Blockchain technology is changing with each passing day. In order to improve transaction efficiency and security, various innovative consensus mechanisms have emerged. Recently, the Solayer protocol announced the launch of PoA-S (Proof of Authority and Stake), a hybrid consensus mechanism that combines the advantages of PoA (Proof of Authority) and PoS (Proof of Stake). The design of PoA-S not only improves transaction verification efficiency, but also ensures the fairness and security of the network.
With the official launch of PoA-S, Solana's native Staking is also opened simultaneously, bringing a more stable and flexible solution to the decentralized ecosystem.
PoA-S: A hybrid consensus mechanism of authority and staking
PoA-S is an innovative consensus architecture that ensures efficient processing and secure verification of transactions through collaboration between authoritative nodes and staking validators.
Sequencers (operated by authoritative nodes) are responsible for managing transaction packaging and block generation to ensure that transactions can be processed quickly.
Provers (operated by staking validators) verify through staking assets to ensure that the transaction data submitted by Sequencers is correct and participate in consensus decision-making.
Sequencers are responsible for transaction sorting and block generation. Pre-selected sequencers batch transactions and split them into shreds (transaction slices) and distribute them to the network for verification. These sequencers are selected based on specific criteria to ensure the credibility of their behavior.
Provers verify through PoS Staking validators (Provers) need to stake a certain amount of assets before they can participate in transaction verification. Their responsibility is to re-execute the transactions in the Shreds submitted by Sequencers, calculate the Effect Hash, and compare it with the embedded hash to ensure data integrity.
Reach consensus and confirm transactions
If the verification result of the Provers is consistent with that of the Sequencer, a vote is held to confirm that the transaction is valid.
If a mismatch is found, the transaction will be rejected and the penalty mechanism will be triggered.
When more than 51% of validators confirm that a transaction is valid, the transaction is finalized.
High throughput and low latency: Authoritative nodes are responsible for transaction packaging and sorting, greatly improving TPS (transactions per second) and ensuring that the network can cope with large-scale transaction needs.
Double verification mechanism: PoA Sequencers and PoS Provers jointly ensure the correctness of transaction data and reduce the risk of malicious behavior.
Economic penalty mechanism: Slashing ensures that malicious nodes cannot affect network security, further improving the fairness of the system.
Centralization risk: Although PoA-S uses PoS in its design to reduce centralization risk, it is still necessary to monitor the behavior of authoritative nodes to ensure that the degree of decentralization of the network is not affected.
Availability of validators: If Provers are offline on a large scale, it may affect the transaction verification speed. For this reason, PoA-S introduces a dynamic validator adjustment mechanism to ensure that the network can continue to operate stably.
Dependence on the reputation mechanism of Sequencers: PoA-S relies on the reputation mechanism of Sequencers to maintain efficient operation, so it is necessary to continuously optimize the selection and supervision mechanism of authoritative nodes to reduce the risk of malicious behavior.
This design not only improves the throughput (TPS) of the blockchain, but also reduces transaction latency, providing users with a smoother transaction experience.
The core operation of PoA-S
Under the PoA-S mechanism, transaction processing is divided into the following steps:
This two-factor authentication mechanism increases the security of transactions and ensures that malicious actors cannot manipulate transaction data.
PoA-S Deep Integration with Solana
PoA-S further enhances its security and reliability through integration with Solana. When a Sequencer submits an invalid transaction, Provers will reject the transaction through a voting mechanism and trigger a re-election process to select a new Sequencer to take over.
In addition, PoA-S has a built-in economic penalty mechanism (Slashing) to ensure that the sequencer of malicious behavior will be punished, such as having its assets cut or being excluded from the network. This design effectively prevents dishonest behavior and ensures the long-term stability of the network.
What are the advantages and challenges of PoA-S?
Key Advantages of PoA-S
Challenges of PoA-S
PoA-S is an innovative consensus mechanism launched by Solayer. Through the hybrid design of PoA + PoS, it strikes a balance between high throughput, low latency and enhanced security. This architecture combines the efficient processing capabilities of Sequencers and the decentralized verification mechanism of Provers to bring a more stable and efficient operation mode to the blockchain.
