Networking Protocols

Published

December 9, 2024

Comparative Table of P2P Networking Protocols

Blockchain Primary P2P Protocol Transport Protocol Key Characteristics Discovery Mechanism Message Propagation Consensus Impact
Bitcoin Bitcoin Protocol (BIP 31, 37, 152) TCP Original decentralized P2P network Kademlia DHT Flooding/Gossip Direct network impact
Ethereum DevP2P / LibP2P TCP/UDP Advanced, modular networking Kademlia DHT Probabilistic relay Transaction/block propagation
Solana Custom QUIC-based Protocol QUIC (UDP) High-performance UDP Centralized seed nodes Direct path optimization Proof of History integration
XRP XRP Ledger Consensus Protocol WebSocket/TCP Permissioned validator network Static validator list Targeted messaging Unique consensus mechanism
BNB Chain Ethereum DevP2P Derivative TCP/UDP Fork of Ethereum networking Similar to Ethereum Similar to Ethereum EVM-compatible propagation
Dogecoin Bitcoin Protocol Derivative TCP Nearly identical to Bitcoin Kademlia DHT Flooding Minimal protocol modifications
Cardano Ouroboros Networking Protocol TCP/HTTPS Academic-driven design Probabilistic peer selection Multi-stage propagation Proof of Stake optimized
TRON Ethereum-like Protocol TCP/UDP Similar to Ethereum Kademlia-style discovery Gossip protocol EVM-compatible network
Avalanche Avalanche Native Protocol TCP/QUIC Subnetwork-based discovery Adaptive peer selection Directed acyclic graph (DAG) Snowman consensus integration
TON (Telegram) Custom Overlay Network TCP/UDP Distributed routing Multi-level DHT Advanced sharding support Blockchain scaling oriented
Polkadot Libp2p Substrate TCP/QUIC Modular network design Dynamic availability Relay chain architecture Cross-chain communication
Sui Move Language Network QUIC (UDP) Performance-focused Stake-weighted discovery High-throughput messaging Move VM networking
Stellar Stellar Consensus Protocol WebSocket/HTTP Federated Byzantine Agreement Known validator configuration Quorum slice propagation Unique consensus model

Detailed Protocol Comparison

Network Discovery Mechanisms

  1. Kademlia DHT (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin)
    • Distributed hash table for peer tracking
    • Probabilistic peer selection
    • Efficient routing between nodes
    • Self-organizing network topology
  2. Static Validator Lists (XRP, Stellar)
    • Predefined, known set of validator nodes
    • Lower decentralization
    • Higher performance and predictability
    • Controlled network membership
  3. Dynamic Adaptive Discovery (Avalanche, Polkadot)
    • Adaptive peer selection algorithms
    • Considers node performance, stake, reputation
    • More sophisticated than traditional DHT
    • Supports complex network topologies

Message Propagation Strategies

  1. Flooding Protocol (Bitcoin, Dogecoin)
    • Send message to all known peers
    • High redundancy
    • Potential network overhead
    • Simple implementation
  2. Probabilistic Relay (Ethereum, BNB, TRON)
    • Selective message propagation
    • Reduces network bandwidth
    • Intelligent peer selection
    • More efficient than pure flooding
  3. Performance-Optimized Protocols (Solana, Sui)
    • UDP-based high-speed messaging
    • Minimized network latency
    • Direct path optimization
    • Designed for high-throughput environments

Flooding Protocol

Probabilistic Relay

Probabilistic relay is Ethereum’s sophisticated approach to transaction and block propagation that balances three critical network requirements:

  • Rapid information dissemination
  • Network efficiency
  • Decentralization

Imagine the network as a massive, complex social network where information needs to spread quickly but without overwhelming every single participant. Probabilistic relay is like a strategic whisper network, where each node carefully chooses who to tell about a new piece of information.

Peer Selection Algorithm When a node receives a new transaction or block, it doesn’t blindly broadcast to every single peer. Instead, it:

Peer Evaluation

  • Maintains a routing table of known peers
  • Scores peers based on:
    • Previous communication reliability
    • Network latency
    • Geographic distribution
    • Historical performance

Probabilistic Broadcasting

  • Typically selects 3-8 peers for initial broadcast
  • Uses a weighted random selection mechanism
  • Ensures wide but not exhaustive network coverage

sequenceDiagram
    participant O as Original Node
    participant P1 as Peer Node 1
    participant P2 as Peer Node 2
    participant P3 as Peer Node 3
    participant M as Mempool

    O->>O: Detect New Transaction
    
    Note over O: Peer Selection
    O-->>O: Evaluate Peer Routing Table
    O-->>O: Calculate Peer Reliability Scores
    
    O->>P1: Broadcast Transaction Hash
    activate P1
    
    O->>P2: Broadcast Transaction Hash
    activate P2
    
    O->>P3: Broadcast Transaction Hash
    activate P3
    
    P1-->>P1: Validate Transaction Hash
    P1->>M: Add to Local Mempool
    
    P2-->>P2: Validate Transaction Hash
    P2->>M: Add to Local Mempool
    
    P3-->>P3: Validate Transaction Hash
    P3->>M: Add to Local Mempool
    
    alt Request Full Transaction
        P1->>O: Request Full Transaction Details
        O-->>P1: Send Complete Transaction
    end
    
    alt Optional Relay
        P1->>P2: Potentially Relay Hash
        P2->>P3: Potentially Relay Hash
    end
    
    deactivate P1
    deactivate P2
    deactivate P3

Consensus Network Integration

Each blockchain’s networking protocol is deeply intertwined with its consensus mechanism:

  • Proof of Work (Bitcoin, Dogecoin): Network helps distribute block discovery
  • Proof of Stake (Ethereum, Cardano): Network supports validator coordination
  • Delegated Proof of Stake (TRON, BNB): Network manages validator selection
  • Byzantine Fault Tolerance (Stellar, XRP): Network ensures consistent state

Conclusion

Blockchain networking protocols represent a complex ecosystem of distributed systems design. While sharing fundamental principles of decentralization and peer-to-peer communication, each blockchain adapts its networking layer to unique performance, security, and consensus requirements.

Would you like me to dive deeper into any specific aspect of these networking protocols? I’m particularly interested in exploring how the networking layer influences each blockchain’s overall performance and design philosophy.