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While the light client sync protocol currently provides access to the latest `BeaconBlockHeader`, obtaining the matching execution data needs workarounds such as downloading the full block. Having ready access to the EL state root simplifies use cases that need a way to cross-check `eth_getProof` responses against LC data. Access to `block_hash` unlocks scenarios where a CL light client drives an EL without `engine_newPayload`. As of Altair, only the CL beacon block root is available, but the EL block hash is needed for engine API. Other fields in the `ExecutionPayloadHeader` such as `logs_bloom` may allow light client applications to monitor blocks for local interest, e.g. for transfers affecting a certain wallet. This enables to download only the few relevant blocks instead of every single one. A new `LightClientStore` is proposed into the Capella spec that may be used to sync LC data that includes execution data. Existing pre-Capella LC data will remain as is, but can be locally upgraded before feeding it into the new `LightClientStore` so that light clients do not need to run a potentially expensive fork transition at a specific time. This enables the `LightClientStore` to be upgraded at a use case dependent timing at any time before Capella hits. Smart contract and embedded deployments benefit from reduced code size and do not need synchronization with the beacon chain clock to perform the Capella fork.
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Ethereum Proof-of-Stake Consensus Specifications
To learn more about proof-of-stake and sharding, see the PoS documentation, sharding documentation and the research compendium.
This repository hosts the current Ethereum proof-of-stake specifications. Discussions about design rationale and proposed changes can be brought up and discussed as issues. Solidified, agreed-upon changes to the spec can be made through pull requests.
Specs
Core specifications for Ethereum proof-of-stake clients can be found in specs. These are divided into features. Features are researched and developed in parallel, and then consolidated into sequential upgrades when ready.
Stable Specifications
| Seq. | Code Name | Fork Epoch | Specs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Phase0 | 0 |
|
| 1 | Altair | 74240 |
|
| 2 | Bellatrix ("The Merge") |
144896 |
In-development Specifications
| Code Name or Topic | Specs | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Capella (tentative) |
|
|
| EIP4844 (tentative) | ||
| Sharding (outdated) |
|
|
| Custody Game (outdated) |
|
Dependent on sharding |
| Data Availability Sampling (outdated) |
|
Accompanying documents can be found in specs and include:
Additional specifications for client implementers
Additional specifications and standards outside of requisite client functionality can be found in the following repos:
Design goals
The following are the broad design goals for the Ethereum proof-of-stake consensus specifications:
- to minimize complexity, even at the cost of some losses in efficiency
- to remain live through major network partitions and when very large portions of nodes go offline
- to select all components such that they are either quantum secure or can be easily swapped out for quantum secure counterparts when available
- to utilize crypto and design techniques that allow for a large participation of validators in total and per unit time
- to allow for a typical consumer laptop with
O(C)resources to process/validateO(1)shards (including any system level validation such as the beacon chain)
Useful external resources
For spec contributors
Documentation on the different components used during spec writing can be found here:
Consensus spec tests
Conformance tests built from the executable python spec are available in the Ethereum Proof-of-Stake Consensus Spec Tests repo. Compressed tarballs are available in releases.