Matic Network has completed Stage 1 of the “Counter Stake” incentivized testnet initiative. This is a big step in its development journey towards mainnet. The latest iteration of Counter Stake testnet (CS-2006) is now running perfectly for the last two weeks. Stage 1 is now declared as a huge success!
About Matic
Matic Network is a Layer 2 scaling solution. It provides scalable, secure, and instant transactions using sidechains based on an adapted implementation of the Plasma framework. It also uses a decentralized network of Proof-of-Stake (PoS) validators. Matic is currently focussing on scaling Ethereum. In the future, it plans to roll out to other blockchains. This will enable it to provide interoperability features alongside the core scalability solution.
Incentivized testnet “Counter Stake” overview
In November 2019, Matic launched its public incentivized staking testnet event “Counter Stake”. Counter Stake is an experimental testing event for anyone willing to participate in validating Matic Network or test its limitations. Validators will earn mainnet MATIC tokens by showcasing technical skills, practice and compete with other validators. More than 3 million mainnet MATIC tokens will be shared with the winners and participants of Stages 1 and 2.
The registration link for Counter Stake is given here.
Counter Stake has 3 stages:
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Stage 0 – Setup (completed)
Date: November 2019
Action: All validators run the Validator and Block Producer nodes, keep them synced with the given testnet, and understand the network. They also try deploying their testnet and experiment with the code.
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Stage 1 – Stake on the Beach (completed)
Date: February 2020
Reward Pool: $40,000 worth of MATIC tokens
Action: Stage 1 started with ~30 nodes. The Matic Foundation controlled a majority stake in the testnet in week 1 of the program. In the subsequent weeks, there was an increase in the validator slots. Stage 1 also provided a mechanism to replace poorly performing validators with those on the waitlist.
Main testing features included are
- Staking
- Unlocking rewards
- Penalties
- Replacement strategies
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Stage 2 – The Grand Staking League (To be initiated)
This is the final stage before the mainnet launch. Matic encourages an all-out attack on the network at this stage. This will help them to test the strength of the network.
Stage 1 – “Stake on the Beach” Report
CS-2001
CS-2001 was the first staking testnet.
- Start Date: February 13, 2020
The process initially began with 10 Matic Foundation nodes in addition to 10 external validators. It continued to add more external validators in a staggered manner.
- Achievements: There were over 1,000 registrations. Of those, 250+ actively registered to take part.
- Bug and solution: Matic discovered a trivial bug after a week and promptly implemented a fix.
CS-2002
Matic deployed the staking dashboard for the first time in CS-2002.
- Achievements: The total number of validators was 51 on this testnet. The overall response regarding the dashboard was positive. The dashboard received praise for its attractive user interface and ease of use.
- Bug and solution: A network encountered a moderate-severity issue in the Heimdall Core. As a result, the validator nodes stopped syncing after a particular block number (137849). Matic fixed it in the next release.
CS-2003
- Achievements: 80+ validators onboarded to CS-2003. A bug fix was provided on a running network.
- Bug and solution: The testnet encountered a medium-severity issue. Bor node of few validators failed. For the first time, the project provided a fix on a running network. Other validators had to apply the hotfix to maintain the continuous running of their node.
CS-2004
CS-2004 is the first testnet with 100 active validators.
- Achievement: CS-2004 was the most stable network at the time.
- Contests:
- During this testnet, mini-contests were run for the validator community. The first of these was the Re-stake and Claim mini-contest. More than 50 participants took part. 30 winners were selected.
- The second mini-contest was termed Delegation. This contest ran for 4 days and saw a huge influx of 80+ entries from participants.
- Bug and solution: The testnet faced a bug that led to non-determinism again amongst the nodes leading to different app hashes. The project decided to move onto a fresh temporary CS testnet.
CS-2005
- Bug: CS-2005 faced a persistent issue. Different nodes were getting different app hashes. Matic stopped the testnet immediately to find an effective solution.
CS-2006
Highlight: Matic conducted rigorous internal testing on CS-2006 before rolling out to the validator community. 100 active validators participated.
CS-2006 has now been running successfully without any issues for more than two weeks, since April 13. There have been no bugs during this phase.
Next Step: Stage 2 – The Grand Staking League
Matic will now move on to Stage 2, titled “The Grand Staking League” This is an adversarial stage. There will be lucrative rewards for adversarial behavior. Validators are incentivized to attempt to break the network. They can modify the software and collude with other players. The focus is to verify if the network can identify and penalize nodes for their bad behavior. This is the final hurdle before the Matic mainnet is ready to launch. The Stage 2 start date will be announced in the coming days.
We wish Matic Network all the best!
Also, read more about April 2020 token unlock by Matic Network here. Earlier, they had announced building a Matic HQ on the metaverse of the blockchain-based VR game, Somnium Space.
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