Network
Launch Date
Consensus
Note
Sepolia
Oct 2021
PoW
Like-for-like representation of Ethereum
Görli
Jan 2019
PoA
Proof-of-Authority
Kiln
Mar 2022
PoS
Post-Merge (for ETH2), shadow fork of the mainnet
Kintsugi
Dec 2021
PoS
DEPRECATED, use Kiln; post-Merge (for ETH2)
Ropsten
Nov 2016
PoW
DEPRECATED, use Sepolia; the Merge to happen on Jun 8, 2022
Rinkeby
Apr 2017
PoA
DEPRECATED, use Görli and Görli Faucet
Kovan
Mar 2017
PoA
DEPRECATED, use Sepolia or Görli
List of active and deprecated Ethereum testnets, including Kintsugi.
Features
Optimistic rollup 
ZK-rollup 
Proof
Uses fraud proofs to prove transaction validity. 
Uses validity (zero-knowledge) proofs to prove transaction validity. 
Capital efficiency
Requires waiting through a 1-week delay (dispute period) before withdrawing funds. 
Users can withdraw funds immediately because validity proofs provide incontrovertible evidence of the authenticity of off-chain transactions. 
Data compression
Publishes full transaction data as calldata to Ethereum Mainnet, which increases rollup costs. 
Doesn't need to publish transaction data on Ethereum because ZK-SNARKs and ZK-STARKs already guarantee the accuracy of the rollup state. 
EVM compatibility
Uses a simulation of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), which allows it to run arbitrary logic and support smart contracts. 
Doesn't widely support EVM computation, although a few EVM-compatible ZK-rollups have appeared. 
Rollup costs
Reduces costs since it publishes minimal data on Ethereum and doesn't have to post proofs for transactions, except in special circumstances. 
Faces higher overhead from costs involved in generating and verifying proofs for every transaction block. ZK proofs require specialized, expensive hardware to create and have high on-chain verification costs. 
Trust assumptions
Doesn't require a trusted setup. 
Requires a trusted setup to work. 
Liveness requirements
Verifiers are needed to keep tabs on the actual rollup state and the one referenced in the state root to detect fraud. 
Users don't need someone to watch the L2 chain to detect fraud. 
Security properties 
Relies on cryptoeconomic incentives to assure users of rollup security. 
Relies on cryptographic guarantees for security. 
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curl 
https://release.solana.com/v1.10.32/solana-install-init-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.exe 
--output 
C:\solana-install-tmp\solana-install-init.exe 
--create-dirs
Solana
FIREDANCER VALIDATOR OVERVIEW

What is Firedancer? Explore Solana's New Validator Client

Discover How a Firedancer Works and Why it is a Game Changer for Solana
Last Updated:
January 20, 2023
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Table of Contents

{{get-started-solana}}

Solana has a single validator client that every node supporting the third-generation blockchain uses to support the network. Because node client diversity makes blockchains more anti-fragile (i.e. less likely for the network to go down), introducing a second validator client to Solana that is intentionally designed for performance is an exciting evolution in one of web3's most promising layer one blockchains.

In this article, we will explore Solana's current validator client, how Firedancer introduces improvements, and the underlying technology behind the client.

What is Firedancer?

Firedancer is a next-generation independent validator client for the Solana blockchain that is being designed by the team at Jump Crypto to improve upon Solana's current, and only validator client. Besides introducing client diversity into Solana's ecosystem, Firedancer is designed to offer increased performance and scalability.

In a November 2022 live demo, a single validator running the new Firedancer client processed 1.2 million transactions per second. While the production release of the Firedancer client is yet to be announced, early demos show promise that Firedancer will introduce redundancy and performance improvements to Solana's network.

In addition to performance improvements, Jump Crypto's Firedancer client may make running Solana nodes cheaper as it is designed to be more efficient, which could result in lower operating costs for node operators. However, the cost of running a node will depend on a variety of factors, including hardware and infrastructure costs.

In what programming languages is Firedancer written?

Firedancer is developed in C and C++, a pair of programming languages known for hardware performance and reliability. They’re designed to be fast and memory-efficient, making them well-suited for building high-performance software.

According to Jump, early releases of Firedancer will have some compatibility with Rust. This makes sense since most developers are using the language in their smart contracts. However, as the project ages, it will focus mainly on C/C++ based codebase to stay in line with their own systems underlying language and logic.

