In a recent fireside chat, Areg Hayrapetian, Director of Engineering at the EOS Network Foundation and Principal Architect of Savanna, outlined the advancements brought about by the Spring 1.0 release and the development of the Savanna consensus algorithm. His insights provided a thorough explanation of how Savanna addresses key limitations of the legacy EOS consensus model and introduces cryptographic, architectural, and performance improvements to the blockchain.
Introduction and Background
The release of Spring 1.0 on September 25, 2024, marked a significant milestone for the EOS Network. The hard fork was successfully implemented, introducing Savanna, the new consensus algorithm. This moment represented the culmination of nearly two years of development aimed at improving upon the legacy consensus algorithm used by EOS, which was particularly limited by its long time to finality.
EOS Completes Historic Hard Fork to Spring 1.0 with Savanna Consensus Algorithm
Areg noted that the legacy algorithm had been developed under considerable time pressure, leading to compromises in the final design. These shortcomings became the motivation for Savanna’s development. The new system aims to deliver instant finality, scalability, and cryptographic security without sacrificing performance. While the initial specification for Savanna was relatively straightforward, integrating it into the existing codebase proved challenging, leading to the formation of a dedicated team led by Areg.
Consensus Algorithm Development
At the core of Savanna is the concept of finality—the assurance that once a transaction is confirmed, it cannot be reversed. Areg explained two types of finality: probabilistic finality (where the probability of reversal decreases over time) and deterministic (algorithmic) finality (where consensus is mathematically guaranteed). The legacy EOS consensus achieved algorithmic finality, but it required three minutes, primarily due to its design limitation of allowing at most one confirmation per block. This created a bottleneck in scalability.
Savanna addresses this limitation by introducing a cryptographic solution that reduces time to finality to just one second. Using BLS (Boneh-Lynn-Shacham) signatures, Savanna aggregates multiple block confirmation signatures into a single signature representing a quorum certificate, reducing overhead and improving both speed and scalability.
Savanna’s design is rooted in mathematical proofs, providing formal security guarantees that were not as rigorously applied in the original EOS protocol. Areg emphasized the importance of these proofs in ensuring both safety and liveness, even in adversarial conditions. The forthcoming academic paper will provide deeper insights into these theoretical foundations, further validating Savanna’s cryptographic techniques.
penalties such as token slashing, where finalizers lose a portion of their staked tokens for violations. This system incentivizes honest behavior from finalizers and ensures the integrity of the network.
Future Developments and Possibilities
Looking ahead, Areg hinted at several future developments that could be explored to further improve the EOS network. One such innovation is the potential for time-locked staking pools for finalizers, where participants stake tokens for a set period and face penalties like token slashing for rule violations. This mechanism would strengthen network security and incentivize long-term commitment.
Conclusion and Future Work
The Spring 1.0 release and the introduction of Savanna represent a major leap forward for the EOS network. With instant finality and cryptographic innovations like BLS signatures, Savanna sets a new standard for blockchain consensus algorithms.
While the current implementation of Savanna is already a game-changer, Areg and his team are continuing to refine it. The forthcoming academic paper will provide deeper insights into Savanna’s cryptographic and theoretical foundations, helping validate the system further.
The successful implementation of Spring 1.0 has unlocked new avenues for IBC, decentralization, and scalability, making Savanna a critical component in the future of blockchain technology.
