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Polkadot is: + +- About [**Blockspace**](./polkadot-v1.md#polkadots-blockspace) (the underlying resources that + chains need), not chains. +- **A platform to build applications** rather than chains, and for people to use those applications. + Fundamentally, Polkadot is not a platform to host chains, and so far, chains happened to be one + way to build applications and grow Polkadot's utility. +- **A provider of resilient general-purpose continuation computation**, where the term + _continuation_ refers to a broad long-running task that can do something, pause, continue (or do + something else) later. +- **A multicore computer** where chains that continuously operate in parallel on different cores are + called [parachains](../learn/learn-parachains.md). Currently, one core is reserved for one chain + through [slot auction mechanism](../learn/learn-auction.md), although one core can be reserved + on-demand to multiple chains at different periods (see + [parathreads](../learn/learn-parathreads.md)). At the time of writing (mid 2023), on Polkadot, + there are around 50 cores independently operating in parallel. + +From now _application_ will be used as a general term to describe anything that can use a Polkadot +core to access secure and decentralized computation. + +## Summary + +If we see Polkadot as a service provider of trustless and resilient computation through cores as +well as secure interoperability between core-powered applications, the future development of +Polkadot can be directed towards the following main changes. + +A paradigm shift from: + +- being a chain-focused ecosystem where each parachain owned an execution core at all times + (acquired through fixed parachain slots), which allowed a simple and secure, sharded execution + environment +- to being an application-focused ecosystem where where we remove the assumption that each + application owns a core, and instead that all cores are a resource to be consumed and used as + needed by all applications. + +Previously, securing a parachain slot was a competitive process through an +[auction mechanism](../learn/learn-auction.md). With coretime rental, there is no need for slot +auctions anymore. Teams can either purchase some instantaneous coretime, or reserve bulk coretime as +required. This greatly decreases the barrier-to-entry for software tinkerers and parachain teams. + +On top of those main changes, [agile core usage](#agile-core-usage) and +[coretime allocation](#agile-coretime-allocation) will allow any application to access Polkadot's +computation based on their needs without wasting valuable blockspace. [Accords](#xcm-and-accords) +will improve cross-chain communication and the security guarantees of XCM messages. Finally, +Polkadot itself will scale by moving on-chian logic into its own system parachains, allowing it to +have more bandwidth for the [parachains protocol](../learn/learn-parachains-protocol.md) and +accords. + +## From Slot Auctions to Coretime Marketplace + +The end product of blockchains is [**Blockspace**](./polkadot-v1.md#polkadots-blockspace). +Applications need to access Polkadot's blockspace, and the entry points to blockspace are the cores. +Thus, applications will need to reserve some time on cores or **Coretime** to gain the right to +access Polkadot's secure blockspace and interoperability for a finite period. + +Cores must be agile and general: they can change what job they run as easily as a modern CPU. It +follows that the procurement of those cores must be agile as well. + +The slot auction mechanism is not agile, creates high entry barriers, and is designed for +long-running single applications (i.e., the original Polkadot vision proposed in the whitepaper). + +We depart from the classic lease auctions and propose an agile marketplace for coretime, where +essentially **coretime becomes a commodity that can be tokenized, sold and traded**. This setup +maximizes the agility of Polkadot and lets the market figure out the best solution needed for +applications to be successful. + +Applications will be able to reserve **bulk coretime** and **instantaneous coretime** depending on +their needs. Bulk coretime rental will be a standard rental of coretime through a broker system +parachain at fixed price for a fixed period of time. Instantaneous coretime rental will be available +through ongoing sale of coretime for immediate use at a spot price. This system will lowers the +barrier-to-entry for prospective builders. + +Revenues from coretime sales can for example be burnt, used to fund the Treasury, or used for a mix +of those options. The topic is currently under discussion. For more information, see +[RFC-0010](https://github.com/polkadot-fellows/RFCs/pull/10) and +[RFC-0015](https://github.com/polkadot-fellows/RFCs/pull/17/files). + +## From Chain- to Application-centricity + +Polkadot 1.0 was a chain-centric paradigm consisting of isolated chains able to exchange messages. +This was not fundamentally different from having completely different chains connected to bridges, +with the only difference of having the relay-chain securing the network, providing message-passing +capability, and doing some extra tasks such as [crowdloans](../learn/learn-crowdloans.md), +[auctions](../learn/learn-auction.md), [staking](../learn/learn-staking.md), +[accounts](./learn-accounts-index), [balances](../learn/learn-balance-transfers.md), and +[governance](../learn/learn-polkadot-opengov.md). Having a chain-centric system will ultimately end +in chain-centric application and UX. + +The