Implementing Apeiron Protocol (ἄ) on Cartesi

Cartesi Grants Program CGP Pilot
1

New POC Proposal
The project is the implementation of Apeiron Protocol, a protocol that provides a truly decentralized, secure, and direct on-chain correlation with the respective tokens, referred to as ‘Signs’. This includes a robust standard API for Signs within Consoles and Cartridges, enabling the deployment of fully compliant Console and Cartridges with the Apeiron Protocol, including a reliable bridge to the Ethereum mainnet.

Core Concept and purpose statement
This project aims to construct the main components of the Apeiron protocol on Cartesi, which will be ready for community usage. It also includes the development of an essential bridge for transactions between Cartesi and the Ethereum mainnet. This will expand the functional possibilities of Cartridges given the computational capabilities of Cartesi in comparison with other EVM chains.

Apeiron Protocol pre-draft: https://github.com/eth-sign/apeiron-protocol/blob/main/apeiron-protocol.md

How will you use Cartesi, specifically?
The Apeiron Protocol API will be written as OpenSource for Cartesi to build on top of this protocol, thereby giving the community the opportunity to start building on top of it: Cartridges, bridge to Ethereum mainnet. While the standard resides in the token reliability storage, the capabilities of the standard Cartridges in Cartesi will be more potent than in other blockchains, making it “worthwhile” to implement on Cartesi.

Technical details
Please refer to the original proposal for a comprehensive description of the Apeiron Protocol and its operation: https://github.com/eth-sign/apeiron-protocol/blob/main/apeiron-protocol.md

Value Proposition
Upon receiving the grant, I aim to deliver:

  1. The Proxy Smart Contracts Constructor (Consoles).
  2. The Execution Smart Contract for users (‘Pong’ Cartridge).
  3. The Execution Smart Contract for collections (‘Asteroids’ Cartridge).
  4. A Bridge for safe EIP-1492 token transfers between Cartesi and Ethereum mainnet.

This is an ambitious project, and to achieve it, I will be seeking contributions from within the Cartesi community. This includes development assistance and community interaction, with corresponding crypto retribution. The detailed plan is as follows:

*** Milestone 1: Team Formation in the Cartesi Ecosystem ***

Duration: 2 weeks
Deliverables: Team of 2 SC devs, 1 Communication officer, and 1 AMA and Documentation dev.
Requested funds: $2,000 USD

*** Milestone 2: Investigation and Communication ***

Duration: 3 weeks
Deliverables: Creation of a Twitter account with active and continuous community engagement, and architecture design for review.
Requested funds: $6,500 USD

*** Milestone 3: Proof of Concept Delivery ***

Duration: 2 weeks
Deliverables: Delivery of the initial version of the Apeiron Protocol standard smart contracts for testing.
Requested funds: $5,000 USD

*** Milestone 4: Deployment and Documentation ***

Duration: 2 weeks
Deliverables: Deployment of Proxy ‘Console’ Constructor, ‘Pong’ Cartridge, the bridge, and comprehensive documentation.
Requested funds: $5,000 USD

*** Total Requested Funds: [$18,500 USD] ***

Subsequent Vision and Extensibility
I believe that this project will significantly enhance the capabilities of the Cartesi platform and bring a host of innovative functionalities for its users. With your support, the integration of the Apeiron Protocol on Cartesi will be a giant leap forward in driving innovation, interoperability, and scalability within the blockchain ecosystem.

Reusability and Other Use Cases

  • Digital Assets (photos, videos, music)
  • IRL Assets (Products, Cars, Food)
  • POAPs
  • Books
  • Properties (Land, Houses, Apartments)
  • Rentals (Contracts, Airbnb, Hotels)
  • Social Media activity
  • Patents
  • Also: Keys to secret information

Success criteria
Success will be evidenced by the completion of the set milestones and widespread adoption of this protocol within the community for their development projects. Indicators of success include active discussions and increased interest in Twitter spaces, engagement during AMAs, extensive use and reference to the provided documentation, and dedicated community support offered through Discord. This support will be extended to both developers and enterprises aiming to implement this standard for their respective purposes.

