Well before the Layer-2 gold rush and even before Ethereum’s mainnet launch, the Verifier’s Dilemma foreshadowed an enduring scalability bottleneck for blockchains. To this day, native Ethereum smart contracts execute only simple operations, and composing on-chain processes remains a costly challenge.

Truebit’s implementation on Ethereum relieves native limitations by certifying complex computations on behalf of smart contracts. Each such implicit certificate spans roughly a dozen Ethereum transactions which collectively enable tamper-proof, on-chain callbacks while avoiding centralized infrastructure.

Unfortunately, implicit certificates fail to meet the needs of many operations outside of smart contracts. Besides bearing portability, performance, reliability and cost requirements, mainstream applications consume and deliver data through interfaces like DNS, HTTPS, and APIs which remain inaccessible to smart contracts. Moreover, time-pressed constituents may prefer not to scrape blockchains for implicit certificates in old school, web3 fashion.

Our new technical report, Truebit Unchained, introduces explicit certificates for data and event provenance “unchained” from any particular network. Whether or not a source or downstream action involves a blockchain, an explicit certificate can reach a skeptical individual or machine through standard channels like email or API. In order to pull off this bit of magic, we introduce a new computation paradigm, called transparency, centering around a cloud-capable Hub. Just as smart contracts govern Solvers’ and Verifiers’ behavior the Hub orchestrates Nodes.

With a single image of the Stateville Correctional Center’s watchtower, Simon de la Rouviere’s panopticomputer elegantly captures Truebit’s essence. This setting amplifies smart contracts’ authority as universal, albeit limited, sources of truth. In a robust, modern twist, transparency explicitly raises and answers the ageless question, “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes: who watches the watchmen?” To carry forward the analogy, a Hub can never run amok in an inverted panopticomputer wherein untrusted, Node “inmates” bound the autonomy of both system and external actors. In the Hub’s case, each false step sets off alarms triggering recourse in the outside world.

Transparent systems complement open source code. While open source provides convenient guarantees for code running on local machines, code running on others’ machines requires transparency to achieve similar effect. Indeed, an entity can publicize a code repository while running a distinct variant on its server.

As transparency propagates to constituent applications, I personally look forward to witnessing the practical effects of more reliable information sharing. Enjoy the paper, and welcome to our world.

Introducing our technical report on transparency was originally published in Truebit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Truebit has undergone a significant upgrade with its new version based on Geth v1.12.0. This version brings exciting changes and enhancements to the platform, including improved syncing retention. As a result, the synchronization process is now seamless and efficient.

Syncing Retention: Avoiding Lengthy Syncing Processes

One of the most impactful changes in the Truebit update is the improved sync cache retention. Previously, replacing the Docker image for Truebit resulted in lengthy syncing processes that could span weeks. This waiting period proved to be a significant inconvenience and hindered the overall user experience.

With the new release, Truebit’s Ethereum deployment introduces a mechanism that allows users to update the Docker image without losing progress made during syncing. This feature greatly reduces syncing time and ensures a seamless transition between versions. Users can now enjoy uninterrupted access to Truebit’s Ethereum platform, saving valuable time and resources.

Geth v1.12: Powerful Enhancements and Breaking Changes

In addition, the Truebit update includes Geth v1.12.0, a major version bump that brings significant improvements and a few breaking changes.
One notable change is the removal of Proof-of-Work (PoW) support. Geth v1.12 drops support for PoW-based private chains and projects relying on ethash PoW. This move aligns with Ethereum’s evolving roadmap and transition towards proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus. By eliminating PoW, Truebit ensures compatibility with the latest Ethereum network developments.

Author: Ariel Sandez

Truebit Release Notes: Simplified Syncing and Updated Geth v1.12 8 was originally published in Truebit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

This week at the GOTO Chicago annual conference, experts from Truebit and the Forte Group participated in a panel discussion exploring the potential of Web3 technology in enterprise computing. Our conversation covered the definition and current state of Web3 and its role in the enterprise, including: the future of decentralized compute, the composable web, AI safety, and the concept of industry ecosystems.

In this post, we’ll summarize key discussion points and provide insights into the future of Web3 in the enterprise landscape.

Web3: going beyond blockchains

Web3 technology is often associated with cryptocurrencies and NFTs, but it has the potential to revolutionize the way we think about enterprise computing. A new generation of infrastructure is emerging leveraging consensus, verification, and transparency to address some of the most significant new challenges in enterprise computing today.