true innovation of Polkadot is about leveraging the unique value proposition offered by +different chains and using those chains’ collaborative potential to build inter-chain applications +to solve real-world problems. Those applications will thus need to span across chains. + +**Increasingly fewer tasks will be handled by the relay-chain** that will focus efforts only on +primary tasks: securing the network and providing secure message-passing capability. +[System parachains](../learn/learn-system-chains.md) will be used to take over secondary relay-chain +tasks such as staking, governance, etc. + +### XCM and Accords + +[XCMP](../learn/learn-xcm.md) is the transport layer for delivering XCM messages. It gives the +transportation method and a secure route but not a framework for binding agreements. + +[XCM](../learn/learn-xcm-transport.md) is a format, a language of intention abstract over +functionality common within chains. It creates an expressive language of what you intend to do or +want to happen. XCM messages are transported between different chains using XCMP. Ideally, in a +fully trustless environment, strong guarantees ensure chains faithfully interpret XCM messages. We +can have a secure mode of delivering messages that can be interpreted across protocols, but still +messages might be misinterpreted. These guarantees can be achieved with accords. + +An **Accord** is an _opt-in_ treaty across many chains, where treaty logic cannot be changed or +undermined by one or more of those chains, and Polkadot guarantees faithful execution of this logic. +Accords will be specific to a particular function, and any chain that enters the accord will be held +to it and will service that particular function. To lower the entry barrier, accords can be proposed +permissionlessly, but because they are opt-in, the accord proposal will take effect until chains +agree and sign up. + +To sum up, accords ensure that XCM messages securely sent via XCMP channels are faithfully +interpreted by the receiver. Accords are the missing piece of the puzzle to achieve a fully +trustless and collaborative environment between applications. + +Polkadot is the only ecosystem where accords can properly exist because it has an homogenous +security layer that also provides a specific state transition function for each of its logic +components. This allows patterns of cooperation between multiple logic components (i.e., +trans-applications) that would not be possible to achieve over bridges. + +Accords will be implemented using [SPREE technology](../learn/learn-spree.md). + +## Core Usage in Polkadot 1.0 + +In Polkadot 1.0, applications produced blocks at a fixed rate of 12 seconds, whether needed or not. +This led to inefficient energy allocation and economic incentives for producing full blocks under +heavy traffic and empty blocks under light traffic. + +The figure below shows the core usage for Polkadot 1.0, where the horizontal axis is time, and each +row represents a core. Colors show different parachains, each using one core (i.e., one parachain, +one core formula). + +![core-usage-dumb](../assets/core-usage-dumb.png) + +The above setup allowed a **simple and secure, sharded execution environment**. + +However, to achieve full efficiency blocks must be produced when needed, and the system must target +full block capacity lowering the probability of incentivizing validators to build blocks half full +or, worse, empty. + +## Agile Coretime Allocation + +In Polkadot 1.0, coretime is a fixed two-year period on one specific core. Here we remove this +limitation and generalize coretime usage to meet different application needs. + +### Split Coretime + +Owners of coretime can split or trade it. An application A1 can run on core C1 for a finite period +and then another application A2 can run on that core, or application A1 can continue running on +another core C2. Some applications might stop running for some time and resume later on. + +![core-usage-agile-rangeSplit](../assets/core-usage-agile-rangeSplit.png) + +### Strided Coretime + +Ranges can be strided (i.e., applications can take turns on a core) to share costs or decrease block +production rate, for example. + +![core-usage-agile-rangeStrided](../assets/core-usage-agile-rangeStrided.png) + +### Combined Coretime + +An application can be assigned to multiple cores simultaneously. Some applications can have a +permanent core assignment and an intermittent one, for example, in a period of high demand to send +multiple blocks to multiple cores at the same time slot to reduce latency. + +![core-usage-agile-combined](../assets/core-usage-agile-combined.png) + +## Agile Core Usage + +In Polkadot 1.0 the one core is assigned to one application (in this case equivalent to a +parachain). Ideally, core affinity (i.e., which application operates on which core) is unimportant +(see below). Cores do not have any higher friendliness to one application than another. + +![core-usage-dumb-noAffinity](../assets/core-usage-dumb-noAffinity.png) + +Here we remove the assumption that each application owns a core, and instead that all cores are a +resource to be consumed and used as needed by all applications in the ecosystem. + +### Compressed Cores + +The same core can secure multiple blocks of the same application simultaneously. Combining multiple +application blocks in the same relay chain core will reduce latency at the expense of increased +bandwidth for the fixed price of opening and closing a block. + +![core-usage-agile-compressed](../assets/core-usage-agile-compressed.png) + +### Shared Cores + +Sharing