👨🚀 Created and Maintained by Catdotfish, Alice, Rob, Syed and Zoltan 💜⚛️
While the Cosmos Hub gave birth to the interchain - the ecosystem of over 50 chains - it does not derive any direct value from the ecosystem.
In an attempt to change this, the Atom Economic Zone (AEZ) was born - an ATOM-aligned ecosystem of chains and dApps that bring direct value to the Cosmos Hub.
On this page, you will be able to learn more about the AEZ and Interchain Security, as well as staying up to date with Consumer Chain launches.
The primary driver of the AEZ is the new chains using Interchain Security - using the Cosmos Hub’s market cap and validators to secure their own chains and, in turn, rewarding ATOM stakers for this service.
In order to become a consumer chain, new chains must go through a few steps:
Build their chain, test and audit it. See Cosmos Developer Tutorials Here.
Introduce themselves, with a Draft Proposal, on the Cosmos Forum. At this stage, they will detail their offer to ATOM delegators for feedback and negotiation.
Once the Draft Proposal is finalized, they will then create a “Consumer Addition Proposal” on-chain to formally onboard their chain to Cosmos Hub’s Interchain Security. When this vote is approved, the two chains will establish a connection between themselves.
Note: Some chains may do a “Signalling Proposal” first - to get confirmation that Atom Delegators definitely want the chain to be onboarded before the actual “Consumer Addition Proposal.”
These are the various governance proposals - draft and on-chain - related to each Consumer Chain. Be sure to give feedback on their draft proposals AND vote when the proposal goes on-chain!
AtomZone are regular Twitter Spaces that explore the projects and dApps joining the Atom Economic Zone - new consumer chains, the value they bring and the problems they solve.
Interchain Security is a mechanism that enables validators of a provider chain (such as the Cosmos Hub) to utilize their stake on that chain (e.g., staked ATOM) to participate in the consensus of a Consumer Chain concurrently.
A Provider Chain refers to a blockchain that permits its validators to secure another blockchain using their stake, while a Consumer Chain is a blockchain that allows validators from another blockchain to participate in its consensus.
Interchain Security aims to provide a robust security framework that has been expertly crafted to ensure the complete and utter protection of new or existing sovereign app-specific blockchains.
The new era of Interchain Security brings about a revolutionary change in how we perceive and manage security. Interchain Security has embarked on a mission to provide a safe and secure environment for all its users by utilizing cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions.
The concept of Interchain Security has been eagerly awaited in the Cosmos community as it has the potential to expand the interchain ecosystem.
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Why become a Consumer Chain?
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Get instant Security from the Cosmos Hub market cap & validator set
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Get instant community awareness, support and a user base
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Get instant liquidity from the Cosmos Hub’s community and user base.
What are the different types of Interchain Security?
Interchain Security has three different implementation options:
Replicated Security
Partial Set Security[PSS] ( Previously Opt-in Security)
Layered(Mesh) Security
Replicated Security
Replicated Security is the implementation of Interchain Security currently live on the Cosmos Hub.
The concept of Replicated Security involves a 'shared security' model enabling the Cosmos Hub blockchain to serve as the Provider Chain for new or existing layer 1 sovereign appchains. This ensures instant security for these blockchains from the moment of their launch.
In Replicated Security, it is ensured that (almost) every validator on the Hub runs a Consumer Chain, offering robust assurances. This means that every Replicated Security Consumer Chain is equipped with the same level of security as that of the Cosmos Hub.
Consumer Chains can share the same validator set, allowing for synchronous IBC and seamless Replicated Security. This means consumer chains can easily utilize instant IBC transactions and useful features such as flash loans.
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Replicated Security has been successfully integrated into the Cosmos Hub through the Lambda Upgrade.
Partial Set Security [PSS]
The upcomingmajor update to Interchain Security will introduce Partial Set Security.
This game-changing feature revolutionizes the adaptability of consumer chains, empowering them to strike the perfect balance between economics, validator set agility, and security. It further grants validators the discretion to choose whether they wish to validate on a specific consumer chain in the majority of circumstances.
These new modifications will expedite the launch process for consumer chains and significantly reduce the workload for Hub validators. Moreover, the Cosmos Hub validator set provides consumer chains the ability to determine their required level of security.
The concept of partial set security provides an efficient solution for consumer chains, allowing them to operate with just the level of security they need and to increase it as needed.
One of The Difference between Replicated Security and Partial Set Security: ‘Governance’
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Consumer chains are born from governance proposals, inheriting the full security of the Hub’s validator set.
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Partial Set Security could enable consumer chains to be launched permissionlessly without a governance proposal.
Feature A: Opt-in consumer chains
Permissionless
A consumer chain can be easily added via a transaction, provided the chain ID is not already in use.
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Create a consumer chain and let validators decide to opt in to validate on new consumer chains
Permission-lite
Using the existing governance interface to launch opt-in consumer chains could be beneficial.
