Dusk Network Core Technology
Dusk Network's core technology represents a comprehensive suite of cryptographic innovations and custom-built components designed specifically for regulated financial applications on blockchain. Here's an in-depth look at the foundational technologies powering the network:
Cryptographic Foundation $DUSK
Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs)
Dusk employs the PlonK proof system and the Poseidon hash function, both of which are critical components in the ZK toolkit (Crypto Daily) . PLONK is a versatile proof system developed to facilitate the implementation of zero-knowledge proofs, forming the core of Dusk's proof system and allowing efficient and private transactions on the network that are both small in proof size and fast to verify (Dusk) .
Cryptographic Primitives
At the foundation of Dusk's architecture are the cryptographic primitives - BLS12_381, JubJub, Schnorr and Poseidon, which provide the robust security and privacy features of the network (Dusk) . The BLS12_381 elliptic curve is used within Dusk to enable aggregation of signatures, which significantly reduces the amount of data to be stored and transmitted over the network, improving overall efficiency of the blockchain (Dusk) .
Consensus Mechanism: Succinct Attestation
The Dusk consensus protocol, called succinct attestation (SA), is a permission-less, committee-based proof-of-stake consensus protocol run by all stakers, known as provisioners, which are responsible for generating, validating, and ratifying new blocks (Coinspeaker) .
Three-Phase Consensus Process
Each round goes through three steps: Proposal – a provisioner creates and broadcasts a candidate block; Validation – a committee checks the block's validity; Ratification – another committee confirms the validation outcome and finalizes the block (OneKey) .
Performance Advantages
Dusk's Succinct Attestation consensus model improves the network's efficiency and security by reducing the size of its validator set without compromising security, achieving similar security with just 67 validators per step while other networks rely on over 2,000 validators (ICO Holder) .
Transaction Models
Phoenix: Privacy-Preserving Transactions
Phoenix is the custom-built zero-knowledge proof-powered Dusk UTXO transaction model enabling privacy-preserving transactions, supporting both transparent and obfuscated transactions (Dusk) . Phoenix uses ZKPs to prevent double-spending attacks and prove the ownership of unspent outputs, with an owner of a note able to share their View Key, allowing third parties to detect the outputs belonging to the owner (Dusk) .
Moonlight: Transparent Transactions
Moonlight is fully transparent, leveraging an account-based model where user addresses and their corresponding DUSK balances are publicly listed, and is fully compatible with Phoenix, meaning users can seamlessly convert between their Phoenix notes and Moonlight balances (Dusk) .
Identity & Compliance: Citadel Protocol
Zero-Knowledge KYC
Citadel is a zero-knowledge proof KYC solution where users and institutions are in control of sharing permissions and personal information (Dusk) . Dusk Network is the first to integrate zero-knowledge technology KYC in a Layer-1 blockchain as a key feature of its privacy-preserving protocol (Dusk) .
Self-Sovereign Identity
Citadel is a zero-knowledge-proofs-based SSI management system where users' identities are stored in a trusted and private manner using a decentralized network (Twitter) . Using the Citadel framework, users can provide necessary KYC information, share how long their information can be stored and can withdraw access to their data, with the data privately stored in the Dusk blockchain using NFT technology where a license is created (Dusk) .
Regulatory Benefits
Citadel can significantly reduce the cost for gathering, protecting and renewing client information, speeding up processes while information is always up to date, real-time accessible and privacy-preserving (Dusk) . Zero-knowledge proofs allow Dusk to verify identity without having to reveal it, meaning users can interact with traditional, regulated assets without sharing their identity (LinkedIn) .
Network Infrastructure
Rusk: The Core Platform
Rusk can be thought of as the technological heart of the Dusk network, similar to the motherboard of a computer, serving multiple critical functions including foundational elements like the genesis ZK circuits and contracts, housing the consensus mechanism and node software, and maintaining the chain state, database and network (Dusk) .
Kadcast: Efficient Networking
Kadcast enhances network efficiency by making block and transaction data propagation ten times more efficient than conventional methods, allowing for faster communication and scalability across the network (Coin Push) .
Performance Characteristics
Dusk's consensus algorithm operates using a proof-of-stake sybil-resistant mechanism and is able to achieve complete state finality efficiently and securely, with transaction performance further enhanced by Dusk VM, a ZK-friendly virtual machine that supports privacy-preserving computations at scale (Coin Push) .
Regulatory Compliance
All products issued on Dusk's platform are fully compliant with the European Union's MiFID II and MiFIR regulations, as well as compatible with the DLT Pilot Regime Regulation, with baked-in compliance for MiCA and GDPR (Crypto Daily) .
This comprehensive technical architecture positions Dusk as a purpose-built blockchain for institutional finance, combining privacy preservation with regulatory compliance through innovative cryptographic solutions and custom-designed infrastructure components.#dusk @Dusk
