Unikernel-z: A unikernel for the Network of Momentum

[aliencoder]

@0x3639

and there is nothing stopping a large company from running their own infrastructure to host their own zApp I assume

It will be a net benefit for the network (same logic applies to large mining companies that mine BTC).

[aliencoder]

I’ll try to answer all questions to the best of my knowledge.

@WeatherMan

What is a zapp? How does a zapp differ from what we would traditionally define as a dapp?

A decentralized application is an application deployed on a virtual machine running as a state machine on top of a (public) blockchain network.

A zApp is a special kind of dApp that can run on a VM that might not be directly running on a blockchain network and that has particularities such as custom gas mechanisms (for example dApps users pay gas upfront to execute state changes via transactions).

@WeatherMan

a web-based front end that interfaces with code which is distributed and run by a set of nodes.

In the case of Uniswap, the code is running on every Ethereum node.

@WeatherMan

Is this what we can expect from a zapp as well?

No, we don’t expect for a zApp to run on every Zenon node. Quite the contrary, we want zApps to have the best of both worlds: Web2 efficiency/performance and Web3 security/privacy.

@WeatherMan

Looking through your descriptions, I feel that a zapp is different

Yes, this is an important distinction between dApps and zApps. You can think of zApps as layer-2 dApps for Zenon.

@WeatherMan

this implies that the entire zapp executes within the unikernel.

Actually, it will look like this: Unikernel > WASM runtime (with built-in gas metering and proper sandboxing) > zApp code

@WeatherMan

Is there a differentiation between a zapp and the smart contract runtime?

EVM is a smart contract runtime where Solidity code is compiled to EVM bytecode and ran on the EVM by every node in a blockchain network.
zApps will run WASM bytecode inside a WASM runtime inside the unikernel and will trigger state changes on a layer-2 with layer-1 settlement via an embedded contract.

@WeatherMan

How does a user interface with the zapp? Will there be a web-client or application front end that renders the app?

The interface part will be no different from any other dApp interface. You are free to build any kind of interface (web/mobile/etc.) and interact with the zApp via RPCs (to call methods) and the corresponding ABI (to invoke functions).

@WeatherMan

Who can run a unikernel?

Anyone that wants to be part of this ecosystem and earn rewards.

@WeatherMan

how does one scale if a zapp were to have millions of users, for example?

This is where the things get interesting. Regular dApps cannot scale to millions of users because of one main bottleneck: the underlying blockchain. In order to change the state of a particular dApp, you need to issue a transaction that is recorded on the blockchain. Now imagine 100 million users issuing transactions on Ethereum concurrently.

zApps of the hand can be integrated directly as a layer-2 solution that will work as follows:

• Users will deposit funds in dedicated zApps embedded. The embedded will keep track of balances and will update the state of the balances accordingly
• Sequencers will run the state transition function for zApps on a separate L2 chain
• Zero knowledge proofs will be used to attest the validity of the state transition executions for the L2 on the zApp embedded account-chain

@WeatherMan

Who runs the unikernel? Will it be a set of trusted nodes like Sentinels or can anybody host a unikernel for their zapp?

I would encourage anyone to become an infrastructure provider. We can design a system that is more reliable in the long term by requiring a security deposit (a bond that can be slashed) or creating a ranking system based on uptime and other important metrics.

@WeatherMan

It is a fairly unfamiliar concept for a user if they open a zapp, say a uniswap clone, and it periodically charges them for merely having the app running in their client.

There are 3 different entities in the zApps ecosystem:

• The user that will pay to access/interact with zApps. Regular dApp users pay for every interaction with the smart contracts gas fees that are usually non-negligible.
• The zApp developer that wants to monetize it.
• The infrastructure provider that hosts the zApp.

@WeatherMan

Is there a possibility of using plasma for this purpose?

We need to think of ways to create more demand for ZNN and/or QSR.

[0x3639]

@aliencoder

Sequencers will run the state transition function for zApps on a separate L2 chain

Will Supernova handle this? Or is this a different L2?

