DevNet Structure & Entities

Complete overview of ASI:Chain DevNet architecture, components, and how they interact.

Network Overview

ASI:Chain DevNet is a development blockchain network designed for testing and experimentation. It consists of multiple interconnected components that work together to provide a complete blockchain ecosystem.

Current Configuration:

• Network Name: DevNet (Development Network)
• Status: Active
• Purpose: Testing, development, and learning
• Token Type: Test tokens (no real value)

Network Components

1. Bootstrap Node

Role: Network entry point and peer discovery

Function:

• Acts as the initial connection point for new nodes
• Maintains a list of active network participants
• Facilitates peer discovery
• Does not participate in consensus or validation

Technical Details:

• Host: 54.152.57.201
• Port Range: 40400-40405
• Connection String:

rnode://0d1312b556db1d3fa4745fd88c29f8e15095621e@54.152.57.201?protocol=40400&discovery=40404

Key Characteristics:

• Single bootstrap node for the network
• Always-on availability
• No validator responsibilities
• Essential for network operation

2. Validator Nodes

Role: Consensus participants and block producers

Function:

• Validate transactions
• Propose new blocks
• Participate in consensus
• Sign blocks with validator keys
• Maintain network security

Technical Details:

• Current Count: 3 active validators
• Minimum Required: 3 validators for network operation
• Consensus: CBC Casper
• Block Time: ~20 seconds average

Validator Requirements:

• Valid public/private key pair
• Sufficient stake (on mainnet, not required on DevNet)
• Proper network configuration
• Open ports for communication
• Reliable uptime

External Validators: The network supports external validators joining:

• Anyone can become a validator
• Create wallet on wallet.dev.asichain.io
• Get test tokens from faucet
• Follow setup guide

3. Observer Node

Role: Read-only network participant

Function:

• Synchronizes with blockchain
• Provides read access to data
• Does not participate in consensus
• Does not sign or propose blocks
• Powers external services

WARNING

The dedicated DevNet observer (mettacycle-devnet-5, IP 54.235.138.68) is currently unstable — it runs a newer F1r3node Rust build that is being stabilized against the rest of the (Scala) shard. Validator 1 (mettacycle-devnet-2, IP 34.196.119.4) is used in observer role until further notice.

Technical Details:

• Port Range: 40400-40405 (same as all other DevNet nodes — each runs on its own VM)
• HTTP Port: 40403
• gRPC Port: 40401 (external) / 40402 (internal)

Use Cases:

• Blockchain explorers
• API services
• Data indexing
• Network monitoring
• Application backends

Current Public Read Access (Validator 1):

HTTP: http://34.196.119.4:40403
gRPC: 34.196.119.4:40401

Network Services

Block Explorer

Purpose: Visualize and explore blockchain data

Access: explorer.dev.asichain.io

Features:

• Real-time block monitoring
• Transaction search
• Validator statistics
• Network performance metrics
• WebSocket live updates

Data Source: Connected to Observer Node

Blockchain Indexer

Purpose: Index and organize blockchain data

Access: explorer.dev.asichain.io/indexer-status

Features:

• Fast data retrieval
• Indexed transactions and blocks
• Historical data access
• Efficient queries

Function: Powers the Block Explorer.

ASI Wallet

Purpose: User interface for blockchain interaction

Access: wallet.dev.asichain.io

Features:

• Account management
• Token transfers
• Smart contract deployment
• Integrated Rholang IDE
• Transaction history
• Multi-account support

Connection: Direct peer-to-peer to validator and observer nodes

Faucet

Purpose: Distribute test tokens

Access: faucet.dev.asichain.io

Features:

• Request test tokens
• No authentication required
• Transaction status tracking
• Balance display
• Simple interface

Function: Sends test ASI tokens to specified addresses

Network Architecture

Visual Diagram

Communication Flow

New Node Joining:

1. Node connects to Bootstrap Node
2. Bootstrap provides peer list
3. Node connects to Validators
4. Node synchronizes blockchain
5. Node participates (if validator) or observes

