Web3 Foundation

Read more about Web3 Foundation EcoDev: Wave 26 here 👉 https://lnkd.in/d2c6nhPV

I will speak at the University of California, Berkeley summit this August 3rd on the decentralized AI and authenticity efforts spearheaded by Polkadot. If you are in the Bay Area on August 3rd and want to discuss the theme of content authenticity in the age of AI, please feel free to contact me! You can register for the event here https://lnkd.in/dzB3Cnrv

Decentralized Voices — Cohort 5 Applications Open Today! Read more here👉 https://lnkd.in/dC4EWhgY

We’re excited to welcome Dr. Radha Dasari, Lead Technical Advocate at Polkadot, to GM Vietnam 2025! With deep experience in blockchain and AI, Dr. Radha Dasari is passionate about using technology to build a more trustworthy and transparent future. As both an educator and a tech expert, he’ll bring fresh insights into how Web3 and AI can work together. He will also share Polkadot’s vision for the next generation of Web3—scalable and highly interoperable, powered by decentralized “cloud-like” infrastructure and connected through cross-chain hubs. 🎟 Discover more this August in Hanoi: https://lnkd.in/gu4rGKvJ

Ready for the final installment of our Sassafras series? Then let’s get right to it. https://lnkd.in/dqUthxtp By first highlighting the differences between non-single leader election protocols and single secret leader election (SSLE) protocols, the first part of this blog post emphasises the main advantages of SSLE. We then map the characteristics of several common SSLE protocol approaches, such as shuffling, WHISK, PEKS, and others, examining the pros and cons of each. Having established a complete overview of the current SSLE protocol landscape, we assess how each protocol performs across several key dimensions. The following sections present a comprehensive analysis of their security, communication overhead, and computational overhead. Based on our analysis, Sassafras clearly demonstrates superior performance across nearly every category, making it an ideal candidate for deployment. In fact, the architecture of the JAM protocol (https://graypaper.com/) incorporates a variant of Sassafras known as Safrole. The Sassafras blog series was created to offer readers a comprehensive overview of the topics explored in one of our latest research papers (https://lnkd.in/dH9wWxu8). For those interested in a deeper dive, we strongly encourage reading the full version. In the meantime, we hope you've found these posts informative and enjoyed the journey as much as we have.

If you just can’t get enough, we’re excited to announce the second installment of the novel single secret leader election (SSLE) protocol: Sassafras. In this second part (https://lnkd.in/dj3EjyUC), we begin by outlining the definitions of leader election, single secret leader election, and a threat model for leader election. These definitions serve to highlight the high level of security required to defend against certain types of attacks, a key consideration taken into account in the design of Sassafras. While Sassafras departs from other SSLE approaches such as shuffling, the protocol introduces a technical novelty: a ring verifiable random function (VRF). This function enables the identity of a leader to remain hidden within a set of election participants. By using this VRF instead of methods like shuffling, the protocol drastically reduces on-chain communication and computation. In the previous part, we provided a general overview of how the protocol operates, while in this second blog we offer more in-depth technical insights into the functioning of Sassafras. We explore each of its five phases in detail, carefully explaining how our algorithms work. And if your main concern is security, you're looking in the right direction. In this installment, we also explain, using more technical terms, how the anonymity guarantees of Sassafras are sufficient for blockchain consensus. To conclude, we focus on network-layer anonymity, or more simply, how leaders anonymously publish their winning outputs and corresponding signatures. If, after reading this second post, you find the first two entries clear and useful, you’ll be pleased to know there’s a third that compares Sassafras to other similar protocols. This final installment brings together the key insights needed to fully appreciate the value Sassafras offers.

Can you imagine a consensus protocol that ensures the secrecy of block producers, shielding them from looming adversaries, while enabling non-randomized block generation to boost efficiency? Well, imagine no more. Until now, unpredictable time intervals have been a defining characteristic of proof-of-stake (PoS) protocols for block generation. That’s because randomized block production protects block producers from attacks, since adversaries can’t predict who will create the next block. This mechanism can sometimes enable multiple eligible block producers at once, or occasionally none, which is not ideal. BABE (https://lnkd.in/dy3qjz48), Polkadot’s current consensus protocol for block generation, relies on randomized block production and therefore shares these traits. But that’s about to change. Sassafras, set to replace the BABE+Aura (https://lnkd.in/dSiiWhfc) consensus protocol, is taking over block production on Polkadot’s relay chain. Based on the concept of single secret leader election (SSLE), the Sassafras block producer selection protocol guarantees the secrecy of block producers while ensuring consistent block generation. This balance makes Sassafras ideal for deployment. What’s also relevant is that Sassafras is ready for integration into other PoS blockchains beyond Polkadot. In fact, a variant of Sassafras, called Safrole, has already been incorporated into JAM (https://graypaper.com/). Curious how we achieved such a high level of secrecy and efficiency? Dive into our blog series, where the Web3 Foundation team unpacks the recent Sassafras paper (https://lnkd.in/dH9wWxu8) in a more accessible format. In this first blog post (https://lnkd.in/d66dUMRi), we explore the rationale behind the new protocol and outline its architecture.

The Web3 Foundation’s Annual Report is now available — a detailed look at a year marked by resilience and meaningful progress. Key highlights include: • Support for developers and community-led governance • Advancements in user sovereignty and decentralization • High-impact ecosystem funding and technical education • Progress in interoperability, validator decentralization, and core protocol development Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/dycFt6dr

Two new topics joining Code Europe 2025! 🔥 💡 "Reimagining the Internet" - Radhakrishna Dasari, Ph.D. explores how Web3 returns data control to users. Learn how Polkadot's Rust-powered technology is rebuilding the internet with users at the center. 💡 "WORKSHOP: Introduction to Permissionless Cloud Infrastructure" - Maciej Żyszkiewicz demonstrates truly global, permissionless cloud infrastructure through Polkadot. See the upcoming Polkadot Deployment Portal for launching rollups with one click. Discover the future of internet infrastructure! Tickets: https://lnkd.in/d-TZKdZV

When we think of blockchain, finance often comes to mind. But did you know it’s transforming how global networks are built and maintained? 🚀 Watch as Radhakrishna Dasari, Ph.D. of Web3 Foundation explores the blockchain technology stack, explaining how networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum span over 130 countries, powered by a diverse set of nodes and clients that replace traditional server-client models. Want to understand the infrastructure that makes decentralization possible? Join our edX course and discover what powers Web3 from the ground up! 🎓 Enroll now: Digital Asset 101 – https://lnkd.in/er_pPgaK Blockchain 101 – https://lnkd.in/ecyyinwX #Blockchain #Web3 #TechnologyStack #Nodes #Ethereum #Bitcoin #DECInstitute #edX