Fantom Spotlight

by COMBLearn

4 min readOct 31, 2023

Fantom Launched Fantom Sonic Testenet

The Fantom Foundation recently announced the launch of Fantom Sonic, a significant upgrade poised to revolutionize the Fantom network’s capabilities.

Here’s a snapshot of what you need to know about this exciting development:

What is Fantom Sonic?

Fantom Sonic is the name that covers the new Fantom technology stack, replacing the previous Opera.

Note that Sonic upgrade does NOT require any hard fork.

3 Main Components of Fantom Sonic

I. Fantom Virtual Machine (FVM):

What It Is: FVM is the brain of Fantom Sonic, processing smart contracts more efficiently than ever before.

How It Works: FVM translates Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) bytecode (the language of Ethereum smart contracts) into its own format, all while executing transactions. This means existing smart contracts can run on FVM without needing code conversion.

Notable Features:
FVM has super instructions for increased efficiency and caching mechanisms for better performance.
Super Instructions: These are like power-packed, optimized command bundles, speeding up the execution of operations.
Caching: This technique saves time by remembering previously executed operations, especially for repetitive and resource-intensive tasks like cryptographic hashing.

II. Carmen Database Storage:

What It Is: Carmen acts as the storage system,

Purpose: It holds the state of Fantom’s blockchain, which includes vital information like account balances and contract details.

Benefit: This innovation reduces storage requirements and implements live pruning to reduce storage needs.

Notable Feature
Live Pruning: An innovative approach to manage blockchain size by discarding unnecessary data without shutting down nodes.
Benefits: Up to 65% reduction in storage needs and uninterrupted validator operations.
LiveDB and ArchiveDB: Two specialized databases within Carmen, with LiveDB managing the current blockchain state and ArchiveDB storing historical data.
Impact: Increases performance and meets the distinct needs of validators and archive nodes.

III. Optimized Lachesis Consensus Mechanism:

What it is: Lachesis is the core system that processes user transactions and forms blocks.

Benefit: While maintaining the foundational tech of Opera, Sonic has significantly enhanced the transaction pool for user transactions, streamlining the peer-to-peer network for faster transactions.

Overall Benefits

Enhanced Performance: Fantom Sonic is designed to handle over 2,000 transactions per second (TPS) with an average finality (the time taken for a transaction to be considered final and irreversible) of just one second.
Reduced Storage Needs: It dramatically lowers storage usage by up to 90% compared to its predecessor, Opera.
Compatibility and Accessibility: Existing applications on Fantom Opera will transition to Fantom Sonic, maintaining compatibility with the EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) and its programming languages like Solidity and Vyper.
Increased Affordability: Running a node on Fantom becomes more cost-effective, broadening participation opportunities.

Diverse Applications

Fantom Sonic paves the way for advanced DeFi platforms, blockchain gaming, high-frequency oracles for perpetual trading, and more.

Fantom Sonic Testnet

Before its anticipated mainnet launch in Spring 2024, Fantom is offering access to the Sonic testnet environment. This setup includes:

Closed Testnet: A controlled environment showcasing Sonic’s maximum performance but without user interaction.
Open Testnet: Users can actively engage with and experience the capabilities of Sonic.

How to Get Started with the Sonic Testnet

1. Connect Your Wallet: Visit the Sonic open testnet dashboard and connect your wallet.

2. Configure Network: Add the testnet to your wallet and match the network details.

3. Acquire Testnet Tokens: Use the Faucet section to request tokens for testing.

4. Engage in Sonic Trade: Experience the platform’s incredible speed by swapping tokens.

Technical Terms

Virtual Machine: A virtual environment that runs programs like a physical computer.
Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM): A platform to create and run smart contracts on Ethereum.
Caching: A technology that stores data temporarily for quick access upon request.
Consensus Mechanism: A system used in blockchain networks to achieve agreement on a single data value or a single state of the network among distributed processes.