Filecoin Devs Introduce ‘Lotus Slasher’ and ‘Lotus Disputer’ Services, Aiming to Maintain Network’s Integrity and Reward Active Users

Key highlights:

• The project aims to offer decentralized storage, but to keep things secure they’ve rolled out a couple new tools- the Lotus Slasher and Lotus Disputer.
• The Disputer is also on duty, making sure storage providers are doing their job properly.
• With these additions, Filecoin creates incentives for ordinary nodes to help govern the network.

The developers behind Filecoin, an open-source decentralized storage network, have introduced two new services called the Lotus Slasher and Lotus Disputer. These services aim to maintain the integrity of the Filecoin network, prevent malicious activities, and reward participants who help secure the network.

? Exciting news from Lotus! Introducing the powerful Lotus Slasher & enhanced Lotus Disputer, developed in collab w/ StorSwift. Safeguarding Filecoin’s integrity, these tools detect faults, prevent malice, & reward active participants.

Learn more: https://t.co/ftkx8qiEIh

— Filecoin Ecosystem (@Filecoin) August 17, 2023

What are the Lotus Slasher and Disputer?

Networkus Slasher and Lotus Disputer are services that allow operators of Lotus nodes on the Filecoin network to monitor activity, detect faults, and report bad behavior.

The Lotus Slasher specifically looks for “consensus faults”- situations where block producers on the network engage in malicious activities like double-mining or parent grinding. When the Slasher detects these faults, it can slash (fine) the offending block producers and reward the node operator who reported the fault.

The Lotus Disputer is focused on verifying WindowPoSt proofs- cryptographic proofs that show storage providers are still storing client data. Disputers can challenge and verify these proofs, slashing providers who submitted invalid WindowPoSts and rewarding the disputing node operator.

Maintaining network integrity

These services help strengthen Filecoin’s decentralized storage network by aligning incentives and allowing the community to self-police. Without the need to trust any central authority, Lotus node operators are rewarded for protecting the integrity of the network.

By slashing those who violate the protocol rules, the Lotus Slasher and Disputer financially disincentivize malicious behavior. Fault reporters earn block rewards and fines taken from bad actors, receiving compensation for helping secure the network.

Easy to operate, minimal overhead

Importantly, running these services has been designed to require minimal overhead for node operators. The Lotus team explains that enabling Slasher and Disputer functionality adds little resource load and has no significant impact on node performance.

This allows a wider pool of participants to contribute to network security, not just the largest mining operations. All it takes is a few configuration tweaks documented in the Lotus documentation. The services even come bundled with Lotus, requiring no additional installation.

 Collaborating for network advancement

Development of the Lotus Slasher and Disputer involved collaboration between Protocol Labs and StorSwift, a Singapore-based Web3 infrastructure company.

This partnership exemplifies the open-source ethos of Filecoin, with different groups building on top of the protocol and contributing to the network’s advancement.

These new services signal ongoing progress and innovations that improve Filecoin’s core strengths- security, decentralization and rewarding good actors. All of which increase confidence in the project long-term.

But short-term, crypto markets are fickle. At the time of writing, FIL is down-0.22% in the last 24 hours despite this positive news. On the other hand, many investors see Filecoin as a long-term investment. Earning stake income in such investments will both increase the amount of your coins and support the project network. 

You can review the Filecoin Staking Guide to earn FIL rewards.

As Filecoin aims to fulfill its vision of being a decentralized storage solution, robust network security and integrity will prove critical. The Lotus Slasher and Disputer are important steps in this direction, creating aligned incentives and rewarding those who strengthen the protocol.