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Substrate Monthly Ecosystem Technical Newsletter- September Issue

OneBlock+
OneBlock Community
Published in
11 min readOct 8, 2023

Substrate Monthly — Ecosystem Technical Newsletter, produced by OneBlock+, summarizes the technical progress of the top projects in various areas in the Polkadot ecosystem each month to get the community updated on the status of the ecosystem. Areas include DeFi, infrastructure, smart contracts, privacy, GameFi, etc. Items include critical technical submissions, modifications and releases, technical discussions, and references.

The following is the September issue. Enjoy~

DeFi

01.Acala Network

Acala is building the liquidity layer for web3 finance that is captive and sustainable. It aims to provide infrastructures for HyFi (DeFi+CeFi) solutions with crypto and real-world assets. Acala offers a Universal Asset Hub that hosts multichain liquid staking token (LST) protocols (such as liquid DOT — LDOT), an AMM decentralized exchange, and an app platform that is EVM-compatible and highly customizable (based on Substrate). Acala is secured by Polkadot, and is the liquidity gateway of Polkadot parachains and L1/L2 blockchains.

Important Technological Improvement and Advances

Acala & Karura 2.21.0:This is a full release for Acala & Karura that fixes issues for ACA/KAR staking, liquid crowdloan, and EVM pallets.

https://github.com/AcalaNetwork/Acala/releases/tag/2.21.0

Technical Solution Discussion

  • A way to enforce transaction order in a block #1622

https://github.com/paritytech/polkadot-sdk/issues/1622

  • Limit resource usage of state_call #1628

https://github.com/paritytech/polkadot-sdk/issues/1628

Technical Documentation Reference

02.Bifrost

Bifrost is the Polkadot Ecological DeFi basic protocol. It is committed to becoming an infrastructure for staked assets to provide liquidity. Bifrost launched derivatives vToken for Staking and Polkadot Parachain Slot (Crowdloan). It has obtained $2.15M in fund-raising from NGC, SNZ, DFG, CMS and other institutions and Web3 Foundation Grant. It is also a member of Substrate Builders Program and Web3 Bootcamp.

vToken can optimize transactions in multiple scenarios such as DeFi, DApp, DEX, CEX, and realize the transfer channel of stake rights such as staking and Crowdloan through vToken, realize the risk hedging of stake assets, and expand scenarios such as vToken as collateral for lending, its staking reward part of the interest can be offset to achieve low-interest loans.

Important Technological Improvement and Advances

Bifrost v0.9.82

  • Added OpenGov to bifrost-polkadot runtime
  • Added new pallet Vtoken-Voting, which can support user voting in original network by leveraging vtoken directly in Bifrost network
  • Upgraded Flexible-Fee pallet to support charging user BNC for cross-chain fee
  • Resolved the issue of reduced BNC issuance caused by the unused cross-chain fees getting trapped

Technical Documentation Reference

Smart Contract

03.Moonbeam Network

Moonbeam is a developer-oriented blockchain that strives to provide compatibility with the existing Ethereum developer toolchain and network. It does this by providing a full EVM implementation, a Web3-compatible API, and bridges that connect Moonbeam to existing Ethereum networks. This allows developers to deploy existing Solidity smart contracts and DApp frontends to Moonbeam with minimal changes.

Important Technological Improvement and Advances

Runtime 2500 update:

  • The delegate call for the parachain-stacking precompile is deprecated in favor of delegateWithAutoCompound (#2333)
  • In the pallet-staking the MinDelegatorStk is removed and only MinDelegation is used. A user is a delegator if it has atleast 1 delegation with a bond value of MinDelegation or more (#2381)
  • Enforce MaxCandidates limit for staking storage items (#2378)
  • Increase erc20 xcm gas cost to 200,000 (from 80,000) to account additional costs of the GMP precompile (#2408)
  • Update dependencies (Substrate/Polkadot/Frontier/Cumulus/…) to v0.9.43 (#2377)
  • System.Account chain state call now returns { free, reserved, frozen, flags } inside its data field. (substrate#12951)
  • Transferrable amount for an account is calculated as account_balance — max(frozen_amount, reserved_amount) where account_balance = free_amount + reserved_amount
  • Decrease the value of maximum concurrent votes in OpenGov from 512 to 20 (#2401)
  • Remove deprecated leave delegator functionality (#2349)
  • Add XCM Transactor precompile V3 — [Moonbase only] (#2338)
  • Generate weights for the runtime (#2442)
  • Introduce a gas-based storage limit (MBIP-5) — [Moonbase only] (#2452)
  • Use new benchmark for staking rewards (#2461)

