Global consensus
One fast, globally agreed ledger
Every node applies the same ordered ledger. Matrix reaches agreement with a fast, leader-based BFT protocol - no mining, no proof-of-work - and a payment is final the moment a quorum of validators has committed it.
Two phases, deliberately
- ed25519 validator set, round-robin leader, no mining
- A quorum of prevotes for one block is a polka; a quorum of precommits commits it
- A validator locks on its precommit, not on its own single vote, so leader rotation can never orphan a block a quorum chose
- Per-round timeout backoff, so a slow network rotates leaders without livelocking
Globally agreed order
- SHA-256 hash-linked block chain shared by every node, validatable end to end
- Deterministic application, so honest nodes converge on identical balances
- A node that missed a block fetches it from a peer with the precommit quorum that committed it
- Both compute and inference settle here by default
Membership
The validator set is part of the chain
Admitting or ejecting a validator is a transaction in a committed block, not a coordinated restart.
A quorum is priced in stake
- Voting power is an account's bonded native MATRIX, not one vote per identity
- So a quorum costs two thirds of everything bonded, however many identities it is spread across - identities are free, bonds are not
- Admission requires a minimum bond, so nobody validates with nothing at risk
- A capped protocol fee on each committed transfer pays the set pro rata by power, so a bond earns as well as risks
- A validator waits out an unbonding period after leaving before it can withdraw, so it cannot equivocate and pull its bond out ahead of the evidence
A change needs a quorum of operators
- Each operator lists the changes they will vote for; a node prevotes nil on anything else
- So one validator cannot propose removing all the others and have it wave through
- A committed change takes effect at an epoch boundary, so every node switches sets at the same height
- The set the chain arrived at survives a restart; config seeds genesis only
Equivocation is provable, so it is punished
- Two votes for different blocks at one height, round and phase, both signed by the offender
- Every node verifies the proof itself rather than trusting the peer that relayed it
- The network votes to eject the offender with no config entry needed
- With bonded stake on, the offender's whole bond moves to the reward pool - the offence costs it money, not just its place
Related documentation
Dig into the protocol
Architecture
How the BFT ledger, block chain, and settlement pipeline are wired together across the node.
Matrix Protocol
The protocol reference covering blocks, votes, quorum, and the hash-linked chain.
Run a node on the agreed ledger
Join the network and see every balance settle as one globally agreed fact. Download a build or read the docs.