Starcoin 2.0 Update: Move and DAG Upgrades

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Hi Starfam!

Since announcing the Move upgrade plan, our core team has been hard at work to enhance Starcoin 2.0. Today, we’re excited to share the latest updates, which include a complete reconstruction of the Starcoin Move Framework and significant improvements to the DAG (Directed Acyclic Graph) consensus mechanism. These upgrades boost our ecosystem’s compatibility, scalability, and security. The primary development work has been deployed on the Proxima testnet, and we are steadily progressing toward the mainnet upgrade. Below are the key details:

Framework and Move Framework Upgrades

To support Starcoin 2.0’s diverse application scenarios, both the Framework and the Move Framework have been significantly upgraded, aligning with mainstream Move development standards:

Proxima Testnet Launched:
The updated 2.0 Framework has successfully undergone transaction processing, contract deployment, and comprehensive testing on the Proxima testnet, setting the stage for the forthcoming 1.0 mainnet upgrade.
Enhanced Cryptographic Features:
Our new crypto library now includes advanced cryptographic functionalities, providing a solid foundation for future smart contract capabilities.
Framework Refactoring:
By leveraging the latest Move library, we have refactored the Starcoin framework to achieve high compatibility with the Aptos Framework. This refactoring ensures a consistent development experience and enhances cross-chain compatibility.
Move Attributes Support:
The storage layer now supports Move attributes, allowing for improved management of complex data types.
Migration and Compatibility:
The upgrade has successfully migrated the legacy 1.0 framework logic to a new Aptos-compatible version (Starcoin-framework 2.0). Key enhancements include:
- Object Model Compatibility: Supports robust asset operation logic.
- Digital Assets Alignment: Conforms with the Aptos DigitalAsset standard.
- Fungible Assets Standard: Enhances token management through the Aptos FungibleAsset standard.
- Refinement and Testing: Comprehensive code migration, bug fixes, and testing have been completed on the Proxima testnet.

DAG Consensus Improvements

The DAG consensus mechanism is critical to Starcoin 2.0, and recent optimizations have significantly boosted transaction processing capabilities:

Pruning Mechanisms and Finality Logic:
New pruning logic optimizes DAG structure storage, while finality logic ensures on-chain data immutability and system security.
Concurrent Block Processing:
Enhanced concurrent processing in block synchronization improves data handling efficiency and reduces synchronization times.
On-Chain Voting Support:
On-chain voting has been introduced for consensus pruning configurations, giving the community greater governance rights and adding flexibility to the consensus mechanism.
Synchronization Speed Optimization:
Implementing features such as batch writes and fast block confirmations has markedly increased data synchronization efficiency.
Bug Fixes:
Resolved known issues in the consensus election mechanism, further reinforcing system stability.

Future Roadmap

With the primary development nearing completion, we are on track for the Starcoin 2.0 mainnet launch. Key upcoming milestones for Q1 2025 include:

Comprehensive Testing of Version 2.0:
Additional unit and integration tests will focus on rigorous verification against Aptos standards, with plans to move forward in January 2025 if testing meets expectations.
Governance and Tokenomics Proposal:
We are developing a new economic model and governance plan for Version 2.0. This proposal will be subject to a community vote by STC token holders and is expected to further enhance the long-term prosperity and sustainability of the ecosystem.
Asset Mapping and Upgrade Implementation:
Based on community proposals, technical mapping tasks will facilitate the migration of Starcoin Framework 1.0 assets to Version 2.0. Note that successful asset mapping depends on the freezing and burning of illegal assets from the 2024 token exploit incident, requiring support from exchanges.

Conclusion

Starcoin 2.0 represents one of our most significant projects yet, driving substantial advancements in performance, security, and compatibility. With the combined enhancements in the Move framework and DAG consensus mechanism, we are laying a solid foundation for a more efficient and secure ecosystem. Your continued support and active participation are crucial as we move closer to the mainnet launch and further establish Starcoin’s role in the Move ecosystem and Web3 at large.

Thank you to all our dedicated supporters. Stay tuned for more updates!

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