Final report
Upon a failure of the POC, the Grants Council may still issue prorated payment if the applicant provides a written debriefing that sufficiently details the approaches used, why they failed, and what next steps would be if someone else were to resume the project. This will be shared with the community. Do you agree to provide this?
Yes I do

About Your Development team
German Abal Bazzano
Role: EIP creator/dev & Project Manager
I am an inventor, life hacker, and an ardent web3 builder. Over the past eight months, I have made significant contributions to the blockchain space through various projects. I have extensive experience in cryptography, software architecture, and have been a developer since 1996.

Web3 contributions:

  • clu3 service: This unique service is designed to protect smart contract functions from being exploited by bots. The defining characteristic of clu3 is that it uses off-chain humanity proof systems while functioning on-chain without reliance on Oracles. This ensures higher security and efficiency in managing smart contract functions. You can explore more about this open-source service here: https://clu3.framer.website/.

  • Datamorpho: A novel approach that allows files to undergo data metamorphosis based on cryptography principles. This innovative file standard not only enhances data security but also provides added layers of flexibility and functionality to file handling. The Datamorpho project was recognized as a top finalist in ETH Mexico, indicating its impact and potential in the blockchain domain. You can learn more about the project here: Datamorpho | ETHGlobal

    Roll a Mate is a payment system - a meta-protocol that uses the Ethereum Mainnet Mempool for rollup gasless ($0) money transfers. Users simply transact on Ethereum Mainnet while the meta-protocol processes in the mempool. This can rely on Ethereum Mainnet or a sidechain for even more affordable rollups (withdrawals). We were finalists at ETH Global Waterloo: Roll a Mate | ETHGlobal

ERC-20 Payee address
ariutokintumi.eth

Thank you for considering this proposal. I look forward to potentially collaborating with the Cartesi community and eagerly await your response. Should you have any questions or require further details, please do not hesitate to write it.

3 Likes
2

The bridge to the Ethereum mainnet could be a valuable public good to enable more seamless interaction between the two platforms.

A couple of questions:

  1. When it comes to the bridge between Cartesi and the Ethereum mainnet, how does the project plan to tackle potential security issues? Ensuring the security of the bridge is crucial for maintaining a safe and reliable connection between the two platforms.

  2. I understand that this implementation is a kind of “Porting” approach, but as you may know, Cartesi has its own unique characteristics that may introduce complexities when directly porting Ethereum-native paradigms. It would be helpful to have more detailed information on how the EIP-1492 will be implemented on Cartesi. Specifically, I’m curious to know how the project plans to leverage Cartesi’s unique features and navigate any potential differences or quirks that may arise.

I’m really interested in learning more about these aspects of the project. Looking forward to hearing your insights!

1 Like
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gm @joe-cartesi! thanks for the questions and the opportunity to clarify and provide more information about the implementation of Apeiron in Cartesi.

  1. When it comes to the bridge between Cartesi and the Ethereum mainnet, how does the project plan to tackle potential security issues? Ensuring the security of the bridge is crucial for maintaining a safe and reliable connection between the two platforms.

Security is of paramount importance to the Apeiron protocol, and we are extensively addressing potential vulnerabilities such as logic bugs, compliance handshake security issues, storage function protocol ‘bugs’, gap necessities, and function clashing problems. We are also fully aware of the potential for malicious activities such as token spoofing and pushing and contract ownership, which we’re proactively countering. As our Milestone 2 is focused on architecture design and Milestone 3 involves mandatory testing, providing a detailed solution at this stage would be premature. However, I can assure you that we are placing security and reliability at the forefront. To give you a better understanding of our second milestone, “Investigation and Communication”, here are some details:

  • Daily use cases and implementations shared via a dedicated Twitter account.
  • Active promotion of the standard within the Cartesi community, including participation in required spaces and weekly AMAs.
  • Responding promptly to developer questions on both Cartesi discord and Twitter.
  • Preparing the architecture of the Constructor, Console, ‘Pong’ and ‘Asteroids’ Cartridge, and Bridge to Ethereum mainnet for community review.
  1. I understand that this implementation is a kind of “Porting” approach, but as you may know, Cartesi has its own unique characteristics that may introduce complexities when directly porting Ethereum-native paradigms. It would be helpful to have more detailed information on how the EIP-1492 will be implemented on Cartesi. Specifically, I’m curious to know how the project plans to leverage Cartesi’s unique features and navigate any potential differences or quirks that may arise.