Firedancer vs. the Current Solana Node Client

To paint a vivid picture of the improvements introduced with Firedancer, let’s look at the key limitations associated with the stock Solana validator clients. This way, we can weigh the usefulness and anticipated upgrades that’ll come with Firedancer.

What are the limitations of the existing Solana node client?

Solana validator clients have some limitations that can impact their performance and scalability. Most of these limitations are software-based and not due to node hardware. Some of these limitations include:

1. Concurrent Transaction Processing

Solana validators can only process a limited number of transactions at a time, which can result in slower transaction processing and potential bottlenecks. This can be a problem as the Solana network grows and the number of transactions increases.

2. Sharding Support

Solana's current validator clients do not support sharding, which is a technique that allows a blockchain to scale horizontally by dividing the network into smaller pieces (called shards). This can result in a lack of scalability as the network grows.

What are the improvements of the new Firedancer node client?

The Firedancer client aims to address existing limitations and improve upon the current Solana validator clients in several ways: enhanced concurrent transaction processing, sharding support, optimized P2P communication, and improved consensus protocol support.

1. Enhanced Concurrent Transaction Processing

The Firedancer client is designed to support a higher number of concurrent transactions, which can result in faster transaction processing times and fewer bottlenecks. This is achieved through the use of C and C++, programming languages that are known for their high operation performance, and reliability.

Additionally, the compatibility with Rust-based decentralized applications upon launch. Codebase created for concurrency will be able to port that onto the new validator and still reap the efficiency benefits.

2. Sharding Support

In addition to enhanced concurrent transaction processing, the Firedancer client also includes support for sharding. This can improve scalability as the network grows and allows the Solana blockchain to scale horizontally.

3. Networking and P2P Communication

The Firedancer client includes optimized networking and P2P communication protocols to improve the efficiency and speed of block and transaction propagation. This is achieved through the use of techniques such as compression and batching, which can reduce the amount of data that needs to be transmitted over the network.

4. Enhanced Consensus Protocol

The Firedancer client uses a modified version of the Solana consensus protocol, which is a proof-of-stake (PoS) protocol that allows validators to participate in the consensus process and earn rewards for their contributions to the network. The modified version used by Firedancer is designed to be more efficient and reliable than the original protocol. Firedancer is not replacement, rather an augmentation of the already active Solana validator client.

Pros and Cons of Using Firedancer:

The intended benefits of Firedancer outweigh the downsides to its implementation:

Advantages of FiredancerCons of Firedancer Validator
Improved performance and scalabilityNewer technology
Enhanced reliabilityLearning curve
More efficient
Open source code base
More failure points/options

Expanded Benefits of Using Firedancer

Some of the benefits of using the Firedancer client include:

1. Improved Performance and Scalability

As mentioned earlier, the Firedancer client is designed to support a higher number of concurrent transactions and includes support for sharding, which can improve the overall performance and scalability of the Solana ecosystem.

2. Enhanced Reliability

The Firedancer client includes a number of optimizations and enhancements to improve its overall reliability, which can result in fewer downtime incidents and a more stable network.

3. More Efficient

The Firedancer client is designed to be more efficient than existing Solana validator clients, which can result in lower operating costs for node operators.

4. Open-source Codebase

Firedancer’s open-source codebase makes it easy for developers and contributors to keep the project on an upward scaling slope. In short, with that kind of community-based support things will only get better with time for adopters.

5. More failure points/options

Having more validator nodes across the decentralized network translates to resiliency through there not being a single failure point. As long as either the original, or Firedancer is up and running, we should anticipate fewer network downtime incidents.

Tradeoffs to Consider

However, there are also some tradeoffs to consider when choosing to switch to the Firedancer client: it's newer technology, and there is a learning curve for infrastructure providers.

1. Newer Technology

As a newer validator client, the Firedancer client is still in development and may have some bugs or issues that need to be ironed out.

2. Learning Curve

As a new client, node operators may need to spend some time learning how to use the Firedancer client and may need to update their existing processes and systems to accommodate it.

Conclusion

In summary, the Firedancer client is a next-generation validator client for the Solana blockchain that aims to improve upon existing validator clients in several ways. It includes enhanced concurrent transaction processing, sharding support, and other optimizations and enhancements to improve its overall performance and reliability. While it is still in development, the Firedancer client has the potential to be a game-changer for the Solana network.

