Starcoin 2.0: True Parallelism for Blazing Speed

Sequential block processing served the earliest forms of blockchain networks. But now, as data compounds and users demand more and more performance efficiency, the standards of sequential block processing need to be urgently reviewed.

Let’s take you through this process for context:
A miner or validator first “produces” a block — which involves complex computations, like solving a Proof-of-Work puzzle to calculate a cryptographic hash. Once this block is produced, it then typically needs to be “executed.” (A critical process where the transactions within that block are verified against the network’s rules, smart contracts are run, and the overall state of the blockchain is updated)

The bottleneck here is clear: the system often waits for one block to be fully executed and its state finalized before the network can confidently move on to the next block’s full lifecycle or propagate it widely. This “wait-and-process” approach, while robust, inherently limits the network’s capacity. When transaction volume is low, it works fine. But under heavy load, it’s like a single-lane road trying to handle freeway traffic, leading to higher fees, slower transaction finality, and a less responsive user experience.

Unlocking Parallelism: Building a Multi-Lane Highway

At Starcoin, we’re not content with a single lane. Our unwavering commitment is to build a high-throughput, scalable blockchain that can handle the demands of mass adoption without compromising decentralization or security. So, we’re breaking free from this sequential constraint!

Our core innovation is the decoupling of block production from block execution. This game-changing mechanism means that the network no longer has to wait for all the transactions inside a newly produced block to be fully processed and the global state updated before it can begin working on producing the next block.

So what happens in essence?

Just like in a highly efficient factory: instead of the entire assembly line halting for quality control checks on each individual item, manufacturing (block production) and quality control (block execution/verification) can now run simultaneously on different items. On Starcoin, this concurrency is made possible by two key mechanics:

1. Proactive Block Production: Our system has been re-engineered so that block production is now primarily driven by a block’s connect event. What this means is that as soon as a new block is successfully mined and validated in terms of its cryptographic properties and links to previous blocks, it can be immediately introduced and propagated across the network. It doesn't wait for the potentially slower, in-depth execution of all its transactions. This "fire and forget" approach for production allows the network to aggressively put new blocks into circulation, dramatically increasing the rate at which blocks enter the system.
2. Wider Broadcast Window: We’ve also enhanced the system by increasing the “height window” for accepting and broadcasting blocks. Previously, nodes might have been more rigid about accepting blocks that weren’t perfectly aligned with their immediate view of the main chain tip. Now, as long as a block is logically “near the edge nodes” (i.e., within a reasonable range of the current network state), it can be broadcast and accepted. This more flexible approach ensures that blocks propagate across the network more quickly and efficiently, minimizing the chances of “stale” blocks and maximizing overall throughput.

Bringing it all to Live

This isn’t just theoretical. These innovations have been deployed on Starcoin’s Halley testnet, where they’ve already demonstrated remarkable success. The visual evidence is compelling: after these changes, the topological graph (our internal visual representation of the DAG) now “can better reflect the original appearance of the DAG chain”. This isn’t just a prettier picture; it’s confirmation that the network is indeed processing blocks in parallel, showcasing the true, interwoven nature of a high-throughput DAG.

Overall, these deep-seated engineering advancements directly translate into tangible benefits for every users:

• Blazing Fast Transactions: Say goodbye to long waiting times. Quicker block finality means faster confirmations for sending and receiving assets and interacting with decentralized applications.
• Massive Scalability: The network’s ability to handle significantly more transactions per second, without compromising performance or decentralization, paves the way for mainstream adoption and supports a vastly wider ecosystem of applications without congestion.
• Robust and Reliable Network: Decoupling processes reduces bottlenecks and potential points of failure, leading to a more fluid, stable, and consistently reliable experience for all users.

Conclusion

With our latest decoupling processes, Starcoin takes a fundamental shift in addressing the core scalability challenges of blockchain technology. A faster, more efficient base layer empowers developers to build even more complex, data-intensive, and demanding applications on Starcoin, and also supports a rich user experience for Web3 enthusiasts who continue to seek more satisfactory iterations of this technology, unlocking entirely new possibilities for the ecosystem.

About Starcoin

Starcoin provides the utmost security from the origin via its enhanced PoW consensus and Secure smart contract, using the language of Move. Through layered and flexible interoperability, it optimizes the building of ecosystems such as DeFi, NFTs, Gaming, etc., with higher efficiency and convenience. This process redefines value by empowering every participant in the ecosystem to enjoy the multiplication of values.

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