To understand where Web3 fits in, we need to consider the push for a more open market for compute. The factors driving the shift to hybrid, multi-cloud infrastructures are the same forces underlying Web3: security, reliability, risk mitigation, portability, interoperability, and cost control. As we refactor cloud architectures to accommodate this shift, Web3 naturally emerges as the next evolution of the compute we rely on today — from VMs to containers to serverless functions.

More APIs = loss of control

On the journey towards decentralized compute, businesses face a critical challenge: loss of control. The more you open up your compute, the less control you have over where it runs. Additionally, the more you rely on third-party APIs and shared data between partners, the less control you have over the code and data that runs your business.

But just because you can’t control something, doesn’t mean you can’t mitigate risk. Welcome to the trustless world.

Similar to Bitcoin, trustless means you can trust a decentralized compute platform without having previous trust on any of its participants. This enables a gain in transparency and provenance for data used in AI and other automated processing, without actually knowing or trusting the other parties involved.

Transparent, Web3 protocols allow you to trust the code, data, and results provided by your compute infrastructure. The growing need for trustless compute is already evident in areas where risk exceeds the ability to trust, such as public APIs, regulated industries, and core financial controls. As demands on businesses to work collaboratively with trading partners and customers increase, Web3 can provide the trust and transparency needed.

The next 5+ years for enterprise: reframing trust for the enterprise

The cloud has transformed the way we build systems inside organizations, and the next 5–10 years will see a massive acceleration in systems built outside organizations. According to IDC, within the next 5 years, 80% of enterprises will be part of industry ecosystems that will need to rely on decentralized Web3 code.

Source: IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Future of Industry Ecosystems 2023 Predictions

As APIs become more central to business functionality, technology teams will need to encapsulate the value adds of their company into microservices (APIs) that can be offered externally, as well as consume the microservices offered by other organizations.

As the APIs provided today become central to the widespread functionality of other businesses, the concept of trust will need to evolve. In this world, trustless compute is foundational to long-term business continuity and security. Web3 provides a layer of trust built into the design and operation of the APIs that is transparent, immutable, and self-evident.

Ecosystems create interdependence, which requires trust

Industry ecosystems refer to the interconnected web of businesses, organizations, and stakeholders that collaborate and compete within a specific industry. Emerging technologies like Web3 and decentralization are vital in driving innovation and promoting the growth of these ecosystems. As organizations increasingly work together to create value for their customers, the need for trust, transparency, and security in data sharing and processes becomes even more crucial.

Web3’s decentralized nature allows networks to establish trust in data and processes inside and outside of independent organizations, enabling seamless collaboration within industry ecosystems.

By incorporating technologies like cryptographic identity, consensus, and coordination, these ecosystems can facilitate the smooth flow of information and transactions between stakeholders, ensuring the integrity of data and processes.

Decentralization and trust in the enterprise

Decentralization is a natural next step for enterprises, as it allows more providers to come to the table, potentially even providing compute power themselves. However, as workloads run on a more decentralized network, businesses must determine how to trust a vast distributed network of providers that they may not be able to vet individually. This is where Web3 plays a crucial role — by establishing trust and transparency in a decentralized environment.

In a world of low-code and open-source solutions, where nothing is entirely new and components are repurposed and combined, verifying correctness when data and processes come from unknown sources becomes increasingly important. Verified compute, transparent protocols, and immutable records address these concerns.

Blockchain is dead. Long live blockchain

Web3 technology promises to revolutionize enterprise computing, offering a new generation of infrastructure that enables trust and transparency in decentralized environments. As businesses continue to adopt serverless compute, the composable web, and large-scale AI, embracing Web3 becomes increasingly important.

The future of enterprise computing lies in harnessing the power of Web3 to build automated, distributed ecosystems beyond the confines of individual organizations.

Web3 Beyond Blockchains: Embracing the Future of Enterprise Computing was originally published in Truebit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

AUTHOR: Ariel Sandez

Developers can now work with the Truebit-OS Docker container via API. The following blog shows you how to get started by creating a local environment to interact with the API using a local fork.

For those who are new, a Rest API (also known as RESTful API) is an application programming interface (API or web API) that conforms to the constraints of REST architectural style and allows for interaction with RESTful web services.

