eth2.0-specs/specs/eip4844/validator.md

# EIP-4844 -- Honest Validator

**Notice**: This document is a work-in-progress for researchers and implementers.

## Table of contents

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- [Introduction](#introduction)
- [Prerequisites](#prerequisites)
- [Helpers](#helpers)
  - [`is_data_available`](#is_data_available)
  - [`verify_blobs_sidecar`](#verify_blobs_sidecar)
- [Beacon chain responsibilities](#beacon-chain-responsibilities)
  - [Block proposal](#block-proposal)
    - [Constructing the `BeaconBlockBody`](#constructing-the-beaconblockbody)
      - [Blob commitments](#blob-commitments)
  - [Beacon Block publishing time](#beacon-block-publishing-time)

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## Introduction

This document represents the changes to be made in the code of an "honest validator" to implement EIP-4844.

## Prerequisites

This document is an extension of the [Bellatrix -- Honest Validator](../altair/validator.md) guide.
All behaviors and definitions defined in this document, and documents it extends, carry over unless explicitly noted or overridden.

All terminology, constants, functions, and protocol mechanics defined in the updated [Beacon Chain doc of EIP4844](./beacon-chain.md) are requisite for this document and used throughout.
Please see related Beacon Chain doc before continuing and use them as a reference throughout.

## Helpers

### `is_data_available`

The implementation of `is_data_available` is meant to change with later sharding upgrades.
Initially, it requires every verifying actor to retrieve the matching `BlobsSidecar`,
and verify the sidecar with `verify_blobs`.

Without the sidecar the block may be processed further optimistically,
but MUST NOT be considered valid until a valid `BlobsSidecar` has been downloaded.

```python
def is_data_available(slot: Slot, beacon_block_root: Root, kzgs: Sequence[KZGCommitment]):
    sidecar = retrieve_blobs_sidecar(slot, beacon_block_root)  # implementation dependent, raises an exception if not available
    verify_blobs_sidecar(slot, beacon_block_root, kzgs, sidecar)
```

### `verify_blobs_sidecar`

```python
def verify_blobs_sidecar(slot: Slot, beacon_block_root: Root,
                         expected_kzgs: Sequence[KZGCommitment], blobs_sidecar: BlobsSidecar):
    assert blobs_sidecar.shard == 0  # always zero, placeholder for future sharding
    assert slot == blobs_sidecar.beacon_block_slot
    assert beacon_block_root == blobs_sidecar.beacon_block_root
    blobs = blobs_sidecar.blobs
    assert len(kzgs) == len(blobs)
    for kzg, blob in zip(expected_kzgs, blobs):
      assert blob_to_kzg(blob) == kzg
```


## Beacon chain responsibilities

All validator responsibilities remain unchanged other than those noted below.
Namely, the blob handling and the addition of `BlobsSidecar`.

### Block proposal

#### Constructing the `BeaconBlockBody`

##### Blob commitments

After retrieving the execution payload from the execution engine as specified in Bellatrix,
the blobs are retrieved and processed: 

```python
# execution_payload = xecution_engine.get_payload(payload_id)
# block.body.execution_payload = execution_payload
# ...

kzgs, blobs = get_blobs(payload_id)

# Optionally sanity-check that the KZG commitments match the versioned hashes in the transactions
assert verify_kzgs_against_transactions(execution_payload.transactions, kzgs)

# Optionally sanity-check that the KZG commitments match the blobs (as produced by the execution engine)
assert len(kzgs) == len(blobs) and [blob_to_kzg(blob) == kzg for blob, kzg in zip(blobs, kzgs)]

# Update the block body 
block.body.blob_kzgs = kzgs
```

The `blobs` should be held with the block in preparation of publishing.
Without the `blobs`, the published block will effectively be ignored by honest validators.

Note: This API is *unstable*. `get_blobs` and `get_payload` may be unified.
Implementers may also retrieve blobs individually per transaction.

### Beacon Block publishing time

Before publishing a prepared beacon block proposal, the corresponding blobs are packaged into a sidecar object for distribution to the network:

```python
blobs_sidecar = BlobsSidecar(
    beacon_block_root=hash_tree_root(beacon_block)
    beacon_block_slot=beacon_block.slot
    shard=0,
    blobs=blobs,
)
```

And then signed:

```python
domain = get_domain(state, DOMAIN_BLOBS_SIDECAR, blobs_sidecar.beacon_block_slot / SLOTS_PER_EPOCH)
signing_root = compute_signing_root(blobs_sidecar, domain)
signature = bls.Sign(privkey, signing_root)
signed_blobs_sidecar = SignedBlobsSidecar(message=blobs_sidecar, signature=signature)
```

This `signed_blobs_sidecar` is then published to the global `blobs_sidecar` topic as soon as the `beacon_block` is published.

After publishing the sidecar peers on the network may request the sidecar through sync-requests, or a local user may be interested.
The validator MUST hold on to blobs for `MIN_EPOCHS_FOR_BLOBS_SIDECARS_REQUESTS` epochs and serve when capable,
to ensure the data-availability of these blobs throughout the network.

After `MIN_EPOCHS_FOR_BLOBS_SIDECARS_REQUESTS` nodes MAY prune the blobs and/or stop serving them.