Firedancer Resources

For more information on the Firedancer client, please see the following resources:

  • Firedancer Github Repo: https://github.com/firedancer-io/firedancer
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/jump_
  • Telegram: https://t.me/+Zd2HOwdDL3FjMTc5
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Solana
FIREDANCER VALIDATOR OVERVIEW

What is Firedancer? Solana's New Validator Client

Discover How a Firedancer Works and Why it is a Game Changer for Solana
Last Updated:
January 20, 2023
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents

{{get-started-solana}}

Solana has a single validator client that every node supporting the third-generation blockchain uses to support the network. Because node client diversity makes blockchains more anti-fragile (i.e. less likely for the network to go down), introducing a second validator client to Solana that is intentionally designed for performance is an exciting evolution in one of web3's most promising layer one blockchains.

In this article, we will explore Solana's current validator client, how Firedancer introduces improvements, and the underlying technology behind the client.

What is Firedancer?

Firedancer is a next-generation independent validator client for the Solana blockchain that is being designed by the team at Jump Crypto to improve upon Solana's current, and only validator client. Besides introducing client diversity into Solana's ecosystem, Firedancer is designed to offer increased performance and scalability.

In a November 2022 live demo, a single validator running the new Firedancer client processed 1.2 million transactions per second. While the production release of the Firedancer client is yet to be announced, early demos show promise that Firedancer will introduce redundancy and performance improvements to Solana's network.

In addition to performance improvements, Jump Crypto's Firedancer client may make running Solana nodes cheaper as it is designed to be more efficient, which could result in lower operating costs for node operators. However, the cost of running a node will depend on a variety of factors, including hardware and infrastructure costs.

In what programming languages is Firedancer written?

Firedancer is developed in C and C++, a pair of programming languages known for hardware performance and reliability. They’re designed to be fast and memory-efficient, making them well-suited for building high-performance software.

According to Jump, early releases of Firedancer will have some compatibility with Rust. This makes sense since most developers are using the language in their smart contracts. However, as the project ages, it will focus mainly on C/C++ based codebase to stay in line with their own systems underlying language and logic.

Firedancer vs. the Current Solana Node Client

To paint a vivid picture of the improvements introduced with Firedancer, let’s look at the key limitations associated with the stock Solana validator clients. This way, we can weigh the usefulness and anticipated upgrades that’ll come with Firedancer.

What are the limitations of the existing Solana node client?

Solana validator clients have some limitations that can impact their performance and scalability. Most of these limitations are software-based and not due to node hardware. Some of these limitations include:

1. Concurrent Transaction Processing

Solana validators can only process a limited number of transactions at a time, which can result in slower transaction processing and potential bottlenecks. This can be a problem as the Solana network grows and the number of transactions increases.

2. Sharding Support

Solana's current validator clients do not support sharding, which is a technique that allows a blockchain to scale horizontally by dividing the network into smaller pieces (called shards). This can result in a lack of scalability as the network grows.

What are the improvements of the new Firedancer node client?

The Firedancer client aims to address existing limitations and improve upon the current Solana validator clients in several ways: enhanced concurrent transaction processing, sharding support, optimized P2P communication, and improved consensus protocol support.

1. Enhanced Concurrent Transaction Processing

The Firedancer client is designed to support a higher number of concurrent transactions, which can result in faster transaction processing times and fewer bottlenecks. This is achieved through the use of C and C++, programming languages that are known for their high operation performance, and reliability.

Additionally, the compatibility with Rust-based decentralized applications upon launch. Codebase created for concurrency will be able to port that onto the new validator and still reap the efficiency benefits.

2. Sharding Support

In addition to enhanced concurrent transaction processing, the Firedancer client also includes support for sharding. This can improve scalability as the network grows and allows the Solana blockchain to scale horizontally.

3. Networking and P2P Communication

The Firedancer client includes optimized networking and P2P communication protocols to improve the efficiency and speed of block and transaction propagation. This is achieved through the use of techniques such as compression and batching, which can reduce the amount of data that needs to be transmitted over the network.

4. Enhanced Consensus Protocol

The Firedancer client uses a modified version of the Solana consensus protocol, which is a proof-of-stake (PoS) protocol that allows validators to participate in the consensus process and earn rewards for their contributions to the network. The modified version used by Firedancer is designed to be more efficient and reliable than the original protocol. Firedancer is not replacement, rather an augmentation of the already active Solana validator client.