This latest release to the Truebit-OS provides new functionality for developers by allowing developers to interact with the full range of truebit commands using Rest API. In that way, you can operate Truebit remotely and, more importantly, by using scripts to automate your desired execution or to incorporate it into your application workflow.

For example, you can submit a task verification using the Rest API (Post method) from your application. However, another process could be checking the task status using Rest API get Task and deciding on the result.

STEPS TO BE TAKEN

1. Clone the repo and build or Pull the image from Docker hub
2. Run the Docker image
3. Create Infura account and get the key
4. Install and launch Ganache
5. Launch Truebit-OS with Infura and API publish
6. Interact with the API using Curl
7. API References

Step 1: Clone the repo and build or Pull the image from Docker hub

git clone https://github.com/TruebitProtocol/truebit-eth

cd truebit-eth

docker build -t truebit-os:latest . –no-cache

Pull the image from Docker Hub

docker pull truebitprotocol/truebit-eth

Step 2: Run the Docker image (please follow the Getting Started Guide)

export mypass=secretclefpassword

export YYY=$HOME’/truebit-docker’

docker run -e TBPASS=$mypass -v $YYY/docker-clef:/root/.clef -v $YYY/docker-geth:/root/.ethereum -v $YYY/docker-ipfs:/root/.ipfs -v $YYY/docker-consensus:/root/.eth2 -p 3000:3000 — name truebit -dit truebitprotocol/truebit-eth:latest /bin/bash

Step 3: Create Infura account and get the key

For this article, we chose Infura, but you can use an ethereum node already synchronized with Goerli. (in case you want to configure a node, please follow this link)

Infura is a node provider that allows developers to “plug in” to the Ethereum blockchain via nodes managed by Infura itself, saving devs time, money, and work.

https://app.infura.io/

Create a new key.

Select MAINNET or Goerli and copy the URL

Step 4: Install and launch ganache.

Ganache is a private Ethereum blockchain environment that allows you to emulate the Ethereum blockchain to interact with smart contracts in your own private blockchain.

On your local machine, open a terminal and install Ganache.

npx hardhat node — network hardhat

Launch Ganache

ganache — fork.url <<YOUR INFURA URL>> — miner.blockTime 10

Step 5: Launch Truebit-Os with Infura and API publish

Enter into the Docker instance.

docker exec -it truebit /bin/bash

Launch Truebit-OS with the API in Ganache

./truebit-eth/truebit-linux — api ws://host.docker.internal:8545

Note: port 3000 is open for the API

Step 6: Interact with the API using Curl

We have everything set up at this point and can start interacting with Truebit. But first, we can check if the API is working.

Echo test

curl http://127.0.0.1:3000/api/echo/testMessage!

Example response

testMessage!

Step 7: API References

Methods: http://localhost:3000

GET:

• /api/ Heath check
• Example call: curl http://localhost:3000/api/
• Response: OK
• /api/echo/{MeSsAgE} Message test
• Example call: curl http://localhost:3000/api/
• Response: OK
• /api/accounts List all the Ethereum accounts
• Example call: curl http://localhost:3000/api/accounts
• Response: Json format, list of Ethereum addresses
• /api/processes List all the started solver and verifiers
• Example call: curl http://localhost:3000/api/processes
• Response: Json format, solver and verifiers, index number and Ethereum address
• /api/solver/status/{solver index}
• Example call: http://localhost:3000/api/solver/status/0
• Response: Json format, solver address and status
• /api/solver/status/{:processNumber} Return the process status
• Example call: http://localhost:3000/api/status/0
• Response: Json format, process address and status
• /api/tasks List all the running tasks
• Example call: http://localhost:3000/api/tasks
• Response: List of task and operations
• /api/verifier/status/{verfier index} Return verifier status
• Example call: curl http://localhost:3000/api/verifier/status/0
• Response: Verifier account and status
• /api/tasks/:taskHash/parameters Return parameters used for task execution
• Example call: http://localhost:3000/api/tasks/{{ taskHash }}/parameters
• Response: Json format, parameter list and values
• /api/tasks/{{ taskHash }}/status Return status of a TaskHash
• Example call: http://localhost:3000/api/tasks/{{ 0xffa9cad5f9a702548781e770e7873a94f54a4865ebf619d2d9ff996cd9826ea8}}/status
• Response: Task status

