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RandomJS

This is a concept implementation of a proof-of-work (PoW) algorithm proposal for Monero (but it's usable for any PoW cryptocurrency). Credits to @hyc for the original idea to use random javascript execution to achieve ASIC resistance.

Key features

  • ASIC resistant. This is important for a decentralized cryptocurrency and allows anyone with an ordinary computer to participate in securing the network. The algorithm internally uses the Google V8 Javascript engine, which is a large software package consisting of almost 2 million lines of code. Full hardware implementation would require an enormous investment.
  • Asymmetrical. The algorithm supports configurable asymmetry. Finding a single solution takes 2N times more effort than verifying a valid solution. This is beneficial for mining pools by reducing their hardware requirements.
  • DoS resistant. The algorithm stores an intermediate value in the block header, allowing quick verification whether the PoW meets the difficulty target. This requires just two Blake2b hash calculations (roughly 500 nanoseconds on a modern CPU). This is beneficial both for mining pools and network nodes in case someone wanted to flood them with invalid blocks.

Algorithm description

diagram

Cryptographic hash function

The primary general-purpose hash function used by RandomJS is Blake2b with output size of 256 bits. This hash function was chosen for 3 primary reasons:

  1. Security. Security margin of Blake2b is comparable to the SHA-3 hash function.
  2. Speed. Blake2b was specifically designed to be fast in software, especially on modern 64-bit processors, where it's around three times faster than SHA-3.
  3. Built-in keyed mode. RandomJS requires both a plain hash function and a keyed hash function.

In the description below, Blake2b(X) and Blake2b(K,X) refer to the plain and keyed variant of Blake2b, respectively (both with 256-bit output length). N >= 0 is a configurable parameter.

Mining algorithm

  1. Get a block header H.
  2. Calculate K = Blake2b(H).
  3. Generate a random Javascript program P using K as the seed.
  4. Calculate A = Blake2b(K, P).
  5. Execute program P and capture its output Q.
  6. Calculate B = Blake2b(K, Q).
  7. If the leftmost N bits of A and B differ, go back to step 1.
  8. Clear N leftmost bits of B.
  9. Calculate R = (A XOR B).
  10. Calculate PoW = Blake2b(K, R).
  11. If PoW doesn't meet the difficulty target, go back to step 1.
  12. Submit H, R as the result to be included in the block.

Finding and verifying a solution takes on average 3×2N+1 Blake2b hash calculations, 2N random javascript program generations and 2N javascript executions.

Verification algorithm

Input: H, R from the received block.

  1. Calculate K = Blake2b(H).
  2. Calculate PoW = Blake2b(K, R).
  3. If PoW doesn't meet the difficulty target, discard the block.
  4. Generate a random Javascript program P using K as the seed.
  5. Calculate A = Blake2b(K, P).
  6. If the N leftmost bits of A and R differ, discard the block.
  7. Clear the N leftmost bits of A.
  8. Execute program P and capture its output Q.
  9. Calculate B = Blake2b(K, Q).
  10. If R != (A XOR B), discard the block.

Verifying a valid solution requires 4 Blake2b hash calculations, one random program generation and one javascript execution.

In case of an DoS attack attempt, just 2 Blake2b hash calculations are required to discard the block. Otherwise an attacker needs to calculate substantial number of Blake2b hashes (equal to the current block difficulty) to force the verifying party to run the relatively costly (~few milliseconds) javascript generation and execution procedure.

Build dependencies and instructions

The concept of random javascript generator and miner presented here is written in C#. The generated javascript code is run externally in a NodeJS sandbox.

The project has 4 executables:

  • Tevador.RandomJS.exe - generates a random javascript program and prints it to standard output. Optional parameter is a 256-bit seed (64 hex characters). The generator reads its settings from the ProgramOptions.xml file.
  • sandbox.js - NodeJS sandbox for executing javascript. The sandbox must be running to use the 2 executables below.
  • Tevador.RandomJS.Miner.exe - runs the miner for about 60 seconds and shows the mining statistics. Optional parameter is a Monero block header template (152 hex characters).
  • Tevador.RandomJS.Test.exe - runs 1000 random programs and prints statistics. Optional parameter is the number of programs to be executed (default 1000).

Windows

Dependencies

  1. Visual studio 2017 (official download)
  2. NodeJS (official download)

Instructions

  1. Build the solution in Visual studio.
  2. Open the command prompt in the src directory.
  3. Run npm install.
  4. Run the javascript sandbox: node sandbox.js.
  5. Run Tevador.RandomJS.exe or Tevador.RandomJS.Miner.exe in a separate command prompt.

Linux

Dependencies

  1. Mono 4.0+ (via package manager). For recent Ubuntu and Debian distros, install using sudo apt-get install mono-devel.
  2. NodeJS (via package manager). For recent Ubuntu and Debian distros, install using curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_8.x | sudo -E bash - and sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

Instructions

  1. Build with make.
  2. Run npm install.
  3. Run the javascript sandbox: node sandbox.js.
  4. Run mono Tevador.RandomJS.exe or mono Tevador.RandomJS.Miner.exe in a separate terminal window.