…is the blockchain infrastructure itself. It is where planters, users, interact, transact, inspect, and grow.
Our blockchain is a private EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) POA (Proof of Authority) consensus protocol chain.
It provides a block explorer similar to Etherscan, custodial wallet management, smart contracts, marketplaces, NFTs, tokenization, and other common blockchain functions.
How do we grow?
A Network Client
Hyperledger Besu: https://besu.hyperledger.org/en/stable/
Besu is an open-source Ethereum client developed by Hyperledger. It provides enterprise grade features and compatability with EVM networks like Ethereum.
Block Time
16 seconds.
Genesis Block
Berlin Block 0 (12,244,000) – April 15th, 2021
Why not a more recent block?
- If it works, don’t fix it The purpose of the latest forks, Shanghai ad Paris, were related to Proof of Stake. The Garden is not a PoS blockchain.
https://github.com/ethereum/execution-specs#ethereum-protocol-releases
Consensus Mechanism
Quorum Byzantine Fault Tolerant (QBFT)
Based on the BFT algorithm an used on Quorum based blockchains, QBFT provides high throughput and fast block finality while providing attack and fault resistance.
Base Gas Fee
Default.
Why not a gasless network?
A gasless network is easy to setup, but is not completely interopable with common blockchain services like Chainlink Oracles. These Oracles require a base gas fee greater than zero by their default configuration.
Native Token – Dirt
The digital asset that allows operation and transactions within a blockchain.
Nodes
Why Besu and not Geth? Geth is written in GO – I don’t know GO 🤷
From my interactions, Besu is an easier client to work with for “enterprise” features like privacy and permissioning, and it’s written in Java – who doesn’t know Java!
- If you’re thinking about starting programming, please pick something other than Java. Javascript or Python are fantastic for beginners.
Besu
A QBFT network requires at least four operator nodes to mintain integrity. Each of the nodes are running off various repurposed laptops, desktops, and raspberry pi models, depending on the intensity of function required.
For a zero budget setup we’re doing great!
Each node has a full copy of the network because:
- I’m paranoid about data loss.
- You need more clients to be able to enable Fast Sync and I’m out of Pi’s to supportr this.
- The raspberry pi’s were intended to be use for home automation and monitoring, but I’m homeless.
A single RPC node exists to broadcast and listen to transactions. In theory this should help limit the amount of unexpected traffic.
Blockscout
The Blockscout node is the easiest way to show a functioning blockchain to those of you who just want proof it exists at all.
To view Blockscout, check it out at [Link TBD]
Chainlink
Currently offline, the Chainlink node will be a fun way to connect a “real” and verifiable value to the networks native token. The only thing more useful than dirt is Ether – I’ll be using Wrapped Ether (WETH) as the basis for this value.
That’s it! She’s a small Garden, but she’ll grow. In my next post we’ll cover wallet management, authentication methods, and why decentralization matters.
(Who owns your keys? Spoiler: I do!)
Sunflower Software 