POST

• /api/solver/start Start new solver
• Example call: curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/solver/start -H ‘Content-Type: application/json’ -d ‘{ “account”:0, “test”: true, “limit”: 1, “recover”:-1, “price”:0 }’
• Response: Account number and operation status
• /api/solver/stop Stop existing solver
• Example call: curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/solver/stop -H ‘Content-Type: application/json’ -d ‘{ “process”:0 }’
• Response: Account number and operation status
• /api/verifier/start Star new verifier
• Example call: curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:3000/api/verifier/start -H “Content-Type: application/json” -d ‘{“account”: 1, “test”: false, “limit”: 1, “recover”: -1, “price”: 0}’
• Response: Account number and operation status
• /api/solver/stop Stop existing verifier
• Example call: curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/verifier/stop -H ‘Content-Type: application/json’ -d ‘{ “process”:0 }’
• Response: Verifier number and operation status
• /api/tasks/submit Submit Task
• Example call: curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/tasks/submit -H ‘Content-Type: application/json’ -d ‘{ “account”:0,”taskFile”: “factorial.json” }’
• Response: Task Hash and operation status

Working with Truebit-OS using the API was originally published in Truebit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Truebit GitHub repo is compatible with Linux, Windows, and MacOS. Our latest release is intended for developers who want to build the Docker image to test changes locally. Below you will find instructions on how to begin.

Build the Docker image locally

Clone the repo

git clone https://github.com/TruebitProtocol/truebit-eth

cd truebit-eth

Build the image in Linux or Windows:

docker build -t truebit-os:latest .

Build the image in MacOS:

1- Override default target platform with linux/amd64

2- Increase Docker Desktop Swap memory to 4gb

export DOCKER_DEFAULT_PLATFORM=linux/amd64

docker build -t truebit-os:latest .

Run the image (please follow the Getting Started Guide)

We encourage the community to extend its functionality using a pull request (PR). If you’re new to the idea, pull requests let you tell others about changes you’ve pushed to a branch in a repository on GitHub.

To initiate, fork the repo and create a PR in the master; please include a readme file to explain the change.

We will review the changes and let you know the decision on your GitHub account.

How to build a Docker image with Linux, Windows, and MacOS. was originally published in Truebit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

WASI support for Truebit tasks is now available here.

Whereas WebAssembly is a virtual instruction set architecture, WASI is a systems interface for WebAssembly. Using WASI, developers can add a standard filesystem interface to WebAssembly execution independent from its runtime. The portable nature of WebAssembly allows developers to easily deploy WASI-based applications across MacOS, Windows, Linux, web browsers, and containers.

Truebit’s original WebAssembly compiler utilized Emscripten, a platform designed for porting C/C++ projects to web browsers. Our new WASI SDK integration updates the deprecated Emscripten stack and improves filesystem ergonomics.

Here’s an example of how to compile a Truebit task using WASI.

Compile a c++ task using WASI

wasic++ chess.cpp -fno-exceptions -o chess.wasm

Compile a c task using WASI
Step 1: wasicc -fno-execptions -c reverse_alphabet.c
Step 2: wasic++ reverse_alphabet.o -o reverse_alphabet.wasm

The complete examples are in github:
Chess
Reverse_alphabet

What’s next?

To start you can pull the Docker from Dockerhub or clone the github repo that is now public for your convenience. Additionally, the Truebit Getting Started Guide can be found on our website here.

We’re excited to see how our community leverages the new WASI SDK! As always, you can find us our Gitter and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date or DM us with any feedback or questions.

Announcing the Truebit WASI SDK for developers was originally published in Truebit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We’re pleased to announce that Trueibt is compatible with Ethereum post merge. This article will help demonstrate how to get started with Truebit on ETH 2 and provide you with the new quick start guide on the Truebit Github.

The new Docker image supports Ethereum 2 and can be found here: truebitprotocol’s Profile | Docker Hub.

We provide two options to interact with the blockchain:

1. The Docker internally has an non-producing-block node, after you pull the image from docker hub you should activate goerli.sh or mainnet.sh to start the sync. The Goerli sync could take up to four days to download the block and 600GB of storage. The Mainnet will sync in some weeks and 1.5 Tb of storage and later the node will prune to reduce the space. For more detailed information, please check the following link How to run Etherum node after the merge

2 — Using Ganache as a local fork is the quickest way to start working in development, because you don’t need to wait for the sync.

Our updated Truebit Getting Started Guide can also be found on our website HERE. As always, you can find us our Gitter and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date or DM us with any questions.

