UpLink-AVS: An AVS to determine whether an endpoint is up/down and confirm on-chain.

Amaan SayyadAmaan Sayyad
6 min read

Table of contents

Abstract

EigenLayer ecosystem is expanding and with the expanding ecosystem new AVS are being launched on the EigenLayer, till today there are 23 AVS launched and I found this on EigenLayer Explorer, today it is easy to understand/check if any AVS is up and running but imagine a situation after a couple of years there will be 1000+ AVS being launched and at that point, it will be tough to understand if a AVS is up or down, thereby it is important to build a AVS that can check health and availability of network endpoints which are critical for ensuring operational integrity and reliability. UpLink-AVS will be the first of a kind minimal Active Validator Service (AVS) that verifies the liveliness of endpoints, such as servers, URLs, or IP addresses, and records these results on-chain. This will allow any user/ developer/ company to check and understand if the AVS and its parts are working easily. It will be a tool for developers in the EigenLayer ecosystem. This paper explores its architecture, implementation, applications, and potential for future developments by combining lightweight design principles with robust incentive mechanisms.

1. Introduction

The rapid adoption of any decentralized protocol needs reliable infrastructure monitoring and validation mechanisms. In such protocols & ecosystems, ensuring the availability and responsiveness of endpoints is crucial. Existing centralized monitoring systems often suffer from issues such as lack of transparency, single points of failure, and high operational costs. Considering the example of the EigenLayer Ecosystem, UpLink-AVS is capable of addressing this need by offering a simple, decentralized, and transparent AVS mechanism to verify endpoint liveliness.

UpLink-AVS provides:

  • Decentralization: Eliminates reliance on centralized entities.

  • Transparency: Maintains an immutable on-chain record of endpoint statuses.

  • Incentivization: Encourages operator participation through a fair reward-slashing mechanism.

UpLink-AVS is inspired and motivated by lightweight frameworks like Scaffold-ETH and tailored to demonstrate the minimal functionalities required for an AVS within the EigenLayer Ecosystem. Its modular design ensures that it can be reused and extended to build more sophisticated AVS.

2. Problem | Solution

Decentralized networks rely heavily on the consistent availability of their nodes and endpoints. Downtime or unresponsiveness can lead to:

  • Operational Inefficiencies: Disrupted communication or transaction processing.

  • Security Vulnerabilities: Increased susceptibility to attacks.

  • Loss of Trust: Reduced confidence among users and developers.

While various monitoring tools exist, they often rely on centralized infrastructure, which is antithetical to the ethos of decentralization. A decentralized, transparent, and tamper-proof solution is needed to ensure that endpoints remain responsive and operational. This example also implies on the existing built AVS in the EigenLayer Ecosystem and thereby it is important to address so that’s why introducing UpLink-AVS which is a one-stop solution to check if an AVS is up/down and confirm on-chain.

UpLink-AVS is a lightweight yet robust architecture designed to verify endpoint liveliness efficiently.

Fig 1. UpLink-AVS Architecture Key Components

The key components and their functionalities are outlined below as shown in Fig 1.

3.1 Key Components

  1. Smart Contract:

    • Serves as the on-chain recordkeeper.

    • Manages user-submitted requests, operator responses, and incentive mechanisms.

    • Handles slashing and reward distribution.

  2. Operators:

    • The decentralized network of validators running lightweight Docker images.

    • Perform liveliness checks through pings and traceroutes.

  3. Users:

    • Submit endpoints for testing via smart contract interactions.

  4. Dockerized Operator Environment:

    • A minimal Docker image running a Go-based binary that:

      • Pings the specified endpoint.

      • Performs traceroutes to analyze network paths.

3.2 Process Flow

  1. Request Submission:

    • Users submit endpoint details (e.g., IP, URL) to the smart contract using a submitRequest function.

    • The request is logged, and an event is emitted to notify operators.

  2. Operator Validation:

    • Operators retrieve the request and perform:

      • Ping Tests: Verify endpoint responsiveness.

      • Traceroute Tests: Map the network path for analysis.

    • Results are submitted back to the smart contract using the submitResult function.

  3. On-Chain Recordkeeping:

    • The smart contract aggregates operator responses and determines the final status (up/down) based on majority consensus.