Transaction Flow:

1. User submits transaction to Validator
2. Validator validates and broadcasts
3. Other validators receive transaction
4. Consensus reached on new block
5. Block added to chain
6. Observer synchronizes new block
7. Explorer/Indexer update display

Data Query Flow:

1. User requests data via Wallet/Explorer
2. Request routed to Observer Node
3. Observer queries local blockchain copy
4. Response returned to user
5. Data displayed in interface

Port Allocation

Bootstrap Node

Service	Port	Purpose
Protocol	40400	Node communication
Public gRPC	40401	External API
Internal gRPC	40402	Internal API
HTTP API	40403	HTTP access
Discovery	40404	Peer discovery
Admin	40405	Administration

All DevNet Nodes Use the Same Port Range

In DevNet, every node (bootstrap, validators, observer) uses the same 40400-40405 range, because each node runs on its own dedicated VM — there are no port conflicts to avoid.

Service	Port	Purpose
Protocol	40400	Node communication (P2P)
Public gRPC	40401	External gRPC API
Internal gRPC	40402	Internal gRPC API
HTTP API	40403	HTTP access (REST)
Discovery	40404	Kademlia peer discovery
Admin	40405	Administration HTTP

Why "404XY" with X > 0 in some places?

The 404XY naming (X = node type, Y = endpoint type) is used in Internal Dev environments where multiple node roles run on a single VM and need different port ranges (X=0 bootstrap, X=1 validator1, etc.). In production DevNet each node has its own VM, so X is always 0.

External validators using chain/validator/validator.yml from the asi-chain repo run on 40440-40445 (X=4) for the same reason — to leave the standard 40400-40405 range free for other tooling on the same machine.

Network Parameters

Consensus Configuration

Algorithm: CBC Casper Minimum Validators: 3 Fault Tolerance Threshold: 0.99 Average Block Time: ~20 seconds Finality: Probabilistic

Network Topology

Type: Mesh network Connectivity: Peer-to-peer Discovery: Kademlia-based Bootstrap Required: Yes

Resource Requirements

For Validators:

• CPU: 4-8 cores
• RAM: 16-32 GB
• Storage: 250+ GB
• Network: Stable, low latency

For Observers:

• CPU: 2-4 cores
• RAM: 8-16 GB
• Storage: 250+ GB
• Network: Stable connection

Security Model

Network Security

Validator Authentication:

• Public/private key cryptography
• ED25519 signatures
• Key-based node identity

Communication:

• Encrypted peer connections
• Secure protocol implementation
• DOS protection

Consensus Security:

• Byzantine fault tolerance
• Stake-based participation (mainnet)
• Multiple validator requirement

Data Integrity

Block Validation:

• Cryptographic hash chains
• Merkle tree verification
• Signature validation

State Consistency:

• Replicated state across validators
• Synchronization protocols
• Conflict resolution

Scalability

Current Capacity

Transactions: Limited by block size and time Throughput: ~0.01-1 TPS (test network) Block Size: Configured limit State Size: Growing with usage

Joining the Network

As a User

1. Create wallet account
2. Request test tokens
3. Start making transactions
4. Deploy smart contracts

As a Validator

1. Meet system requirements
2. Generate validator keys
3. Configure node software
4. Connect to bootstrap
5. Participate in consensus

See Join DevNet as Validator for details.

As a Developer

1. Get test tokens
2. Use wallet or CLI tools
3. Deploy contracts
4. Build applications
5. Access via observer node

Monitoring

Network Status

Check network health:

• Block Explorer
• Validator uptime
• Block production rate
• Transaction throughput

Individual Node

Monitor your node:

# View logs
sudo docker logs validator -f

# Check status
curl http://localhost:40403/status

# Monitor resources
docker stats validator

Support

For more information:

• Useful Links
• FAQ
• GitHub Repository

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This network is for development and testing. All tokens have no real value.