Announcement: New Truebit Docker image enables compatibility on ETH 2 was originally published in Truebit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Overview

After the merge, Ethereum nodes comprise an execution client and a consensus client; both are needed to run a full Ethereum node and include some caveats. This article will cover the node detail structure after the merge, node selection depending on the specific use, options for sync, and how to check the sync state.

Ethereum node and clients

An Ethereum node is a computer running the software client connected to other computers with the same Ethereum software, creating a p2p network that verifies data against the protocol rules and keeps the network secure.

Post merge Ethereum main parts:

Execution client: Listens to new transactions broadcasted in the network and executes them in the Ethereum virtual machine (EVM) and holds the latest state and database of all current Ethereum data.

Consensus client: contain the Beacon Node that implements the proof of stake (POS) consensus algorithm, enabling the network to achieve agreement based on validated data from the execution client. The validator client is part of the consensus, handling the network synchronization, drawing consensus, and performing several other low-level functions. The role of validators is to stake ETH to perform block proposals, and attestations are an equally critical component of the Ethereum beacon chain.

Bacon chain

Beacon Block

Ethereum Clients types

Nodes

• Full Node

The full node stores blockchain data (although this is periodically pruned, so a full node does not store all state data back to genesis). Participates in block validation and verifies all blocks and states.

• Light Node

The light node was the most common mode in Ethereum 1 among applications running inside the node. After the merge, this option is not yet available, and some experimental clients are working to provide a solution. To speed up the syncing and reduce the storage size, some clients offer Optimistic sync, which imports the block even though it has not validated its execution payload. The other option is Checkpoint sync which speeds up the initial sync by beginning the syncing from a recently finalized checkpoint.

Checkpoints:

Ethereum 1 had a block time around 14s. After the merge, the Beacon Chain has a tempo divided into slots (12 seconds) and epochs (32 slots). Every Epoch last 6.4 minutes, and the first slot in each epoch is a checkpoint.

Epochs | Mainnet Beacon Chain (Phase 0) Ethereum 2.0 Explorer (beaconscan.com)

• Archive Node

Stores everything kept in the full node and builds an archive of historical states. It is needed if you want to query something like an account balance at block #4,000,000, or simply and reliably test your transactions set without mining them using tracing. Syncing this node could take several weeks and 4 TB of storage.

Running a node according to the requirements.

Two types of nodes (block-producing and non-block-producing). Both nodes will create and maintain two databases, one for client execution with all the transactions and interaction with the EVM, and the other database for consensus (beacon chain).

Validator (block-producing)

This node requires all the major components like Execution client and Consensus client with the client validator. To activate the validator is necessary to stake ETH into a smart contract in Ethereum. This staked ETH then acts as collateral that can be destroyed if the validator behaves dishonestly or lazily. The node should stay up and working 24x7 and avoid any downtime that could cost part of the stake.

Non-block-producing

This type of node is used to install Ethereum applications that fully comply with decentralization. The ability for anyone to run their node is critical to maintaining the Ethereum network’s decentralization. To install a non-block-producing, consensus and execution clients are required without the validator client.

Execution clients

• Go Ethereum(Geth)
• Besu
• Nethermind
• Erigon
• OpenEthereum

Consensus clients

• Lighthouse: written in Rust
• Nimbus: written in Nim
• Prysm: written in Go
• Teku: written in Java
• Lodestar: written in Typescript

Node Synchronization

After the merge, a node sync means both clients, execution, and consensus doing the sync. For example, we will consider using Geth for execution and Prysm for consensus.

How to check the sync state of your node

curl http://localhost:3500/eth/v1/node/syncing | jq

This node has finished the consensus sync and is still syncing execution.

This node has finished both syncing.

Execution client

Execution takes more time, and it´s possible to check the state. We will see examples of a syncing node end and node still syncing.

geth attach ipc:/root/.ethereum/geth.ipc

Execution sync active

Execution client sync ended.

References

https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/

How to run an Ethereum node after the merge was originally published in Truebit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Announcing the Truebit-Hardhat-Ganache Release Alpha Test

Today we’re announcing the Truebit-Hardhat-Ganache Alpha test is open for developers! The Truebit-Hardhat-Ganache deployment is an important next step in the evolution of Truebit. It ensures compatibility with Ethereum 2.0, as well as provides developers with a simple, more reliable environment that promotes faster development processes.