    • Results are recorded on-chain for transparency.

  4. Incentives and Penalties:

    • Operators that submit valid results are rewarded.

    • Non-responsive or malicious operators are penalized through slashing.

4. Implementation Details

4.1 Smart Contract

The smart contract is the logic of UpLink-AVS, facilitating request management, result aggregation, and incentivization.

  • Key Functions:

    • submitRequest: Allows users to initiate liveliness checks.

    • submitResult: Enables operators to submit their findings.

    • slashOperators: Penalizes operators who fail to report or submit malicious data.

  • Data Structures:

    • Request: Tracks endpoint details, operator responses, and final status.

    • Operator: Maintains operator performance history, rewards, and penalties.

4.2 Operator Logic

Operators perform the core validation tasks using lightweight Go binaries. The application:

  • Sends ICMP echo requests (ping) to verify endpoint responsiveness.

  • Performs traceroutes to analyze the network path.

  • Submits results back to the smart contract.

4.3 Deployment

A deployment script automates the process of:

  • Deploying the smart contract to a testnet.

  • Setting up Dockerized operator nodes.

5. Incentive Mechanism

The UpLink-AVS hinges on its ability to incentivize operators while discouraging malicious behaviour.

  • Rewards:

    • Operators are compensated for submitting accurate results.

    • Reward amounts are proportional to the complexity of the requests.

  • Penalties:

    • Operators failing to submit results are penalized.

    • Submitting incorrect or malicious data results in slashing of staked collateral.

6. Applications

UpLink-AVS has wide-ranging applications in decentralized ecosystems:

  1. Node Health Monitoring:

    • Verifies the availability and performance of validator nodes and AVS in the EigenLayer Ecosystem.

  2. Web Service Validation:

    • Ensures uptime for APIs, servers, and critical infrastructure.

  3. Reusability:

    • Serves as a foundational module for building more complex AVSs.

7. Challenges and Limitations

7.1 Challenges

  1. Network Variability:

    • Operators may encounter inconsistent network conditions that affect results.

  2. Operator Collusion:

    • Coordinated efforts to falsify results pose a risk.

  3. Scalability:

    • Handling a large number of concurrent requests can strain the system.
7.2 Limitations

  1. Single Metric:

    • Currently relies on ping and traceroute; additional metrics could improve accuracy.

  2. Latency:

    • On-chain interactions introduce delays.

8. Future Enhancements

  1. Advanced Monitoring:

    • Include latency measurements, DNS lookups, and HTTP response tests.

  2. Dynamic Incentives:

    • Adjust rewards based on operator performance and request difficulty.

  3. Broader Integrations:

    • Enable seamless interoperability with other AVSs in the EigenLayer ecosystem.

9. Conclusion

UpLink-AVS demonstrates the minimal requirements for an Actively Validator Service (AVS) in EigenLayer. Verifying an endpoint up/down and recording results on-chain, ensures transparency, decentralization and reliability for developers and users to understand the state of the existing AVS. Its modular design and lightweight implementation make it a valuable tool and a stepping stone for more advanced AVS.

References

  1. EigenLayer Documentation: https://docs.eigenlayer.xyz/

  2. Layer AVS Toolkit: https://github.com/Lay3rLabs/avs-toolkit

  3. Scaffold-ETH Framework: https://github.com/scaffold-eth/scaffold-eth

  4. EigenLayer Explorer: https://dashboard.eigenexplorer.com/avs

Special Thanks

I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the following individuals and organizations for their invaluable support and encouragement throughout this project:

  • Wes Floyd, Aarav Raj, Shan Rasool: Thanks For providing guidance and inspiration that helped shape the vision of UpLink-AVS.

  • Mustafa: For technical insights and fostering a spirit of innovation.

  • CollegeDAO: For creating a collaborative and learning-focused ecosystem.

  • Blockchain Acceleration Foundation (BAF): For supporting initiatives that push the boundaries of decentralized technologies.

  • B@B: For empowering developers to build impactful blockchain-based solutions.

Your contributions have been instrumental in making this project a reality. Thank you for being a part of the journey.

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Blockchaineigenlayer

Written by

Amaan Sayyad
Amaan Sayyad

A dev, blockchain researcher and budding entrepreneur