The unique characteristics and added value that Cartesi brings to the Apeiron protocol’s compliant tokens can be seen as a blue ocean of possibilities for both enterprises and individual users who desire enhanced capabilities, we don’t see it as a risk. The positive distinctions that emerge when comparing the Cartesi Machine with Ethereum mainnet, or indeed any other EVM, underpin the benefits of our proposal to the Cartesi ecosystem. This is where we see a substantial opportunity to add more than just ‘portability’ to the Cartesi ecosystem. We’re excitedly looking forward to the innovative applications that both the Cartesi community and businesses will develop using this new token standard here.

It’s essential to highlight that our aim is to deliver the Apeiron compliant components as ready-to-use resources for the community. In this context, we guarantee that the Bridge will act as a validator during interactions with other EVM chains, thereby ensuring the tokens’ integrity and reliability.

Note that, as stated in the EIP code and components repository, the responsibility to whitelist new Console versions (rare) or Cartridges (to interact with private and special projects) lies entirely with the users, and a mandatory community audit is highly recommended. As with any software interaction, failing to undertake this process entails inherent risks for the integrity of user data and assets. It ultimately depends on the level of trust a user has with the Cartridge developer.

Thank you again for your interest. I look forward to addressing any further inquiries or feedback you might have. Together, we can drive innovation in the blockchain space with Apeiron and Cartesi!

5

Thanks for the response. However, I’d like to point out that your proposal is heavily focused on securing funds for community development activities, while the point of the CGP is to fund development only.

I would advise you to focus on milestone 3 only, as the CGP is moving to fund proof of concepts, not full projects complete with promotional activities. Furthermore, the section on subsequent vision and extensibility as you’ve written it, lacks specifics and is pretty nebulous.

1 Like
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gm @joe-cartesi, I fully understand the points you’ve made and appreciate your observations.

In light of your comments, I’ve revised the project to better align with your suggestions. Here’s the revised budget and adjusted milestones:

*** Milestone 1: Architecture Design ***

Duration: 3 weeks
Deliverables: Detailed architecture of the Constructor, Console, ‘Pong’ Cartridge, ‘Asteroids’ Cartridge, and the Bridge to Ethereum mainnet.
Requested funds: $4,500 USD

*** Milestone 2: Delivery ***

Duration: 3 weeks
Deliverables: Finalized, audited, and revised code along with comprehensive documentation for the implementation, ready to use.
Requested funds: $8,000 USD

*** Total Requested Funds: [$12,500 USD] ***

You pointed out that the section on ‘subsequent vision and extensibility’ in my original proposal lacked specificity. I understand your point, and I want to clarify.

Cartesi offers the potential to empower almost any Web3 protocol due to its unique blend of interoperability and computation capabilities. This means that virtually any new protocol or application can be enhanced by implementing it on Cartesi. This will widen access to the protocol for a broad set of developers, especially if standardized and ready-to-use code is available.

Looking at it from another perspective, the Cartesi ecosystem itself will be enhanced by early compatibility with this protocol, which is a key factor in promoting adoption and spreading the capabilities that Cartesi offers.

I believe this approach not only stays true to the ethos of decentralization and open source development, but it also contributes significantly to the evolution and enrichment of the wider blockchain ecosystem.

Thank you again for your feedback. I look forward to hearing any additional comments or suggestions you may have. By the way, I’ll be in Waterloo this week for the ETH events. If any members of your team are there too, it would be great to meet in person and discuss the project further.