Technical Solution Discussion

Technical Documentation Reference

Storage

04.CESS

Cumulus Encrypted Storage System (CESS) is a high-speed, secure, and scalable decentralized cloud storage network developed with Substrate. It aims to become the first decentralized storage project that offers full data services for large scale commercial applications. The entire network consists of three main modules: blockchain layer, data storage and content distribution layer, and application layer. CESS’s novel Random Rotational Selection (R²S) Consensus Mechanism coordinates the network resources and network load and guarantees data security through mechanisms such as Proof of Data Reduplication and Recovery (PoDR²). In addition, the Multi-format Data Rights Confirmation (MDRC) mechanism and decentralized proxy re-encryption to ensure data integrity, security, traceability and privacy.

CESS is also compatible with EVM and WASM, and the underlying development framework Substrate is also friendly to cross-chain applications. Its technology stack can support most Web3 applications and the development needs of enterprise-level applications.

Important Technological Improvement and Advances

Blockchain Network:

Current testnet: V0.7.2 consists of consensus and storage nodes. Consensus nodes maintain the world state of the CESS network (by CESS Node)and serve as the “data authentication station” (by TEE Worker). Storage nodes provide verifiable storage space and serve as the “data storage pool” in the CESS network.

Consensus Miner [v0.7.2]

  • Increased the number of times for random challenges for chain nodes and allowed more chances for random challenges to fail.
  • Resolved the issue of chain nodes repeatedly broadcasting events when generating random challenges.
  • Updated the node selection strategy in random challenges for chain nodes, significantly improving verification efficiency.
  • Removed the bulk deletion feature for chain nodes to prevent network-wide consensus disruption due to data overload.
  • Optimized the penalty mechanism for chain nodes, no longer penalizing storage nodes that haven’t submitted idle challenge proofs.
  • Updated the file segment size configuration in chain nodes’ on-chain file metadata to align with DeOSS updates.
  • Streamlined Kaleido’s Docker packaging script for quick packaging of the Gramine runtime environment Docker image.
  • Conducted testing on Kaleido’s Gramine file system’s file read/write functionality.
  • Improved Kaleido’s code structure and removed unused environment variables in the template files.
  • Added the ability in Kaleido to set concurrent limits per service, enhancing program efficiency.
  • Fixed the issue where TEE Worker was unable to process storage node registration requests due to high load.
  • Fixed accumulator verification failures during TEE Worker’s idle space authentication process.
  • Removed restrictions on TEE Worker for storage node registration requests, effectively increasing the registration success rate.
  • Optimized the verification speed for TEE Worker’s idle space challenge proofs.
  • Fixed service panics in TEE Worker during idle file authentication caused by storage nodes using outdated data submissions.
  • Enhanced TEE Worker’s idle space authentication process, reducing temporary state data and bolstering resistance to denial-of-service attacks.
  • Resolved the issue of nodeadm encountering a null pointer exception in the ‘noWatchContainers’ field.
  • Added a feature in nodeadm to proactively clear invalid private keys during image updates.
  • Updated core functionalities in nodeadm, including multiple RPC node configurations for bucket programs.
  • Fixed program path configuration errors in nodeadm.
  • Added the capability in nodeadm to clear invalid shared private keys in Kaleido.
  • Improved core functionalities in nodeadm by prompting users to create a bucket path if it doesn’t exist, enhancing the user experience.

Storage Miner [v0.7.1]

  • Added a feature to limit the maximum number of storage node file storage threads.
  • Resolved issues with abnormal gRPC requests on storage nodes.
  • Introduced a user experience improvement plan for storage nodes.
  • Fixed the problem where the storage node’s space proof module couldn’t reauthenticate after idle file authentication failures.
  • Adjusted storage node CPU usage to prevent forced restarts due to resource overload.
  • Updated the p2p-go library to enhance security features in the interaction process between storage nodes and TEE Worker.
  • Completed an upgrade of the storage node’s space proof module, reducing algorithm resource consumption on CPU and memory.
  • Implemented file Tag verification for storage node service files to prevent data tampering by intermediaries.
  • Optimized the storage node’s idle space authentication process by concurrent execution with idle file generation, improving authentication efficiency.
  • Enhanced the security of the storage node’s idle file generation algorithm by increasing the difficulty of temporary idle file generation.
  • Optimized the Merkle Hash Tree generation method in the idle space proof algorithm, improving computational efficiency.
  • Fixed issues in the idle space authentication algorithm caused by errors in file root hash calculations.
  • Addressed problems in the idle space challenge process related to incorrect Merkle Hash Tree path proof calculations.
  • Introduced concurrent execution of idle file generation and idle space authentication processes to enhance idle space authentication efficiency.

