Quai Network — the future of modular blockchains

The next generation of blockchain technologies seems to be entirely focused on modularity — but what is a modular blockchain, and what advantages can it provide compared to traditional monolithic blockchains? Let’s figure it all out by looking at an example of Quai Network.

About Quai Network

Quai Network is a Proof of Work scaling solution. The network uses merged mining to distribute hashrate across a hierarchical set of blockchains. With merged mining, miners select the last header from the Prime blockchain, one of the three Region chains, and one of the three Zone chains that belong to the selected region. In this 3x3 network, a miner will be able to choose from 9 different parts.

What are modular blockchains?

While monolithic blockchains have the advantage of simplicity, modular blockchains focus on scaling. Blockchains, such as Quai Network, act as a set of independent chains working in tandem, providing more space for blocks and reducing commission.

Although many modular blockchains sacrifice decentralization in favor of scaling, such a compromise is not an integral part of modularity. Thanks to the use of Proof-of-Work 2.0 in the Quai Network, the traditional Proof-of-Work method for protection is being rebuilt to function in a modular multi-chain environment without compromising decentralization and security.

In the Quai Network, chains produce blocks asynchronously. The network achieves such a modular design thanks to merged mining when each miner in the network ensures the security of three chains at the same time, one Prime, one Region, and one Zone. This unique architecture ensures low fees, high decentralization, and high security.

Quai Chains

Quai is a network of 13 chains: Prime chain, 3 Region chains, and 9 Zone chains. The Prime chain is the hardest to mine, but it is the most important. Region chains are less difficult, and Zone chains are the easiest. The functionality revolves around a single Prime chain.

However, the Quai Network exists as a multi-chain network in which there is no upper bound for the number of interconnected blockchains. To combat this increased complexity, developers use a protocol-level decentralized bridging provided by the same pooled mining as before to ensure the full network compatibility. Thanks to the use of a sharded address space, the chain of each address can be found by the prefix of the address itself.

Further reducing the complexity of the modular design, all Quai chains are compatible with EVM. This allows to connect any assets from any Quai chain to any other without introducing a trust relationship. This distinguishes Quai from other modular networks, which set stricter requirements for bridges, defining which assets can and cannot cross the chains, and how they should do so.

Matching Blocks

The Quai network uses matching blocks created as a result of combined mining to transfer states between blockchains. As the security of the lower blockchain is confirmed in the Prime blockchain, hash connections become available for tracking and transmission. These sets of hash-linked blocks are collapsed and applied to the state of the receiving blockchain. Since all work is verified through Prime, we can transfer collapsed transactions without trust.

In the Quai network, matching blocks are combined layers of work in different blockchains. The rules for matching blocks are:

• Prime blocks must contain a Region block and a Zone block;
• Region blocks must contain a Zone block;
• Zone blocks can be mined asynchronously without being included in a matching Prime/Region block.

So, all Prime and Region blocks are considered matching blocks. Prime matches Region and Zone, and Region matches only Zone. Prime blocks act as a “node” linking all Region and Zone blocks together in the Prime blockchain.

Conclusion

Paying great attention to compatibility in the modular infrastructure, users will be able to experience the full potential and functionality of Quai, even without knowing the nuances of the multi-chain network composition. Also, modular design allows it to support smart contracts and transactions on multiple chains simultaneously. This allows for a much more efficient use of resources and may help alleviate some of the scalability issues faced by other blockchain networks.

At its core, Quai is an open-source Proof-of-Work blockchain network that leverages the capabilities of merged mining to increase throughput and security. When the mainnet launches, its users will be able to enjoy quick transactions without compromising decentralization and security. Miners will get competitive mining opportunities on many blockchains of the network.

_________________________________________________________________ 👉 Website — https://quai.network/

👉Twitter — https://twitter.com/QuaiNetwork

👉 Discord — https://discord.com/invite/ngw88VXXnV

👉 Medium — https://blog.quai.network/