We’re really excited to share and invite all developers to join our Truebit-Hardhat-Ganache Alpha test. We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to provide more stability to the protocol, and we’re ready to share our latest enhancements with an initial, opt-in group before rolling out the full Beta later this year.

The deployment provides continuity with the impending Ethereum merge, ensuring compatibility with proof of stake and Ethereum 2.0. Additionally, we’ve integrated Ganache into the developer process, delivering on feedback from the community as a priority request.

The Truebit-Hardhat-Ganache Alpha Test Explained

Forking

Truebit-Hardhat deploy enables you to continue using Truebit with zero sync up time by creating a fork Goerli or Mainnet in a local blockchain that you can use for development.

Doing this has several advantages:

1. You don’t need to request test tokens on a faucet which can be challenging at times.
2. You’ll get better error reporting from the local fork.
3. Transactions are processed and finalized much faster.

The Alpha test uses Hardhat, a commonly utilized professional developer environment well known by the blockchain community. The deployment also supports Ganache fork, which is better for broadcasting solidity events.

The enhancements to the Truebit protocol provide:

• a more reliable environment that promotes faster development processes,
• greatly reduced time to first executed tasks,
• a simplified environment that is compatible with Ethereum 2.0 and proof of stake, and utilization without requiring test tokens.

Request access to the Alpha test

To start, we’re releasing the Alpha test as an opt-in request only. All you need to do is email us at hello@truebit.io to request your access.

Upon request, we’ll get you set up in our Discord group. There you’ll receive access to documentation providing all the details on how to get started and any prerequisite software requirements. Additionally, our Community Manager is there to provide guidance, and you’ll be able to discuss use cases or seek any feedback amongst others utilizing the Alpha test.

Where do I go with questions?

We’ll be carefully monitoring and testing each new pull request from the community and are committed to ensuring a successful Alpha test and future widespread rollout of the Truebit-Hardhat-Ganache integration.

If you have any questions or need help troubleshooting, please email us directly at hello@truebit.io. Alternatively, you can DM our Community Manager on Twitter or Gitter and we’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.

Enabling Quadrans early access to the Alpha Test. Here is their feedback!

In appreciation of our partnership with Quadrans Foundation, we asked three of their lead developers to preview the new Alpha. After providing them with the Getting Started Guide and a little guidance, we asked them for detailed feedback.

Here is what Jacopo Grecuccio, Fabio Fiori & Davide reported on their experience:

Jacopo Grecuccio, Quadrans Lead Developer said, “Everything went smoothly, I made use of the guide which I found very clear and detailed. This simplified environment made the use of Truebit infrastructure more usable and less tricky.”

Fabio Fiori, Quadrans Lead Developer said, “I had a lot of fun! I decided not to use the guide because it is known that this is often the developers’ preferred approach. I managed to complete the test without major difficulties, even though I found errors here and there I was able to solve them on my own. At the end of the test, I consulted the guide and I found it comprehensive.”

Davide Costa, co-founder of Quadrans Foundation said, “The experience with Truebit-Hardhat Ganache was great: forking ETH Mainnet or Goerli and using it with Ganache brought a huge speed up in the test and development processes for Truebit-OS ecosystem. I’d like to thank the entire Truebit team for this opportunity.”

Overall, Quadrans’ feedback was important in improving the user experience and enabling the community to access a more comprehensive Alpha test.

Onward ho!

We’re stoked to get the Alpha out into the wild and get your feedback on the enhancements in stability and speed of execution. We appreciate genuine feedback from the community and are listening and prioritizing enhancements on an ongoing basis.

Please reach out to request access to the Alpha test hello@truebit.io or message via https://gitter.im/TruebitProtocol/community or https://twitter.com/truebitprotocol and our community manager will reply as soon as possible.

Announcing the Truebit-Hardhat-Ganache Release Alpha Test was originally published in Truebit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In this edition of Series;Verified, we’re talking with Davide Costa, co-founder of Foodchain S.p.A., who is bringing the transparency of blockchain to digital information. Foodchain’s method ensures quality and enables value-generating features in supply chains and digital systems, domains that have been highly affected by shifting whims and variables. Truebit is excited to talk about the revolutionary potential that lies in the marriage of blockchain and supply chain.

Welcome! Please tell us more about Foodchain’s fascinating origins.

