Project Description:
Lodestar is a TypeScript ecosystem for Ethereum consensus, developed by ChainSafe Systems. Our flagship products include our production-capable beacon chain and validator client. Additionally, we maintain public repositories of useful tools for public use, such as BLS, SSZ, Discv5, Gossipsub, and Noise. Our work contributes to the backbone infrastructure required to keep the Ethereum blockchain progressing within the rules as defined by the specification. Lodestar’s niche is its implementation language, TypeScript. Our software and tooling are uniquely situated for researchers and developers for rapid prototyping, including our Prover, a verified web3 provider using light clients to increase decentralization and security of the JSON-RPC. Millions of developers around the world are familiar with TypeScript, and Lodestar’s high-quality codebases serve as excellent introductions to the Ethereum world, with the goal of increasing client diversity and attracting new talent. Our project does not generate any revenue and relies on funding from open-source donations and foundations to continue developing in the core Ethereum ecosystem. Our repository and supporting libraries are all open source and mostly licensed under Apache 2.0.
Public Repository:
Budget Breakdown
Funding Requested:
The operating costs to run this program are approximately USD $1.9m per year. Funds raised will go toward continuing to run the program and will contribute toward the milestones and deliverables mentioned below:
MS1. On-going R&D related tasks to ship Pectra hard fork in ~Q1 2025 -
MS2. Increase adoption of Lodestar on the network
MS3. Performance improvements
MS4. Implement yamux multiplexer
MS5. Increase social media presence
Below are the expected outcome of each deliverable.
EA1. Continuous participation in dev/testnets.
EA2. More nodes on discv5 DHT and more node operators using Lodestar for staking.
EA3 Batch hashing, improved head vote rate, etc.
EA4 Enhanced protocol performance.
EA5 Increased visibility on platforms like Twitter/Warpcast.
Impact Measurement and Reporting
Short-term Outcomes (0-3 months):
- Completion of milestones related to R&D, adoption efforts, and initial performance improvements.
Mid-term Outcomes (3-6+ months):
- Increased adoption and performance metrics, and successful implementation of additional protocol features.
Long-term Impact (5+ years):
- Lodestar will contribute to Ethereum’s Layer 1 goals, enhance client diversity, and continue pushing the Ethereum roadmap forward through protocol innovation.
Outcomes Measurement:
- Adoption metrics, performance improvements, R&D progress.
Interim Reporting
Regular Updates:
- The updates of our progress will be provided each Octant Epoch
Milestone Verification:
- Adoption metrics, performance improvements, R&D progress.
Sustainability Plan
Lodestar has been operating at or near a loss since inception. The project has predominantly relied on grant funding but has also subsidized employee salaries to continue the program. The sustainability plan involves expanding our grant funding to maintain and improve Lodestar as a client software, while exploring additional revenue streams particularly around lodestar node operations. We have recently created an Infrastructure program within the organisation that is actively exploring the feasibility of generating revenue in this manner.
Advancing Values of Freedom and Privacy
Lodestar supports Ethereum’s decentralization and security goals by contributing to the consensus layer, which is crucial for maintaining the network’s integrity and ensuring user privacy. Through its TypeScript implementation, Lodestar promotes accessibility for developers, encouraging innovation without compromising on the core values of freedom and privacy.
Supporting Decentralization
Lodestar enhances decentralization by increasing client diversity within the Ethereum ecosystem. By making Ethereum more accessible to TypeScript developers, Lodestar helps reduce centralization risks associated with a smaller number of clients.
Team Information
ChainSafe, co-founded in 2017 by a former Ethereum core-dev, is deeply embedded in the Ethereum ecosystem with a strong focus on protocol-level contributions. The Lodestar Consensus Client team includes seven full-time engineers (four senior and three junior engineers), supported by a full-time technical project manager, a part-time product manager, and a team of marketing, BD, and communication professionals.
Social Proof
Lodestar has a long list of successful project completions, which can be found on GitHub: ChainSafe · GitHub. The project is recognized for its contributions to the Ethereum protocol and its ability to experiment with new features and EIPs without impacting the mainnet.
Transparency
Lodestar’s internal procedures include transferring any received funding on-chain to pay salaries, cover overhead and operating costs, and support ongoing development efforts. Any grant funding received will be used transparently to continue maintaining and improving Lodestar as a client software.
Previous funding
- ChainSafe has received circa USD $8m in Lodestar Grants since March 2019, primarily from the Ethereum Foundation (EF), with smaller amounts from Optimism RetroPGF Round 3, Gitcoin Grants, and Libp2p RetroPGF Grants.