A new technology for securing the metaverse? What is Sonic Labs' "Formal Verification Library"?
Hello, I'm John, a Metaverse Navigator! When you hear the word "Metaverse," what kind of future do you imagine? Becoming an avatar and exploring a virtual space, interacting with people from all over the world...it sounds exciting, doesn't it?
But because it's a new world where so many people gather,Safe" is a very important keyword. If important items you have in the metaverse were to disappear, or your money were to be used fraudulently... it's scary just to imagine it, isn't it?
Today, we bring you some technical but important news that may make the future of the metaverse safer and more reliable. A company called "Sonic Labs" has developed a new "tool." Sounds complicated? Don't worry, as always, we'll explain it in an easy-to-understand way even for beginners, so just relax and read on!
First, the basics! Do you remember "blockchain"?
Recently, we often hear about the metaverse and new digital topics.Block chain" You may have heard this phrase before.
To put it very simply,A digital ledger like a chain that can be shared and monitored by everyoneIt's like this. Transaction records and data ownership are packed into boxes called blocks, which are then linked together in a chronological order like a chain.
The great thing about this blockchain is that
- It is extremely difficult to tamper with information once it has been recorded.
- Participants can manage information together without a central administrator
That's why it is used in situations where "trust" is required, such as virtual currencies (also called crypto assets) and transactions of digital items in the metaverse.
A close relative of blockchain? What is the new technology "DAG"?
Well, the key word in this news is "blockchain," which can be considered a companion or evolved version of this blockchain.DAG" This is the technology.
DAG is an abbreviation for "Directed Acyclic Graph", which in Japanese is called "Directed Acyclic Graph"... Hmm, it's still difficult!
To put it simply, while blockchain connects information like a single chain, DAGInformation becomes more complex and directly connected like a spider's web.That's how it works. It's like each transaction is directly linked, without the need to put transaction data together into blocks one by one.
The expected benefits of this DAG are:
- More than blockchainFasterPossibility to process information
- ThanMany transactions at oncePossibility of handling
In a place like the Metaverse, where many people are simultaneously engaged in various activities, it is believed that "speed" and "high processing power" will become extremely important.
"Consensus Protocol" - Rules for everyone to agree on something
In a system where information is managed by everyone (called a decentralized system), such as blockchain or the DAG mentioned earlier, all participants need to confirm and agree on which information is correct and which information should be recorded.
this"Rules and procedures to get everyone on board"Consensus ProtocolFor example, if a transaction occurs in which person A sends a digital item to person B, everyone in the transaction can verify, according to the same rules, whether the item was actually sent correctly and whether it was sent twice.
If this consensus protocol is not solid, there is a possibility that fraudulent transactions could occur or records could become fragmented. Therefore, these "rules of agreement" are very important in order to maintain the reliability of the system.
Proving safety with mathematics! What is "formal verification"?
Now, the main character of this news,Formal Verification" is here!
This is because computer programs and systems areWill it work exactly as designed?""Are there any dangerous flaws or pitfalls?",How to prove something using mathematicsWhat is it?
In normal software testing, you often try out a few patterns and confirm that "it's probably OK." But formal verification is more like mathematically analyzing every conceivable situation and giving the stamp of approval that "this system will definitely behave like this under these conditions! Therefore, it's safe!"
It is an extremely advanced technology that is often used in fields that require extremely high levels of safety and where even the slightest error cannot be tolerated, such as airplane autopilot systems, bank online systems, and nuclear power plant control systems.
Sonic Labs created a "formal verification library"
This time, a company called Sonic Labs announced that it has developed a "formal verification" program for the "consensus protocol" of the "DAG" technology I mentioned earlier.Library".
When you hear the word "library," you may think of a library, but in the IT world,A "toolbox set" that brings together useful functions and tools that developers often useIt refers to something like this.
In other words, Sonic Labs has developed a toolbox that makes it easy to mathematically verify whether the "consensus protocols" of DAG-based systems are truly secure and trustworthy, and has made it available for anyone to use.
Moreover, this library isOpen Source". Open source means that the blueprint of a program (called the source code) is publicly available and anyone can freely view, use, and even improve it. This is a great thing, as it helps developers around the world work together to create a more secure system.
Why is this important for the Metaverse?
Some of you may be scratching your head and thinking, "Hmm, that was a bit complicated, but what does this have to do with the metaverse?"
The metaverse is a new digital space where many people gather to engage in economic activities and communicate with each other. There will be active exchange of digital land and buildings, avatar clothing and items, and even money that can be used only within the metaverse (which may also be a type of virtual currency).
Think about it. What if the rare items you worked so hard to acquire in the metaverse suddenly disappeared one day due to a system flaw or security hole? Or what if your money was fraudulently transferred to someone? If something like that were to happen, you wouldn't be able to enjoy the metaverse with peace of mind anymore.
Sonic Labs' announcement is a crucial step toward preventing these problems, as it is an attempt to "prove" the safety of DAG, which is expected to be the foundational technology of the metaverse, using the powerful tool of mathematics to make it more secure and reliable.
As this technology becomes more widespread,
- Improved reliability:If users know that the metaverse system's safety has been mathematically verified, they will be able to use the service with greater peace of mind.
- Protect your digital assets:The greater the value of the digital items and currencies exchanged within the metaverse, the more important the technology to keep them safe becomes.
- Developing a healthy ecosystem:Only with a safe and reliable foundation can creators and businesses create new services and engaging experiences with peace of mind.
In other words, "formal verification libraries" like those developed by Sonic Labs may seem unimpressive at first glance, but they have the potential to play a major, behind-the-scenes role in realizing a metaverse that we can all truly enjoy in the future.
From the author
When we think of the metaverse, we tend to focus on its appearance, such as flashy avatars and beautiful virtual spaces. However, behind the scenes, technological developments are steadily progressing to steadily improve the safety and reliability of the system, such as the "formal verification" introduced in this article. When you think about how each of these individual improvements will make our digital lives richer and safer, doesn't it get you excited? I'd like to keep an eye on how the technology evolves in the future!
This article is based on the following original articles and is summarized from the author's perspective:
Sonic Labs Unveils Formal Verification Library For DAG
Consensus Protocols