Foodchain’s story starts back in 2012 when I met Marco Vitale, now CEO of Foodchain S.p.A., on BitcoinTalk.org, an online forum dedicated to bitcoin, blockchain technology, and cryptocurrency. At the time, despite the Italian blockchain community being almost non-existent, Marco and I spent entire days studying the mechanism of blockchain technology and discussing potential applications outside of the financial sector. This is when our collaboration began.

We started a project to initially take on the food industry in Italy with the objective to protect the “Made in Italy” brand, defeat product counterfeiting, and tackle the Italian Sounding phenomenon. Food supply chains are extremely complex and heavily regulated, therefore we had to invest in a massive research and analysis effort in order to harness the potential of blockchain technology and develop an innovative solution to protect one of the most counterfeited industries in the world.

As a result, we came up with a digital tool for traceability that enables businesses and organizations of the industry to achieve transparency and visibility of the supply chain as well as increasing quality of products and encouraging safe and sustainable processes.

The opportunity to present our solution took place during EXPO 2015 MILAN, dedicated to technology, innovation, culture, and traditions and how they relate to food and diet. We introduced Foodchain as the world’s first blockchain-powered tool for transparency and traceability of food supply chains and the great success encouraged us to officially launch Foodchain S.p.A. in 2016.

As we gained expertise over the years, we adapted and replicated our model across the entire digital landscape, not only the food industry. Today we serve sectors such as textile, pharmaceutical, energy, and even Public Administrations with projects involving digital identity and e-invoicing.

The Quadrans Foundation is an inseparable aspect of Foodchain. Can you talk about the Quadrans Foundation’s conception and its role both within and outside of Foodchain?

To understand the motivations beneath Quadrans Foundation’s conception, we first need to outline the evolutionary journey of Foodchain S.p.A.

Foodchain’s first experiments began in 2014 on Bitcoin’s blockchain. However, the lack of stability of the Bitcoin price prevents users from having a solid base for their business model and this could severely undermine the sustainability of a business.

In July 2015, Ethereum went live and the introduction of Smart Contracts on the Ethereum network was a great feature to leverage on in order to improve traceability of the supply chain and with very low impact on transaction costs.

However, soon the price of currency of the Ethereum network, the Ether, soared rapidly and the financial speculation on the cryptocurrency threatened our solution. There were no alternative blockchains, so we decided to design a whole new infrastructure with suitable characteristics. The enormous R&D effort led to the creation of an innovative and unique blockchain, today known as Quadrans.

Quadrans blockchain shares various features with Ethereum; however, we introduced significant stability to the currency of the network, the Quadrans Coin. Considering that unpredictable prices have a dramatic impact on the performance and execution of blockchain projects, we decided to remove cryptocurrency price fluctuations from the equation in order to ensure stability in the long run and slash running costs. This makes Quadrans a suitable infrastructure for large systems, such as industrial projects and government applications.

In 2018, a decision was made to transfer our know-how on blockchain technology to Quadrans Foundation, a non-profit organization established under Swiss law. This allowed Quadrans to focus on technical R&D that enabled the open-source model for the community, including Foodchain.

Building on years of work by the first team, the Foundation now works with government agencies, institutions and businesses globally and is a chosen technical partner in international projects (such as the European Trick project “Product data traceability information management by blockchains interoperability and open circular service marketplace”).

More than 40 members are currently associated with the Quadrans Foundation and share the same vision on the role of blockchain in the digital scenario of the future. Among the members are top experts specialised in different implications of blockchain (technicians, lawyers, professors, etc.) including Professor Massimiliano Sala and TrueBit Founder Jason Teutsch who are respectively President and member of the Foundation’s Crypto Board.

In the last few days, the Quadrans Foundation has released the latest version of its Yellow Paper — a technical document unveiling the hard work of the Foundation’s Crypto Board towards the development of a hybrid blockchain based on PoS (Proof-of-Stake) and PoW (Proof-of-work) with a three level network and a new and innovative consensus protocol.

The possibilities for enhanced supply chain function via blockchain are endless. What real-world integrations is Foodchain most proud of tackling?

The real-world integrations of our platform are various and we deployed our traceability model into several industry sectors.

We are proud of the collaboration between Foodchain and the Citrus Productive District of Sicily, which involves the adoption of the Foodchain decentralized application (DApp) by various member companies and enables certifying bodies to record PGI (Protected Geographical Origin) information on blockchain.

We also contributed to the textile industry. We have been awarded a research grant through the Regione Lombardia funding scheme “FashionTech.” In collaboration with other three key partners — together we cover textile production and customization of software to provide a practical demonstration of how blockchain can be used to achieve exceptional results for product, process, and social sustainability.

