Volition 

Today I decided to look into #Volition as it keeps coming up in talks of the quantum leap that #StarkNet is supposed to be taking this year – meaning cheaper fees, quicker transactions and greater access to computation for dapps. I found myself preaching to people about how Volition is going to change the game – while having no idea what it meant, other than it is supposed to reduce fees drastically. 

The dictionary definition of volition is the power to make your own decisions. And that is how it is used in this instance as well: Simply put on StarkNet Volition means users have the choice to store data on chain (#Rollup) or off chain (#Validium) at the beginning of each transaction. According to StarkNet data storage makes up the bulk of gas fees. By eliminating the need for on-chain data storage, gas costs could potentially be reduced by as much as 95%. Instead of always storing all of the data on the chain, users now have another option. They could choose to store just an encrypted hash on-chain, which acts as a pointer to the data. This data, in turn, would be stored off-chain by a trusted party, a Data Availability Committee (DAC)

Here is an example of when you might use either option. Suppose I am using StarkNet and decide to buy a valuable #Cryptopunk. Given its worth, I opt for the Rollup Mode, registering my transaction and all of it's data directly on #Ethereum. This public record ensures everyone knows I’m the rightful owner. 

Later, I buy a cloak for my character in a game called Eternum. For this less valuable item, I choose Validium Mode, storing the transaction data off-chain with an approved Data Availability Committee. This method is quicker and cheaper, perfect for less significant transactions. It will make games playable because no one will want to play if it costs money to take every action or transactions have significant lag.

With StarkNet's Volition design, I get to pick the best storage option depending on the value and urgency of each transaction. As far as I understand it, the tradeoff is there's a potential vulnerability for the off-chain data to be attacked or compromised. In most circumstances this wouldn't be worth it but Starknet will need to find effective methods to defend against this in the instances it is.

One might have some hesitations, such as: how are the Data Availability Committees chosen? And does this move away from the principle of trustlessness in blockchain? Currently, they are larger institutions in the blockchain space like Consensys, Nethermind, Iqlusion and Cephalopod, with more being added. There is a quorum system where a certain number of them have to agree on the transaction rather than any one having ultimate authority. Also, if they tampered with the hash they are verifying the other committee members would see that. 

Encryption and zero-knowledge proofs are also used in the system. These tools can limit data access to suit the needs of specific situations. By doing this, the committee members' liability and responsibility are reduced, and user as well as dapp privacy is safeguarded. 

StarkNet's introduction of Volition is a significant stride towards achieving more efficient, user-centric transactions. It offers an enticing vision of greater affordability and powerful computational capabilities for dapps. While Volition is not a perfect solution yet, it's a promising step in the right direction. Its flexible, user-driven approach to data storage could revolutionize the way we interact with blockchains. As we continue to follow StarkNet's journey, it'll be exciting to see how Volition develops and to what extent it fulfills its potential. The future of blockchain may well be on the verge of a dramatic transformation. 

 Here are sources of information I used and further reading regarding challenges and potential solutions in the second article. 

starkware.co/resource/rollup-validium-volition-where-is-your-data-stored/ 

medium.com/starkware/data-availability-e5564c416424 

starkware.medium.com/volition-and-the-emerging-data-availability-spectrum-87e8bfa09bb 

ethresear.ch/t/mvr-minimally-viable-rollback/7538

#StarkBear #starknetfordummies

I am back after an inadvertent hiatus. I think I overwhelmed myself with too much information and expectations as I have a tendency to do. I had not looked at my Lens profile or starkbear accounts since the day I posted – and I was very surprised to see I had several follows, likes and comments on my short introduction. I don’t think I have ever really been early to a social app and I love that Lens seems like the place to be at the moment. 

Now I have a bit more of a plan. I got rid of trying to keep track of the ecosystem on my own since there are already so many great dashboards. I am not going to try to be an everything tracker for StarkNet. I am going to double down on my focus to learn about the technology behind blockchains and share it with people in (hopefully) easily understood explanations. #starknetfordummies  

I’ll keep the glossary as my notebook and I will fill the calendar with events and spaces I intend to attend that are educational in nature. 

I will use Nurstar’s (twitter.com/0xNurstar)) and Starknet Digger’s (twitter.com/Starknet_OG)) Twitters to save myself time and if they share any articles or podcasts especially appealing to me I will attempt to break them down into important and easily digestible takeaways. 

The dream is actually to learn Cairo and write my own smart contract one day even if I never become a professional developer or create something many people use. 

My first article is going to be about Volition because I have found myself preaching about it recently and how it is going to reduce fees on StarkNet without knowing how or why it will do that. Fingers crossed I will be able to finish and post that later tonight. 

#StarkBear