A first deep dive into the Cartesi sequencer! Let’s break down what it is, why it matters, and how it works. 🧵↓
https://fxtwitter.com/cartesiproject/status/2109993133866119399
1/ Interactive applications need speed, while Ethereum settlement takes time. Nobody wants to wait several minutes for L1 (Layer 1) finality after every click. That’s where sequencers come in.
2/ The sequencer receives users’ signed operations and confirms them immediately (a “soft confirmation”).
In the background, it submits these operations to L1 in batches. Users get near-instant responses, while Ethereum remains authoritative as the “source of truth.”
Full details about our sequencer: https://github.com/cartesi/sequencer
3/ How does it work under the hood? Each group of user operations (called a “frame”) points to a secure L1 block. The on-chain scheduler receives all deposits up to that block, then executes the same operations in the same order.
The sequencer and the Rollup follow the same rules, so they ultimately reach the same state.
4/ Although the system uses a single sequencer, it can’t steal funds or forge state. The Rollup checks everything and enforces the results through fraud proofs.
The deposit process bypasses the sequencer entirely. Even if the sequencer tries to censor deposits, at most it can delay them by a few hours—it can never block them completely.
5/ The Cartesi sequencer is still in Alpha, but development is moving quickly.
It’s designed to handle L1 interruptions, crashes, restarts, extended downtime, and malicious mempools. Each time it starts, it checks the database and Ethereum to determine what needs to be repaired.
There’s also an independent “watchdog” program that double-checks its state.
6/ The latest release, v0.1.0-alpha.10, includes the sequencer, machine images, and the watchdog program.
New features include public fee quotes, replayable application history, C application bindings, a rewritten watchdog, and Cartesi Machine v0.21.0. Note: This release includes breaking changes. Please read the notes first: https://github.com/cartesi/sequencer/releases/tag/v0.1.0-alpha.10
Repost: https://x.com/cartesiproject/status/2109993133866119399
https://fxtwitter.com/cartesiproject/status/2109993133866119399
1/ Interactive applications need speed, while Ethereum settlement takes time. Nobody wants to wait several minutes for L1 (Layer 1) finality after every click. That’s where sequencers come in.
2/ The sequencer receives users’ signed operations and confirms them immediately (a “soft confirmation”).
In the background, it submits these operations to L1 in batches. Users get near-instant responses, while Ethereum remains authoritative as the “source of truth.”
Full details about our sequencer: https://github.com/cartesi/sequencer
3/ How does it work under the hood? Each group of user operations (called a “frame”) points to a secure L1 block. The on-chain scheduler receives all deposits up to that block, then executes the same operations in the same order.
The sequencer and the Rollup follow the same rules, so they ultimately reach the same state.
4/ Although the system uses a single sequencer, it can’t steal funds or forge state. The Rollup checks everything and enforces the results through fraud proofs.
The deposit process bypasses the sequencer entirely. Even if the sequencer tries to censor deposits, at most it can delay them by a few hours—it can never block them completely.
5/ The Cartesi sequencer is still in Alpha, but development is moving quickly.
It’s designed to handle L1 interruptions, crashes, restarts, extended downtime, and malicious mempools. Each time it starts, it checks the database and Ethereum to determine what needs to be repaired.
There’s also an independent “watchdog” program that double-checks its state.
6/ The latest release, v0.1.0-alpha.10, includes the sequencer, machine images, and the watchdog program.
New features include public fee quotes, replayable application history, C application bindings, a rewritten watchdog, and Cartesi Machine v0.21.0. Note: This release includes breaking changes. Please read the notes first: https://github.com/cartesi/sequencer/releases/tag/v0.1.0-alpha.10
Repost: https://x.com/cartesiproject/status/2109993133866119399