The Latest on the Synapse Development Update
Phore Synapse is a new architecture that utilizes sharding technology. Theoretically, it will have the capacity to process thousands of transactions per second. Additionally, it will support high-performance execution of Turing-complete smart contracts to support complex business models, DApps, and enable the creation of customized shards, which are optimized for various use cases. At the same time, it will allow the interoperability of different shards.
The Synapse Update
The team has been working on the upcoming test run. They are conducting internal test runs and found some issues that needs to be dealt with. Some of the issues include bugs that could affect stability and reliability. They also made changes to boost the security of the blockchain protocol while also adding functionality that will tie together several parts of the Synapse architecture such as shard module, beacon chain, and validator.
As of now, the shard module chains are finalizing as expected, based on cross-links with the beacon chain. The team is still working on issues related to shard blockchain syncing and the general stability before they launch they testnet.
When it comes to boosting security, one example of the changes they are making is the addition of a validator index to the header of each beacon chain block. This will make it possible for the protocol to verify that block proposers match what is expected when performing block transition operations. Besides that, the team has added a validator ID to the shard block header. Finally, the team has added tests for the code changes.
Another update conducted by the team relates to the BLS (Boneh Lynn-Schacham) signature aggregation library. The Phore team implemented the protocol early on. In fact, the Prysmatic Labs team that is working on the Go version of Ethereum 2.0 has used it. The Prysmatic Labs team even contributed to its implementation for BLS. It is a new protocol and has been going through standardization with the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) standardization body. As the BLS standard has developed over time, the team has made changes to match the IEFT specifications.
The team has also added more tests for the P2P code. Their goal is to verify that everything is working as it should and they can detect with ease if changes in future causes the process to break down.
The focus right now is on increasing the stability of the Synapse shard blockchain. Work is ongoing on the election system for shard proposers. Implementing it would require changes to the shard proposer selection, to ensure it is based on the last finalized block hash. They are thinking of adding aggregated attestation to the shard chain. As a result, they can use it to ensure that the validators match what is shown in their attestations.
Another key area they are looking into is the state management on the beacon chain. It includes the (random number decentralized autonomous organization (RANDAO) protocol, which is used to randomly assign tasks to validators. Besides that, it helps to determine which validator proposed which block.
The Synapse Wallet
Besides work in the core Synapse blockchain protocols, the team is working on the design of the wallet UI and other functions. Most of the work will only be completed once the core blockchain protocols are near completion. It will ensure the team has a concrete set of APIs and protocols to use in designing the UI that can interact with the blockchain, displays blockchain data to users, and lets them use it to perform various actions. These actions include basic functions like sending funds, receiving funds, and voting on proposals. Besides that, the UI will enable users to set up validators.
Besides supporting the functionality needed to use Synapse, the team also wants to offer users additional tools to improve the overall experience. Consequently, they are considering adding features such as displays of Synapse trading data and allowing users to visit Synapse market on exchanges. They intend to have a basic mode and a pro mode for advanced users that need for detailed information. The team is open to any suggestions from supporters of the project on anything that should be included in the wallet.
No Set Date for the Release of Synapse
The team behind Phore does not set dates for completion of projects until they are confident about the progress they have made. However, they have completed 85% of the Synapse developments. They are confident that the split of Synapse from Phore will be placed in the governance voting system in August or September. It is important to note that the split proposal is not a representation of the Synapse development time frame.