The mission of CESS is to provide Web3 with practical storage services. The product ecosystem of the current CESS network is becoming more robust and prosperous. Innovative applications such as Decentralized Object Storage Service (DeOSS), online file sharing tool (DeShare), and public chain snapshot storage service have been incubated. Users can experience these functions.

DeOSS(Decentralized Object Storage Service)

  • Completed updates to the Rust SDK’s file metadata structure and related methods.
  • Resolved an issue in the Go SDK where parsing transaction events incorrectly caused program crashes.
  • Updated the transaction process in the Go SDK to increase the nonce value and retry when encountering a ‘Priority is too low’ error.
  • Implemented a user data caching feature to effectively enhance data stability and availability, reducing the risk of user data loss.
  • Adjusted user data segment sizes and increased data redundancy backups to further protect the integrity of user data

Technical Solution Discussion

  • The technical team has completed a technical DeOSS upgrade proposal aimed at enhancing the quality of DeOSS services. The plan has been discussed and confirmed by the community, the next steps involve regular iteration planning.
  • Completed the design of a new version of the blockchain explorer. This design includes dedicated pages for different types of users across the CESS network, enabling rapid data retrieval and significantly improving the user experience.

Technical Documentation Reference

05. Crust Network

Crust Network is essentially an IPFS incentive layer protocol and a substrate-based blockchain that builds a decentralized storage network of Web3.0 ecosystem. It is designed to build a decentralized cloud ecosystem that values data privacy and ownership.Crust Network is essentially an IPFS incentive layer protocol and a substrate-based blockchain that builds a decentralized storage network of Web3.0 ecosystem. Funded by DCF (Decentralized Cloud Foundation), it is designed to build a decentralized cloud ecosystem that values data privacy and ownership. The Crust mainnet was launched on September 1, 2021, and now has 7000+IPFS nodes and 2000+Pb storage capacity.

Important Technological Improvement and Advances

  1. Mainnet: Integrate with the MatrixLabs cross-chain solution, replacing the existing EVM Storage Bridge with a more secure decentralized approach.
  2. Application: Crust Cloud integrates with EVM Storage and officially launches Arbitrum One.
  3. Application: Fix display bugs on the official website.
  4. Ecosystem: Complete the frontend contract integration for Oasis Grants.
  5. Ecosystem: Integrate with Crust mainnet node services.
  6. Ecosystem: Research Iotex W3Livestream and connect Crust nodes to Depinscan.

Technical Documentation Reference

Infrastructure

06.Deeper Network

Deeper Network is committed to building a truly decentralized Internet and security gateway. It aims to bring a better Internet experience for every family and become the gateway for users to Web 3.0 applications. Deeper’s vision is to combine network security, network sharing, and blockchain technology to create a safer, freer, and faster decentralized network.

Important Technological Improvement and Advances

  1. Frontier update depends on polkadot-sdk

https://github.com/deeper-chain/frontier/commit/5d86b2860aae81b969d560f0b56864397bf999a6

2. Added ADSC NFT function

https://github.com/deeper-chain/deeper-chain/pull/381

3. Added ADSC NFT staking function

https://github.com/deeper-chain/adsc-staking

4. Fixed the problem of credit history when switching activity IDs, and fixed the problem of not being able to switch ERA normally when withdrawing DEP rewards.

https://github.com/deeper-chain/deeper-chain/pull/380

https://github.com/deeper-chain/deeper-chain/pull/397

5. Multiple stability fixes for dpr-eth-bridge

https://github.com/deeper-chain/dpr-eth-bridge/commits/master

Technical Solution Discussion

  1. ADSC NFT solution research and design
  2. Design and implementation of ADSC pledge plan

Technical Documentation Reference

07. OAK Network

OAK (On-chain Autonomous Kernel) Network is a blockchain automation hub for DeFi and payments built on Parity Substrate with a first of it’s kind event-driven execution model. This model enables transactions to be triggered by event signals such as time, price, and smart contract state changes. Importantly, this differs from traditional architectures utilized by Ethereum, Bitcoin, and other popular chains where multiple transactions require repeated private key signing. With this novel design, OAK can empower any connected blockchain with autonomous functionality unleashing endless potential for our partners.

