R-chain: The first scalable, extremely fast and Turing-complete blockchain

All standard blockchains have a common flaw: in order to ensure the reliability and consistency of the blockchain, all of its running history must be copied to the device that maintains it. For example, the Bitcoin blockchain records every Bitcoin transaction that has ever occurred. Each transaction takes up about 80 bytes of capacity and is copied to the local memory of each node. There are tens of thousands of Bitcoin transaction records that follow this format. This is not only very wasteful and not conducive to sustainable development, but also brings a lot of trouble when used in any more complex system.

The same is true for Turing-complete blockchains, such as Ethereum or Lisk. Each of their nodes must process every action performed on the entire system. This is very disturbing, because Turing-complete blockchains are supposed to be decentralized computer applications that should be used to maintain and facilitate complex network activities. Imagine having to download and verify the entire Internet every time you want to check your email. This doesn't sound convenient at all.

To address this reality, Synereo has developed the world's first parallel, decentralized blockchain, R-chain. "Decentralization" means that the blockchain is subdivided into components, which are all connected in a unified whole without the need for recalculation. "Parallel" means that this subdivision can run simultaneously under different processes without interfering with each other.

In this structure, not every node in the network needs to identify and verify the entire state of the blockchain, which means that blockchain construction can be done much faster because it is done in parallel. Instead of having to store data at a specific time or on a specific device, each node has its own fragments that are directly related to its specific needs. This division allows different nodes to focus on different problems at the same time. These small fragments can be connected to form larger fragments. In this way, Synereo's blockchain is decentralized rather than simply copied to the network.

Such a system is inherently scalable, because it grows as more resources are available rather than stagnating at a certain overclock. It also conserves valuable resources like storage, energy, and computing power by not wasting time on repetitive copying of work—not to mention the fact that such work generates a lot of heat, contributing to global warming.

Proof of Stake (PoS)

Each blockchain will have a consensus protocol that allows nodes to store data efficiently and without the opportunity for others to exploit it. All nodes will compare the results, and only entries that everyone agrees on will be recorded on the blockchain. There are several aspects that need to be noted. The operation method of classic Bitcoin is called proof of work (PoW). In order to allow the public to participate in transactions, it will attack and force each node to complete very complex mathematical operations. This attack is very expensive.

It is also very wasteful in terms of energy consumption and time. Essentially, millions of devices are performing useless operations whose only purpose is to carry out expensive attacks on the network. This may not be a big concern for Bitcoin, but computers require a lot of resources to support, and they cannot afford to waste their computing power on superficially complex operations.

Instead, R-Chain’s consensus protocol is based on Ethereum’s proof-of-stake — the Casper model — which tries to keep things as cheap as possible for everyone, except, of course, those who are performing an attack.

Each node must deposit a stake into a central pool to participate in the validation process. Under the consensus process mechanism of participation, when a node produces any situation that Casper considers "invalid", their deposit will be confiscated. Safe deposit behavior helps eliminate risks, which means that bad behavior will not be attached with a price tag. Casper will identify risk situations and objectively verify the operation behavior on the node. Behavior that does not meet the standards will lose its node.

In contrast to Ethereum Casper, R-chain nodes check logical propositions instead of validating entire blocks. Propositions are statements about blockchain operations, such as which transactions must be included in the blockchain, in what order, which transactions should not be included, or other properties. With this design, the blockchain can be sharded, which enables a huge number of transactions to be completed in a certain period of time and reach consensus.

This structure enables Synereo’s R-chain to process information at an extremely fast speed, creating competition for centralized computing platforms. It also poses a challenge to centralized servers in maintaining and operating the Internet.

If you want to learn more about the technical components of Synereo, read these posts about Rholang

The content of these posts is related to the language of the R-Chain social contract, and will also introduce Special-K, Synereo’s distributed storage protocol.

Thank you for your attention

Synereo Team