Pros and Cons of Using Firedancer:

The intended benefits of Firedancer outweigh the downsides to its implementation:

Advantages of FiredancerCons of Firedancer Validator
Improved performance and scalabilityNewer technology
Enhanced reliabilityLearning curve
More efficient
Open source code base
More failure points/options

Expanded Benefits of Using Firedancer

Some of the benefits of using the Firedancer client include:

1. Improved Performance and Scalability

As mentioned earlier, the Firedancer client is designed to support a higher number of concurrent transactions and includes support for sharding, which can improve the overall performance and scalability of the Solana ecosystem.

2. Enhanced Reliability

The Firedancer client includes a number of optimizations and enhancements to improve its overall reliability, which can result in fewer downtime incidents and a more stable network.

3. More Efficient

The Firedancer client is designed to be more efficient than existing Solana validator clients, which can result in lower operating costs for node operators.

4. Open-source Codebase

Firedancer’s open-source codebase makes it easy for developers and contributors to keep the project on an upward scaling slope. In short, with that kind of community-based support things will only get better with time for adopters.

5. More failure points/options

Having more validator nodes across the decentralized network translates to resiliency through there not being a single failure point. As long as either the original, or Firedancer is up and running, we should anticipate fewer network downtime incidents.

Tradeoffs to Consider

However, there are also some tradeoffs to consider when choosing to switch to the Firedancer client: it's newer technology, and there is a learning curve for infrastructure providers.

1. Newer Technology

As a newer validator client, the Firedancer client is still in development and may have some bugs or issues that need to be ironed out.

2. Learning Curve

As a new client, node operators may need to spend some time learning how to use the Firedancer client and may need to update their existing processes and systems to accommodate it.

Conclusion

In summary, the Firedancer client is a next-generation validator client for the Solana blockchain that aims to improve upon existing validator clients in several ways. It includes enhanced concurrent transaction processing, sharding support, and other optimizations and enhancements to improve its overall performance and reliability. While it is still in development, the Firedancer client has the potential to be a game-changer for the Solana network.

Firedancer Resources

For more information on the Firedancer client, please see the following resources:

  • Firedancer Github Repo: https://github.com/firedancer-io/firedancer
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/jump_
  • Telegram: https://t.me/+Zd2HOwdDL3FjMTc5

Solana has a single validator client that every node supporting the third-generation blockchain uses to support the network. Because node client diversity makes blockchains more anti-fragile (i.e. less likely for the network to go down), introducing a second validator client to Solana that is intentionally designed for performance is an exciting evolution in one of web3's most promising layer one blockchains.

In this article, we will explore Solana's current validator client, how Firedancer introduces improvements, and the underlying technology behind the client.

What is Firedancer?

Firedancer is a next-generation independent validator client for the Solana blockchain that is being designed by the team at Jump Crypto to improve upon Solana's current, and only validator client. Besides introducing client diversity into Solana's ecosystem, Firedancer is designed to offer increased performance and scalability.

In a November 2022 live demo, a single validator running the new Firedancer client processed 1.2 million transactions per second. While the production release of the Firedancer client is yet to be announced, early demos show promise that Firedancer will introduce redundancy and performance improvements to Solana's network.

In addition to performance improvements, Jump Crypto's Firedancer client may make running Solana nodes cheaper as it is designed to be more efficient, which could result in lower operating costs for node operators. However, the cost of running a node will depend on a variety of factors, including hardware and infrastructure costs.

In what programming languages is Firedancer written?

Firedancer is developed in C and C++, a pair of programming languages known for hardware performance and reliability. They’re designed to be fast and memory-efficient, making them well-suited for building high-performance software.

According to Jump, early releases of Firedancer will have some compatibility with Rust. This makes sense since most developers are using the language in their smart contracts. However, as the project ages, it will focus mainly on C/C++ based codebase to stay in line with their own systems underlying language and logic.

Firedancer vs. the Current Solana Node Client

To paint a vivid picture of the improvements introduced with Firedancer, let’s look at the key limitations associated with the stock Solana validator clients. This way, we can weigh the usefulness and anticipated upgrades that’ll come with Firedancer.

What are the limitations of the existing Solana node client?