cores with other applications to share costs but with no reduction in latency. Note that +this is different from the [split coretime](#split-coretime) where one core is used by multiple +application at different times to share costs at the expense of higher latency. + +![core-usage-agile-shared](../assets/core-usage-agile-shared.png) + +## Agile Composable Computer + +All the above options of agile [coretime allocation](#agile-coretime-allocation) and +[core usage](#agile-core-usage) can be composable and enable the creation of an agile decentralized +global computing system. + +![core-usage-agile-composable](../assets/core-usage-agile-composable.png) + +Thus, this new vision is focused on Polkadot’s resource, which is secure, flexible and available +blockspace that can be accessed by reserving some time on a core. Agility in allocation of coretime +and use of cores allow for maximized network efficiency and blockspace usage. + +## Polkadot's Resilience + +Systems that have yet to be engineered with decentralization, cryptography, and game theory in mind, +are breakable and prone to cyber-attacks. Polkadot is basing its resilience on different pillars: + +- **Preponderance of light-client usage:** Centralized RPC servers are common but susceptible to + attack and not trustless decentralized entry points to using blockchain-based applications. Light + client usage on Polkadot is possible through + [Smoldot](../build/build-substrate.md#how-to-use-substrate-connect). +- **Zero-Knowledge (ZK) Primitives:** They can have a problematic effect on censorship and + centralization as having a big state transition function boiled down to a single proof of correct + execution is not currently a scaling solution to build resilient systems. However, a library of + richly featured and high-performance ZK primitives ready for specific use cases is being built. + The first use-case will be used to improve privacy for on-chain collectives such as + [the Polkadot Technical Fellowship](../learn/learn-polkadot-opengov.md#the-technical-fellowship). +- **[Sassafras](../learn/learn-sassafras.md) consensus:** New forkless block-production consensus + algorithm replacing [BABE](../learn/learn-consensus.md#block-production-babe) and where block are + not produced unless they are expected to be finalized. This will provide several benefits, such + as: + - Improved security, parachain performance, and UX from being forkless + - Preventing front-running attacks through high-performance transaction routing where transactions + are included in blocks in one hop instead of being gossiped, and transaction encryption. +- **Internode Mixnet:** Shielded transport for short messages that + - avoids leaking IP information for transactions, and + - introduces a general messaging system allowing users, chains and off-chain workers, smart + contracts, pallets, and anything else existing within a chain to exchange messages containing + signatures, intentions, etc. +- **Social Decentralization:** Resilience is achieved by including many participants contributing to + the system and coming to decisions through on-chain governance. Involving as many people as + possible ensures resilience against spending becoming systemically misjudged and appropriately + directs wealth for spending treasury funds, salaries, and grants. Another crucial way of + decentralizing the network is ensuring experts on which the maintenance of the system relies upon + are incentivized and recruited over time by the Polkadot network and not by organizations within + the Polkadot ecosystem. diff --git a/docs/learn/learn-guides-polkadot-opengov.md b/docs/learn/learn-guides-polkadot-opengov.md index b7895057a16..af85402a213 100644 --- a/docs/learn/learn-guides-polkadot-opengov.md +++ b/docs/learn/learn-guides-polkadot-opengov.md @@ -74,7 +74,8 @@ submission and decision deposits back by issuing the `refundSubmissionDeposit` a completed as passing or failing. Users can not refund their submission deposit while the referendum is `Ongoing`. Similarly, users -cannot refund their submission deposit if the proposal has `TimedOut` (failing to submit the decision deposit within a +cannot refund their submission deposit if the proposal has `TimedOut` (failing to submit the +decision deposit within a {{ polkadot: :polkadot }}{{ kusama: :kusama }}-day period will lead to a referendum timeout). This behavior exists so that users can refrain from spamming the chain with proposals that have no interest from the community. If a proposal is in the @@ -83,6 +84,7 @@ user to a runtime-configured account, like the treasury. To refund your slashed deposit, you can start a new referendum and specifically request a refund from the treasury. You need to make sure you have enough balance for a new submission and decision -deposit, and you will need to select the right track to ask for a refund. For example, the [Small Tipper Track](../maintain/maintain-guides-polkadot-opengov.md#small-tipper) would be fine for +deposit, and you will need to select the right track to ask for a refund. For example, the +[Small Tipper Track](../maintain/maintain-guides-polkadot-opengov.md#small-tipper) would be fine for any kind of deposit refund up to {{ polkadot: 250 DOT :polkadot }}{{ kusama: 8.25 KSM KSM :kusama }}. diff --git a/polkadot-wiki/sidebars.js b/polkadot-wiki/sidebars.js index eb9593f39a6..6d7180d52bf 100644 --- a/polkadot-wiki/sidebars.js +++ b/polkadot-wiki/sidebars.js @@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ module.exports = { }, items: [ "general/polkadot-v1", + "general/polkadot-direction", ], }, {