Preparing for RISE v2 (+ some new stuff)

Hello RISErs,
A month has passed since my last medium post about what is new in RISE v2.

We have been continuously working on V2 and we are pushing toward the initial release that will land on public Devnet.

Before we deep dive into what we are going to do in the following weeks, let me tell you about a feature that we did not mention in the last post, but is way too important to not advertise it.

Delegates new Security features in V2

As you already know we have always tried to improve security in the RISE core; In v1.1 and v1.3 we added several layers of extra security to both the database and the code to create a firewall for added security that would prevent malicious users to exploit non-known bugs.

In RISE V2 we pulled our main focus on our delegates. Delegates are the core of RISE Consensus and we believe that a security improvement for this matter was long overdue.

The forging node config file required us to have the main account passphrase in plain text (or use the local forging APIs), To enhance security it was encouraged that delegates set up a second signature passphrase, in order to further secure their funds. This was a tactical choice in earlier iterations of the project, but we have since focused on a more permanent solution.

In RISE V2 we introduced a new concept: The Forging key. Forging key is like any other private key but that can only be used to forge new blocks. Furthermore, the forging key can be changed in case it is compromised.
This serves as a big improvement in terms of security when forging blocks and also enables delegates to use an account hosted and secured, using a hardware wallet such as a Ledger Nano S. This would not have been possible without the forging key functionality.

Ok, enough talking about RISE V2 improvements. Let’s move onto the release process. A question that is frequently asked is: When is RISE V2 landing in Devnet / Testnet?

RISE V2 Release process explained

This is a monumental release for RISE. In order for V2 to run as smoothly as possible, we need to take extra precautions and proceed carefully.

RISE V2 will be both standalone and docker compatible. We’ll start using the most commonly known use-case: “standalone”.

Within the following weeks, we’ll allow community testers to join our Devnet to test the new RISE CLI, along with the V2 node and the wallet.
As this feature is still under development, we may re-initialise the Devnet so we ask any Devnet participants to be on standby to provide support/logs.

Simultaneously, whilst the community testers are in the testing phase, we will continually work on the system and software dependencies required in V2:

• Libraries,
• Wallet/Explorer,
• Hardware wallet integrations,
• Migration scripts and guides,
• etc…

The length of the Devnet testing process will hinge on a few factors, such as Devnet adoption, migrating the system from V1.3 to V2 and other testing issues that may arise.

After the Devnet testing phase has concluded we’ll release it on testnet to give it a more realistic spin with previous blockchain information (v1). If no problems arise, we hope to release to Mainnet thereafter. We look forward to the community participating and supporting us with bug squashing. Working on this project is a collaborative process between, the Devs, the Team and the community and we are thankful as we stride toward the release of V2 together.