The concept is that only validators who voted ‘Yes’ would be opted to run a consumer chain. Validators could vote ‘Abstain’ to indicate that while they don't intend to run a consumer chain themselves, they don't object to other validators doing so.
Feature B: Top-n
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The top-n: For a consumer chain indicates the percentage of the Hub's security it wants to ensure.
Top-n provides a guaranteed level of security for high-profile consumers, even though most consumer chains likely start with opt-in.
When the consumer chain launches, the top n percent of the Hub's validator set is required to run the consumer chain.
Validators outside the top-n percent aren't required to run the consumer chain, but they can opt to do so.
Consider the following scenarios:
A top-n of 100% equates to Replicated Security.
With a top-n of 65%, a consumer chain receives over half of the Hub's economic security but with only 23 validators.
A top-n less than 33% is not feasible. For incentive purposes, this ensures that top validators are never compelled to run a consumer chain they do not desire (at 33%, they could veto the proposal).
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For more information on Partial Set Security, visit the Cosmos Forum. Jehan, the product lead of Cosmos Hub, shared a draft proposal there.
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Partial Set Security[PSS] > Coming Soon
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Layered(Mesh) Security
The Cosmos Hub is leading the way in the development of shared security with the launch of Replicated Security!
To learn more about the main varieties of shared security, you can read the blog post titled "Comparing Replicated, Opt-in, and Mesh Security"written by Jehan | Product Owner of the Cosmos Hub at Informal Systems
⚛️ AtomZone Agora
Beyond the standard AtomZone format above, there is an additional variant open to the growing number of ATOM Economic Zone (AEZ) core contributors.
AtomZone Agora is a Twitter Space format that acts as a central public space for all the discussions related to the AEZ.
A gathering place to address the topics shaping the ATOM Ecosystem.
Agora was a central public space in ancient Greek city-states - born to accommodate the social and political order of the Greek polis. It was the center of the business, social, and political life in the city.
With the same intention, AtomZone Agora aims to be the center of the ATOM Economic Zone's business, social, and political life.
All the episodes are organized and hosted on Cosmos Hub directly by AEZ core contributors!
Stay up to date with the latest hot topics by attending the calls (follow @cosmoshub) or listen to the recordings below.
How did Cosmos Hub become ‘Interchain Service Provider’ ?
“With Replicated Security, the Cosmos Hub will give birth to the Atom Economic Zone.
An Atom-aligned ecosystem that will create new exciting dynamics yet to explore.
“A Consumer Chain can distribute revenues through:
Transaction Fees
Token Inflation
Application Fees
Transaction fees are generated by the Consumer chain activity, the % distributed to Atom delegators is by default 25%, but it can be increased and is subject to governance”
Where can I see if my validator is validating on Consumer Chains?
To monitor whether your validator is validating on the consumer chain or not, visit the consumer chain’s validator page via Cosmos Explorers.
To view Neutron's (the first consumer chain) active validator set, please see: Mintscan
Where can I see my consumer chain rewards in my Cosmos account?
The process for claiming rewards with consumer chains does not change.
Users will be able to see their consumer chains’ tokens as rewards under the Cosmos Hub blockchain in their Cosmos accounts.
The consumer chain rewards are automatically added to your Cosmos account when you claim your Atom staking rewards, as normal! ( i.e. no extra step is needed )
Atom delegators can copy/paste their Cosmos account (starting with cosmos1….) to the Mintscan and explore potential consumer chain rewards!
Here's the report for validators: https://hackmd.io/ujloxY44TgKH4huwLZPxdQ
What wallets support Interchain Security?
Almost every self-custody wallet that supports ATOM staking supports Interchain Security.
If you use Keplr, Cosmostation and Leap Wallet , your rewards from the Consumer Chains are automatically added to your balance whenever you claim your ATOM staking rewards.
Tips for Choosing Validators
Avoid Choosing an Exchange Validator: Exchange validators do not participate in governance and do not directly contribute to the interchain ecosystem.
Initial commission rate: The validator charges a commission rate on the staking rewards delegators earn. Delegators can earn more staking rewards if they choose a validator with a lower commission rate.
Commission max change rate (Daily): It's important for delegators to carefully examine a validator's commission details before delegating, as it can change daily.
Commission rates: are subject to change at any time. Monitoring your validator through channels such as Telegram/Twitter and checking your wallet/Cosmos explorers daily/weekly is recommended to stay informed.
Self-bond amount:refers to the percentage of bonded ATOM that belongs to the validator, which is their "skin in the game."
Decentralization: To enhance blockchain security, it is important to prioritize decentralization. Choosing smaller validators can aid in achieving this goal.
Governance Participation: Validators can vote on proposals on their delegators' behalf. This parameter indicates that a validator actively contributes to proposals and has a voice to represent its delegators.
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