By offering on-chain automation not possible today such as advanced order execution for AMM DEXs and recurring payments, we aim to be a top tier utility solution across protocols.

Important Technological Improvement and Advances

We are embarking on the next challenge of developing Price Automation for Turing Network. The goal is to empower limit order on EVM-based applications across different blockchains. Currently, we are actively testing the integration of automation with Astar Network’s testnet, Rocstar.

To showcase the capabilities of price triggers, we are diligently working on a tailored demo application for ArthSwap, a decentralized exchange (DEX) on the Astar Network.

Furthermore, we’re pleased to announce the release of the beta version of OAK’s new SDK, which includes the following components:

Additionally, we’ve made significant improvements to the xcm-demo, a JavaScript code snippet that demonstrates automation features. Thanks to the new oak.js SDK, this showcase has been greatly simplified.

Technical Documentation Reference

08. Darwinia Network

Darwinia is a cross-chain programmable network that provides two essential solutions: Darwinia Chain and Darwinia Msgport. Darwinia Chain is a smart contract platform compatible with the EVM and shares the security of Polkadot. On the other hand, Darwinia Msgport acts as a crucial infrastructure enabling Dapps to seamlessly communicate and exchange messages across different blockchain networks, facilitating efficient interchain operations.

Important Technological Improvement and Advances

  1. Deployed subapidao on the testnet. GitHub
  2. Recorded the proof_size cost for precompiles. GitHub
  3. Added MaxCommission and CommissionUpdated. GitHub
  4. Introduced ahUSDT. GitHub
  5. Allowed the operation class call in EVM. GitHub
  6. Prevented potential overflow. GitHub
  7. Adjusted GasLimitPovSizeRatio. GitHub
  8. Removed the tip module. GitHub

Technical Documentation Reference

Wallet

09. SubWallet

SubWallet is the comprehensive non-custodial wallet solution for Polkadot, Substrate & Ethereum ecosystems. With the mission of bringing users closer to Web3, we envision a Web3 multiverse gateway through which users can enjoy multichain services with utmost ease and absolute security. Connecting and using blockchain-based applications is smoother than ever with SubWallet Browser Extension & SubWallet Mobile App.

Important Technological Improvement and Advances

  • SubWallet released Extension v1.1.11 on September 9, adding support for Astar Network on Ledger, supporting in-app staking for Creditcoin, integrating Coinbase Pay for fiat on-ramp solution, adding new networks C-Chain & Base, and supporting new tokens: DOT on Bifrost, Parallel, Interlay & HydraDX, ASTR on Moonbeam, stDOT on Parallel, and USDD on Ethereum and BNB Chain.
  • SubWallet was among the project supporters of Gear’s Hacker House in Shanghai.
  • Head of BD Ryan Dinh and CEO Hieu Dao attended TOKEN2049 Singapore to present SubWallet booth within the Polkadot Pavillion.
  • Up to now, SubWallet is available in 5 languages: English, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian.
  • Upon the arrival of USDC on Polkadot, SubWallet immediately extended support for native USDC on Polkadot Asset Hub.
  • SubWallet collaborated with Creditcoin to host a week-long Discovery Week event, allowing two communities to get to know each other via Q&As and trivia.

Technical Documentation Reference

About OneBlock+

OneBlock+ is the first and the largest blockchain developer community in China. At OneBlock+, we provide full support for developers with their substrate studies and further set off their career paths. We host Polkadot Hackathons every season to attract top-notch developers to build and innovate for the prosperity of the ecosystem. As a greater China technology resource integrator, OneBlock+ also partners with developers, communities, business elites, and key media who have business insights and experiences in the blockchain industry to provide educational events, such as technical courses, webinars, AMAs, and offline events for the industry. Want to shape the crypto world together? Come and join us today!

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OneBlock+
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Written by OneBlock+

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