We also applied our blockchain technology to the forestry sector to enable transparent and complete monitoring of timber production processes. Nowadays, forest certification schemes and European regulations demand an increasing capability for traceability of information along the supply chain of wood-based products. The “Wood-chain project,” funded by PEFC International, tests and stimulates the application of blockchain technology as an innovative IT solution for forestry and wood production applications. The scope of the project is to provide transparency and traceability to wood and timber products in compliance with PEFC Chain of Custody certification (CoC).

Blockchain can enhance the supply chain process at every level, from producers through manufacturers to consumers. What benefits are you seeing at each stage?

A first step toward the efficient deployment of our solution is always a comprehensive analysis of the context in which it will operate. Usually this is a great occasion for the company to look at the totality of procedures, improve processes, identify waste along the supply chain, estimate costs, and go digital.

Blockchain technology is a powerful tool for producers and manufacturers as it enables the creation of a digital passport for the products. This is used to improve the value proposition by adding value to information such as origin and provenance, technique employed during production, manufacturing processes, and distribution.

Information collected is recorded permanently on the blockchain ledger, providing integrity and security of data along the supply chain. Producers and manufacturers can leverage on these qualities to protect their brand from counterfeiting and back quality claims on the product with authentic information.

Blockchain-based solutions also represent a powerful tool to increase brand reputation and communicate an added value to consumers through transparency and integrity of information. Via tags such as QR codes, end consumers can access information recorded on the blockchain to verify claims and make more conscious shopping choices.

How can Truebit best contribute to Foodchain’s efforts?

We closely follow and are deeply fascinated by the achievements of the Truebit team. We see ground for collaboration on more than one aspect.

At the infrastructural level, we can dovetail Truebit technology with Foodchain architecture to provide interoperability between systems and speed up the adoption process of the technology. Quadrans blockchain is also fully compatible with the Ethereum network so the integration of Truebit is facilitated and provides a favorable environment for the scalability of operations at reduced gas costs.

Another synergy consists of developing new applications and strategic use cases that can bring value to the industry by enhancing the computation power of the system and tackling issues with a large-scale solution.

For example, we are looking at the implementation of new solutions that can integrate satellite imagery into blockchain. The wood and timber products traceability and the agri-food sectors are the most promising economic markets where blockchain is featured with Earth Observation (EO) data and can have a dramatic impact on the general quality of natural products starting from field monitoring and traceability, and as part of the increasing digitization of the sector.

EO data can be considered as a verifiable source of information representing an oracle itself — a third-party service that provides Smart Contracts with external information serving as a bridge between blockchains and the real world.

The Truebit protocol via Truebit tasks can complement Quadrans for the on-chain execution of complex EO data processing algorithms, ensuring data provenance and data validation obtained according to a standardization model (ontology like https://ontospace.wordpress.com/).

A Truebit task can create an on-chain proof of execution of EO data processing thanks to standardized data that can be used to create geospatial mapping services and products such as certification and traceability of natural products.

Another Truebit task can be applied to EO processed data ensuring data validation and data provenance enabling data feed to machine learning models used by agricultural companies and agencies for time series analysis for crop management. Some of the use cases identified for this type of application are:

For traceability and product origin:

• Product authenticity
• Product origin
• Product traceability
• Maximum harvest
• Quantity
• Water usage
• Pesticide use
• Compliance with the product specification

For insurance:

• Excess rain coverage
• Insufficient rain coverage
• Snow coverage
• Crop loss protection
• Fertilizer coverage
• Fire protection

Interested in diving into this subject further? Check Davide’s Ask Me Anything [AMA] on Reddit HERE which took place on Monday December 6th, 2021

FOODCHAIN S.P.A.:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foodchain-spa/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foodchainspa
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FoodChainIT
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foodchainspa/

QUADRANS FOUNDATION:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/quadrans-foundation
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quadransfoundation
Twitter: https://twitter.com/QuadransF
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quadrans_foundation/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Quadrans/
Telegram: t.me/quadrans

DAVIDE COSTA:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davide-costa-97aa894b
Twitter: https://twitter.com/davide___costa

WEBSITES:
https://food-chain.it/
https://quadrans.io/

Series;Verified brings you a one-on-one with Davide Costa, co-founder of Foodchain S.p.A., was originally published in Truebit on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.