Blok Nodes

BlokHost Nodes are designed to play crucial roles in maintaining a robust and efficient decentralized content delivery network. With the ability to operate in either content mode or validator mode, they cater to the diverse requirements of the BlokHost network. Content Nodes focus on ensuring seamless content delivery to users, while Validator Nodes actively monitor and maintain content integrity within the network. The flexibility offered by these two modes enables almost anyone to contribute to the BlokHost network.

Content Node

Content Nodes primarily focus on serving content to users within the BlokHost network. They have the following characteristics and responsibilities:

• Serves content to users and is rewarded $HOST for doing so

• Verifies content signatures from other nodes

• Can opt-in to provide edge-caching disk space for more $HOST rewards

• Must stake $HOST tokens to participate in the network

• Can gain rewards from detecting and reporting invalid content

• Does not spot-check other nodes for invalid content

By participating in the network as a Content Node, users can contribute to the decentralized content delivery system and earn rewards for their contributions.

Validator Node

Validator Nodes, on the other hand, focus purely on ensuring the integrity of the content within the network. They perform the following tasks:

• Spot checks nodes on the network for invalid content

• Verifies content signatures from other nodes

• Must stake enough $HOST tokens to cover spot check costs (calculated per epoch)

• Can gain $HOST rewards from detecting and reporting invalid content

Validator Nodes play a critical role in maintaining the security and reliability of the BlokHost network by actively monitoring content and reporting any discrepancies. By participating as a Validator Node, users contribute to the overall health of the network and can earn rewards for their efforts.

Key Technologies

AnyCast

The BlokHost dCDN is designed to optimize content delivery based on the geographical location of users, thanks to the utilization of AnyCast technology. AnyCast allows multiple nodes within the network to share the same IP address, which improves the routing of content requests and ensures that users receive content from the nearest and most efficient node.

When a user requests content from the BlokHost network, the AnyCast system intelligently routes the request to the geographically closest node with the required content. This approach not only reduces latency and improves the user experience but also minimizes the impact on network congestion and bandwidth usage.

The geo-optimization enabled by AnyCast contributes to the overall performance and efficiency of the BlokHost dCDN. By ensuring that content is served by the most suitable node based on the user's location, BlokHost provides a fast and reliable content delivery solution that adapts to the unique requirements of users worldwide.

Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)

BlokHost leverages the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) to establish dynamic routing between nodes and to optimize network paths for content delivery. BGP enables nodes to exchange routing information and dynamically adjust to network changes, ensuring the best possible routes for content distribution and reducing latency.

Immutable Content

Immutable storage ensures the integrity and permanence of content within the network. By utilizing cryptographic hashing, once content is stored, it cannot be altered or deleted without leaving a trace. This immutable nature of content enables any node within the network to verify and serve the data with confidence.

When content is uploaded to the BlokHost network, it is cryptographically hashed and assigned a unique identifier. This identifier, derived from the content's hash, serves as a fingerprint that guarantees the authenticity of the data. When a node retrieves the content, it can independently verify that the content has not been tampered with by comparing the hash of the received data to the original identifier.

This verification process ensures that all nodes in the network can trust the authenticity of the content they serve, providing a secure and reliable content distribution platform. Moreover, it contributes to the overall decentralization and resilience of the network, as any node can confirm the integrity of content without relying on a central authority.

Proof Of Stake

The BlokHost dCDN employs a proof of stake mechanism, which requires nodes to stake a certain amount of tokens to participate in the network. This approach ensures that only committed and trustworthy nodes are allowed to join and serve content within the network.

To maintain the overall security and integrity of the network, BlokHost incorporates a slashing mechanism for bad actors. If a node is found to be acting maliciously or serving invalid content, it will be penalized by having its staked tokens slashed. This consequence serves as a strong deterrent against malicious behaviour and helps to uphold the network's trustworthiness.

The combination of proof of stake and slashing mechanisms in the BlokHost dCDN creates a secure and reliable content distribution platform. By requiring nodes to have a vested interest in the network's success and penalizing those who undermine its integrity, BlokHost ensures that only valid content is served to users, and the overall stability of the network is maintained.

Storage Providers

BlokHost offers an aggregated storage experience to users, ensuring they have access to the best prices and flexibility when selecting storage providers. By providing a layer of abstraction across all providers, BlokHost maintains as much feature parity as possible, enabling users to take advantage of the unique functionality each provider offers.

BlokHost supports integration with all major storage providers, either through existing implementations or as part of the future roadmap. This comprehensive ecosystem coverage ensures that users have access to a wide range of storage options and can select the provider that best suits their needs. As new providers emerge and offer additional base layer functionality, BlokHost will continue to maintain feature parity across all providers to provide a consistent user experience.

Blok Drives

To further enhance the user experience, BlokHost has implemented an abstracted "drives" layer over groups of files. This layer allows for additional functionality such as web hosting, secure content storage, and backups. Drives serve as manifests for the underlying files and folders and manage any additional product-specific configurations, such as scheduling and site information.

The drives layer simplifies the management of files and folders across multiple storage providers, enabling users to take full advantage of the aggregated storage experience. By offering an abstracted layer that combines the best features of various providers, BlokHost ensures that users can enjoy a seamless and powerful storage solution for their content.

Smart Contracts

The BlokHost network relies on an underlying smart contract to manage various aspects of the system, including domain registration, validator staking, payments, and content moderation. The Layer 1 (L1) chain is updated via smart contract every epoch, ensuring that the network remains current and secure.

Domain (Account) State and Registration

Smart contracts are responsible for managing the state of domains (accounts) within the BlokHost ecosystem. It keeps track of all registered domains, their associated users, and the content hosted on those domains. When a user registers a new domain or updates an existing one, the smart contract processes the request and updates the L1 chain accordingly.

Validator Staking (Verification and Slashing)

Validator nodes in the BlokHost network stake tokens to participate in content verification and network governance. The L1 chain manages the staking process, including the verification of validators, the distribution of rewards, and the implementation of slashing penalties for malicious actors. By maintaining accurate records of validator stakes and their performance, the smart contract ensures the integrity of the network and incentivizes honest participation.

Payments

Smart contracts are also responsible for managing payments within the BlokHost network. It handles transactions involving the $HOST token, such as rewards distribution to validators and node operators, as well as payments for services like domain registration and content hosting. By automating payment processes through the smart contract, BlokHost ensures a transparent and secure payment system for all participants.

Content Moderation DAO Voting

To maintain a decentralized approach to content moderation, the BlokHost network utilizes a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) voting system. The smart contract manages the voting process, allowing validators and other stakeholders to participate in content moderation decisions. When a content moderation issue arises, the smart contract initiates a voting period during which stakeholders can cast their votes. Once the voting period ends, the smart contract tallies the votes and implements the majority decision.

In conclusion, the BlokHost network's smart contract plays a vital role in maintaining the system's functionality and security. By managing domain registration, validator staking, payments, and content moderation, the smart contract ensures that the BlokHost dCDN operates smoothly, securely, and transparently for all users.