Module blockchain

Defines a comprehensive framework for managing authors (validators) in a decentralized network maintaining a distributed, deterministic state machine.

The network is considered as a set of independent nodes operated by authors, where each author is responsible for appending transactions that drive the state machine through deterministic transitions.

To ensure consistency across the network, the system requires a mechanism to determine which author can propose transactions at any given period, in a way that is approved by a quorum of the authors themselves. This enables coordinated block production, fair transaction inclusion, and consensus-approved progression of the state machine while preserving author accountability.

To ensure smooth operation, the system provides a consistent and pluggable framework for:

• Author elections (ElectAuthors) determining which authors are responsible for producing the next set of blocks or transactions.
• Contribution tracking (AuthorPoints) ephemeral points awarded for good behavior or participation during a session, allowing fair evaluation of author performance.
• Reward distribution (RewardAuthors) single-point reward computation using accumulated points, distributing assets to authors based on their contributions.
• Penalty enforcement (PenalizeAuthors) immediate sanctions for bad behavior, missed duties, or misbehavior.
• Affidavit handling (ElectionAffidavits) voluntary self-reported election weights that authors may submit to participate in elections or help the system determine the next set of block producers.

Design Goals

1. End-to-end author lifecycle management: track contributions, elect, reward, and penalize authors in a consistent way.
2. Fair and transparent reward system: ephemeral points track good behavior; rewards are computed at a single point in time for all authors and distributed according to points earned.
3. Immediate accountability: penalties are applied as soon as misbehavior is detected.
4. Flexible and pluggable logic: supports runtime-configurable plugins for rewards, penalties, inflation adjustments, and election algorithms.
5. Framework-agnostic architecture: can be integrated in:
   • Standalone chains with independent consensus and security.
   • Parachains or shared-security environments, where authors act as collators or validators.

Terminology

• Authors: Independent node operators responsible for producing blocks, validating transactions, or fulfilling consensus-critical roles.
• Points: Temporary metrics representing author contributions for a session; used for computing rewards fairly at a single evaluation point.
• Rewards: Asset payouts allocated based on points, configurable via runtime plugins.
• Penalties: Immediate deductions or sanctions applied to authors for misbehavior.
• Affidavits: Voluntary, self-reported election weights submitted by authors, used for lazy election mechanisms where authors influence election outcomes.

By implementing these traits, a runtime gains a robust, modular, and chain-agnostic system for handling author performance, elections, rewards, penalties, and voluntary affidavits, ensuring predictable, fair, and transparent operation of the blockchain network.

Traits

AuthorPoints

Trait representing temporary, abstract points assigned to authors.

ElectAuthors

Higher-Level Trait for performing election of authors (e.g., block producers, validators, etc) in a FRAME-based runtime.

ElectionAffidavits

Defines the behavior for author affidavits - self-declared affirmations of election weights during a given cycle.

PenalizeAuthors

Provides a plugin-driven penalty system for authors, allowing permanent penalties to be applied in a modular and runtime-configurable way.

RewardAuthors

Provides a plugin-driven reward system for authors, connecting ephemeral points to actual asset payouts.