Solana validator clients have some limitations that can impact their performance and scalability. Most of these limitations are software-based and not due to node hardware. Some of these limitations include:

1. Concurrent Transaction Processing

Solana validators can only process a limited number of transactions at a time, which can result in slower transaction processing and potential bottlenecks. This can be a problem as the Solana network grows and the number of transactions increases.

2. Sharding Support

Solana's current validator clients do not support sharding, which is a technique that allows a blockchain to scale horizontally by dividing the network into smaller pieces (called shards). This can result in a lack of scalability as the network grows.

What are the improvements of the new Firedancer node client?

The Firedancer client aims to address existing limitations and improve upon the current Solana validator clients in several ways: enhanced concurrent transaction processing, sharding support, optimized P2P communication, and improved consensus protocol support.

1. Enhanced Concurrent Transaction Processing

The Firedancer client is designed to support a higher number of concurrent transactions, which can result in faster transaction processing times and fewer bottlenecks. This is achieved through the use of C and C++, programming languages that are known for their high operation performance, and reliability.

Additionally, the compatibility with Rust-based decentralized applications upon launch. Codebase created for concurrency will be able to port that onto the new validator and still reap the efficiency benefits.

2. Sharding Support

In addition to enhanced concurrent transaction processing, the Firedancer client also includes support for sharding. This can improve scalability as the network grows and allows the Solana blockchain to scale horizontally.

3. Networking and P2P Communication

The Firedancer client includes optimized networking and P2P communication protocols to improve the efficiency and speed of block and transaction propagation. This is achieved through the use of techniques such as compression and batching, which can reduce the amount of data that needs to be transmitted over the network.

4. Enhanced Consensus Protocol

The Firedancer client uses a modified version of the Solana consensus protocol, which is a proof-of-stake (PoS) protocol that allows validators to participate in the consensus process and earn rewards for their contributions to the network. The modified version used by Firedancer is designed to be more efficient and reliable than the original protocol. Firedancer is not replacement, rather an augmentation of the already active Solana validator client.

Pros and Cons of Using Firedancer:

The intended benefits of Firedancer outweigh the downsides to its implementation:

Advantages of FiredancerCons of Firedancer Validator
Improved performance and scalabilityNewer technology
Enhanced reliabilityLearning curve
More efficient
Open source code base
More failure points/options

Expanded Benefits of Using Firedancer

Some of the benefits of using the Firedancer client include:

1. Improved Performance and Scalability

As mentioned earlier, the Firedancer client is designed to support a higher number of concurrent transactions and includes support for sharding, which can improve the overall performance and scalability of the Solana ecosystem.

2. Enhanced Reliability

The Firedancer client includes a number of optimizations and enhancements to improve its overall reliability, which can result in fewer downtime incidents and a more stable network.

3. More Efficient

The Firedancer client is designed to be more efficient than existing Solana validator clients, which can result in lower operating costs for node operators.

4. Open-source Codebase

Firedancer’s open-source codebase makes it easy for developers and contributors to keep the project on an upward scaling slope. In short, with that kind of community-based support things will only get better with time for adopters.

5. More failure points/options

Having more validator nodes across the decentralized network translates to resiliency through there not being a single failure point. As long as either the original, or Firedancer is up and running, we should anticipate fewer network downtime incidents.

Tradeoffs to Consider

However, there are also some tradeoffs to consider when choosing to switch to the Firedancer client: it's newer technology, and there is a learning curve for infrastructure providers.

1. Newer Technology

As a newer validator client, the Firedancer client is still in development and may have some bugs or issues that need to be ironed out.

2. Learning Curve

As a new client, node operators may need to spend some time learning how to use the Firedancer client and may need to update their existing processes and systems to accommodate it.

Conclusion

In summary, the Firedancer client is a next-generation validator client for the Solana blockchain that aims to improve upon existing validator clients in several ways. It includes enhanced concurrent transaction processing, sharding support, and other optimizations and enhancements to improve its overall performance and reliability. While it is still in development, the Firedancer client has the potential to be a game-changer for the Solana network.

Firedancer Resources

For more information on the Firedancer client, please see the following resources:

  • Firedancer Github Repo: https://github.com/firedancer-io/firedancer
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/jump_
  • Telegram: https://t.me/+Zd2HOwdDL3FjMTc5

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