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Network

The Zosh network layer enables P2P communication between validators using QUIC protocol for efficient, secure message exchange. The network facilitates consensus operations, block propagation, and bridge transaction coordination.

Transport

Zosh uses QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connections) for P2P networking:

  • Low latency: UDP-based with multiplexing and 0-RTT connection establishment
  • Built-in encryption: TLS 1.3 by default, securing all validator communication
  • Connection migration: Maintains connections across network changes
  • Stream multiplexing: Multiple concurrent message streams without head-of-line blocking

QUIC is well-suited for BFT consensus where rapid message exchange is critical for achieving 2/3 validator agreement.

Message Types

The network layer handles several types of messages:

Block Gossip

Validators propagate new blocks to the network:

  1. Leader authors a new block
  2. Leader broadcasts block to all validators
  3. Validators verify and sign the block
  4. Signatures gossiped back to leader and peers
  5. Once 2/3 threshold reached, block is finalized

Block gossip ensures all validators maintain synchronized chain state.

Round Signing

During consensus rounds, validators exchange signatures:

  • Vote messages: Validators sign block hashes and broadcast votes
  • Signature aggregation: Network collects votes until 2/3 threshold
  • QC formation: Quorum certificate formed when threshold met

Round signing enables the zoshBFT consensus to achieve finality.

Bridge Bundle Coordination

Validators coordinate bridge bundle creation and signing across the network. See Bundle for the complete bundling workflow.

State Synchronization

New validators or validators recovering from downtime sync state:

  • Request missing blocks from peers
  • Download chain state snapshots
  • Verify state transitions and accumulator

Peer Discovery

Validators discover and maintain connections to peers:

  • Bootstrap nodes: Initial peer set from configuration
  • Peer exchange: Validators share known peer addresses
  • Connection management: Maintain stable connections to subset of network

Security

Network security mechanisms:

  • TLS 1.3 encryption: All QUIC connections encrypted by default
  • Peer authentication: Validators verify peer identities using Ed25519 keys
  • Message validation: Invalid messages rejected before processing
  • DoS protection: Rate limiting and connection quotas

The network layer ensures validators can securely coordinate consensus and bridge operations without centralized infrastructure.