Part 4: The BlockDAG hook, or why you should care

One from the left and one from the right.

Right direct, jab, left uppercut.

The following chapters will introduce you to blockDAG Proof of Work (PoW). Welcome, welcome.

This technology can go hand-in-hand with typical blockchain but can also challenge it.
The strength of blockDAG lies in combining the stability of ordering blocks as graphs and the protection provided by the power of PoW. Hence, blockDAG seeks to overcome the shortcomings that stem from the traditional blockchain's linear nature - mainly that it does not reference parallel blocks.

The ideas of Dr. Yonatan Sompolinsky and his academic peers led to the creation of various consensus protocols and ordering protocols, which eventually became the digital soul of project Kaspa.

Kaspa is the real-world blockDAG implementation of Yonatan's DAG research.
Kaspa with GHOSTDAG, along with proper hardware configuration for nodes, solved the infamous trilemma of decentralization, scalability, and security - a trade-off that PoW networks inescapably had to face - until now.

With Kaspa and GHOSTDAG, delivering a high block creation rate with instant transaction confirmations determined by network latency - not by the protocol - while not sacrificing security and decentralization is not out of reach anymore.

Even though a robust block creation rate is not anything note-worthy by itself, what sets it apart in Kaspa's approach is a confluence of aspects: balanced trade-offs and the fact that blockDAG PoW protocol, such as GHOSTDAG, increases blocks per second (BPS) while maintaining non-decreasing confirmation times.

A high BPS also significantly reduces the fraction of hashrate needed for relatively short revenue delays for solo miners. This reduces the hardware requirements for solo miners and the number of miners required to operate a pool with consistent revenue. Consequently, it diminishes a strong incentive for using centralized pools, commonly found in low BPS chains.

This work and this blog are primarily related to PoW consensus, but enthusiasts of Proof of Stake (PoS) and other consensus types may also find it valuable.

While these pages shed some light on how PoW and the blockDAG PoW work and what challenges need to be addressed, the main focus is on Yonatan Sompolinsky (YS), his research, ideas, and personality.

Let me introduce you to the mind behind GHOST and Inclusive Blockchain Protocols, both of which have been used by Ethereum. Still, the man remains largely out of the blockchain community's spotlight, primarily finding academic renown.

A man who invented new paradigms and decided to put his life's work into a functional PoW project, which then became a large community and an incubation platform for revolutionary ideas.

A man who has advanced the science of the blockchain by leaps and bounds but never sought stardom.

Let me introduce you to the world of blockDAGs, Kaspa, and Dr. Yonatan Sompolinsky.

Or stay focused on the topic and head towards Part 5!
I will see you there!