Bifröst, IRISnet’s bridge to a New Era

Overview of the innovations and improvements brought to you by the new IRIS Hub testnet, for the benefit of the entire Cosmos Network ecosystem.

Catdotfish
IRISnet Blog

--

Inspired by Stargate’s Series

Cosmos Network is approaching the realization of its ambition to become “the Internet of Blockchains”.
To achieve this goal, many people have worked hard and tirelessly.
I feel grateful to
Interchain GmbH, Agoric, Iqlusion, Informal Systems, IRISnet, and Tendermint, which have combined a very high level of development with the first real example of a decentralized team ever seen.

The next step is the governance proposal #27, now in the voting period, so it’s up to the community to do its part and express its opinion on the submitted schedule, which describes the roadmap for the Upgrade to Cosmos Hub 4.

In this context of growth and collaboration, I very often hear myself ask
“What is the role of IRIS network in the growth of Cosmos Network?” or “Will IRIS network fully support the advent of the Internet of Blockchain?”.

Well, I would like to tell you a Nerdy story that I think is more explicative than any word.

IRIS: Cosmos’ Shield

In Stargate’s TV series, Iris is a metal covering on the Earth Stargate.
Constructed initially of pure titanium, the Iris is composed of more than 20 interlocking plates and it prevents anything more significant than an atom from being reconstructed, thereby destroying it.
The purpose of the Iris is to keep unwanted intruders, be they persons or objects, from entering the Stargate Command.

“We have in place an impenetrable shield called Iris.

Knowing this, I think you can easily understand what metaphorically the Core team of IRISnet was trying to make us understand:

“We are and will always be here to protect our Stargate, Cosmos Network.”

This is a strong statement that reflects the IRISnet core team’s commitment to the security and growth of the Cosmos ecosystem.

And at such an essential time for Cosmos, when the Interchain vision of the Internet of Blockchains is finally becoming a reality, could IRISnet ever take a step back?
Keep reading this article to find it out!

Interview to Zaki Manian about Stargate Upgrade on Cosmos Network by Josh Lee|Tendermint

Bifröst Testnet: Overview

Wait, another testnet?
Yes. To demonstrate once again its support for Cosmos Network’s interchain vision, the team has planned an upgrade of IRIS Hub along with Bifröst testnet.
Bifröst will run side by side with Stargate’s testnet to test the new features of IRISnet and to test the multi-HUB collaboration through the IBC protocol.
Bifrost testnet will start on August 3rd, one week after Stargate’s.

August 3rd update: Since Stargate has not yet reached its final version (see here the latest Tendermint Stargate release candidate), IRISnet has decided to postpone the start of Bifrost, as this is specifically intended to be the first real test of multiple Hub Interchain collaboration. Needless to say, then, being Stargate and Bifrost integral parts of a single greater project aimed to bring IBC to Cosmos Network and to the entire blockchain space, the absence of one of the two parties makes it imperative to freeze the countdown. More details will be released as soon as Stargate’s team announces to have an official date.

And to make all this even more epic, as if these two twin tenets weren’t enough to capture everyone’s attention, I would also reveal to you that the name Bifröst in mythology is associated with the burning rainbow bridge that connects the earth, Midgard, to the land of the gods, Asgard.

Bifröst Testnet: Goals

The team has been very clear in describing what are the goals they have set themselves in running this testnet:

  • Verify the new features of IRIS Hub V1.0 and test out IBC communication in a multi-hub collaboration setting.
    The team is at the forefront and, aware of this success’s importance, is ready to do its best.
  • Get validators to be well-prepared.
    We all know the skills and competence of a validator always play a fundamental role in the development and growth of a network, but this aspect is even more highlighted in critical moments such as the preparation for an upgrade.
  • Help app/wallet/DEX developers to understand betterthe technical steps needed to test and make IBC functionality available in their applications.

As always, the IRIS network relies on its community to succeed, knowing that only by acting as a real team will we reach results never achieved before. Each of us is a necessary part and has a role in this project.

But what specifically will the new IRIS Hub v1.0 features bring to us by Bifröst be?
Let’s find out together!

IRIS Hub v1.0: Enhancements & New Features

The new features and improvements brought by Bifröst in the IRIS Hub are relevant, and for this reason, it is important to take a moment to understand in detail what each of them will imply:

  • Major refactoring of iService for much more powerful on-chain/off-chain interoperability.
    This represents a key piece in the future of the IRIS network and Cosmos Network because iService will bridge the gap between the blockchain world and the conventional business application world.
  • New Oracle module enabling off-chain data feeds.
    ChainLink will be one of the new Oracle service providers, increasing the possibilities and cases of use of the hub to infinity. This collaboration is already being tested in the context of IRITA, a product designed for business by IRISnet’s core team (Bianjie), recently chosen by BSN to support its integration with Chainlink itself.
  • The random module was enhanced with an off-chain true random source.
    Right now, the Random feature uses the multiple indicators generated by the blockchain as “factors” to calculate the random number, making this random number transparent and convenient for verification. It will be really interesting to see this process further implemented.
  • A new NFT module supports the digitization of assets.
    NFT tokens are a very important resource in the blockchain industry and lend themselves to a variety of use cases, especially in business.
    The focus of the IRISnet team in supporting and improving the tools made available to enterprises is becoming increasingly evident.
  • A new record module facilitating proof of existence that, as you well know, allows for the certification of documents through blockchain.
  • Major code refactoring for better modularity.
    This consists of improving the internal structure of the source code while preserving its external behavior to make it more solid and simultaneouslyfacilitate its adoption by external developers.

We have mentioned several times how fundamental the community is to succeed in this; I feel now to highlight the extraordinary and tireless work done so far by the IRISnet team, which, in addition to working hard to develop IRIS Hub, Rainbow Wallet, and IRITA, has also distinguished itself countless times for its contributions in the development of Cosmos Network, as during the Game of Zones.

The great experience accumulated by IRISnet’s Core team has led to an accurate and effective plan for Biöfrost, which I want to show you step by step.

Bifröst Testnet: Technical Plan

  • Bifrost-0
    When: expected for the beginning of August 2020
    Mission:
    IRIS Hub will work on specific modules to align them with the latest Cosmos-SDK version — iService, Oracle module, Random — to have the modules ready to go upstream to the Cosmos-SDK itself.
  • Bifrost-1
    When: expected in September 2020
    Mission: Verify the upgrade module of the actual mainnet to support the new features that will be available in IRIS Hub v1.0.
  • Bifrost-2
    When: expected in October 2020
    Mission: Verify IBC enhancements as for example IBC white list, reach a smooth upgrade from Bifrost-1 to Bifrost-2 via upgrade modules (keeping the chain-id as Bifrost-1).

In addition to this, there will be many initiatives that will involve the IRISnet Core team and the community in the run toward the “Internet of Blockchains.”
I want to mention two of them:

  • Collaborate with the teams that are at the leadership of the Stargate Upgrade on Cosmos Network, providing assistance and continuous technical support to experience the first real interchain interaction between the two Hubs through the IBC protocol.
  • Organize a Hackathon specifically designed to push developers to implement and find new use and application cases of the new features as IBC in multiple Hub environments and Services.

Conclusion

Community, we have exciting and challenging months ahead of us!

So forget about Cosmos and IRISnet to the moon:

This time we’re definitely going to Asgard.

💌 Community

•Email: contact@irisnet.org
Website
Forum
Twitter
Medium
Youtube
Facebook
•WeChat subscription: irisnetwork
•WeChat group: irisnetwork2018
English Telegram
Chinese Telegram
Korean Telegram
Philippines Telegram
Italian Telegram
French Telegram

--

--