing documentation or content to lower language or cultural barriers
Quality Infrastructure
- Strong connectivity, CPU, and memory setup
- Exercising technical stability by retaining a high uptime with a robust monitoring system
- Robust contingency plans with failover systems, storage backups, and redundant power supplies
- Geographical distribution of servers
Transparency
- Providing regular updates
- Engaging actively in community discussions
- Being accountable for any failures
Compliance
- Exercising legal compliance
- Consulting with legal experts to identify regulatory risks
- Conducting internal audits
Community
Join the official gno.land community in various channels to receive the latest updates about the project and actively communicate with other validators and contributors.
The validator set implementation in gno.land is abstracted away from the consensus mechanism inside the r/sys/vals
realm. The realm is not production ready yet, and is still under active development. Proposals and contributions to
improve and complete the implementation are welcome.
Links to related efforts:
- Validator set injection through a Realm [gnolang/gno #1823]
- Add Validator Set Realm / Package [gnolang/gno #1824]
- Add
/r/sys/vals[gnolang/gno #2130] - Add valset injection through
r/sys/vals[gnolang/gno #2229]