[crack]

@aliencoder

We need to think of ways to create more demand for ZNN and/or QSR.

I think Fusing QSR for Plasma to pay access/interact with zApp will create demand for QSR, and it will creat demand ZNN and staked it for QSR yield. I dont thing fuse plasma by POW will enough to interact with zApp

[EovE7Kj]

@crack

I think Fusing QSR for Plasma to pay access/interact with zApp will create demand for QSR

I was imagining zApp owners/users paying for “qas” (at a rate proportional to 1/nth of 1 QSR) directly. I don’t see how we could incorporate fusing in any way at the smart contract layer.

[romeo]

Can I ask a clarifying point @aliencoder - when you say zApps are you referring to z(Zenon)Apps as in our implementation of dApps on Zenon, or a broader industry scaling of dApps to zApps (akin to zero knowledge proofs or something similar for example)

I think the distinction is important

[aliencoder]

@romeo

when you say zApps are you referring to z(Zenon)Apps as in our implementation of dApps on Zenon, or a broader industry scaling of dApps to zApps (akin to zero knowledge proofs or something similar for example)

I’m referring to Zenon Apps (zApps) that have their own unique architecture.

[coinselor]

Thanks for the breakdown @aliencoder - it helps a lot.

Professor just casually dropping “qas”. It’s so simple it’s genius. I love it.

[EovE7Kj]

UPDATE: I am still working through iterations of a general unikernel “devkit” that supports a WASM runtime.

[TrevorLeahy3]

Thank you.

[crack]

Is it a start of zApp work for next AZ ?

Enhance the security features of the unikernel by implementing advanced cryptographic algorithms and secure communication protocols.
Integrate support for smart contracts and decentralized applications (zApps) within the unikernel environment.
Conduct comprehensive testing and optimization to ensure reliability, scalability, and compatibility with Zenon’s blockchain network.

[Lionel_Methy10]

Hi EovE7Kj,

I was curious about how you are getting on with the project?

[oginotvavra]

hmm half a month without any feedback, did he quit or dr.blaze style?

[0x3639]

My guess is no. It’s summer and his work looks hard. If you are looking for an explanation or inspiration I highly recommend @zyler9985’s articles . They might help us understand why devs go radio silent for a while.

Zyler9985 – Medium

And in case you forgot our ethos read this post.

[oginotvavra]

@0x3639

They might help us understand why devs go radio silent for a while.

Maybe that’s why we are where we are even after so many years…I know the saying, developers are still cooking… from this project you can see that a community driven project is not such a good way to go when you leave it at this stage and when there is almost no community left.

sorry, but the frustration is increasing every month and many people are just waiting for an opportunity to escape from here

[0x3639]

@oginotvavra

a community driven project is not such a good way to go

To the people actually doing the work this is the only way to build a self sustaining long term project. If you really want to understand what we are building and why it’s taking so long and why devs come and go, read those articles. I hope they inspire you.

Read this one first: Why Zenon Is Going To Zero. Bitcoin’s early days were fraught with… | by Zyler9985 | Jun, 2024 | Medium

[edgepillar]

[0x3639]

based!

[aliencoder]

@oginotvavra

sorry, but the frustration is increasing every month and many people are just waiting for an opportunity to escape from here

Most people don’t understand that development work is very time consuming, especially when you have to design, implement, test, debug, bug fix and deploy all by yourself.

Now add keeping the community updated on top of that. Not only that, but answering questions and debating unrelated stuff.

Other crypto projects have tens or maybe hundreds of full time (paid) developers. Not to mention other types of employees. That’s why imho every contribution matters and should be encouraged.

[EovE7Kj]

HELLO ALIENS.
PROJECT IS STILL IN PROGRESS - I AM SEEKING DEVS TO JOIN IN THE zAPP TEAM. DM ME WITH THE ANSWER:

H4sIAAAAAAAAA8tIzcnJV0jMyUzNK+YqycgsVgAi1/wyV3PvLD0ucwNLM2MjHQVlEz0FLgChcDRL
KwAAAA==