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Shardeum Documentation

website·Indexed 35 days ago

https://docs.shardeum.org/

Developer and operator guides for Shardeum, an EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain. Includes instructions for running validator, full, and RPC nodes on mainnet and testnet, deploying smart contracts using Hardhat, Foundry, and Remix, and integrating with supported wallets like MetaMask.

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What's inside Shardeum

  1. Overview of Shardeum Layer 1 Blockchain

    Shardeum is an EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain network designed for building programmable onchain applications such as real-world asset tokenization, stablecoins, payments, marketplaces, and DeFi. It focuses on providing low, predictable fees, fast finality, and scalable infrastructure.

    Key technical and operational features include:

    • EVM Compatibility: Supports Solidity, Ethereum-compatible tooling, and standard wallets.
    • Consensus: Uses Proof-of-Stake (PoS) with delegated staking for security and efficiency.
    • Performance: High throughput and low transaction fees.
    • Architecture: A modular design intended for future scalability and performance enhancements.
    • Access: Permissionless access for both individual and enterprise participants.

  2. Overview of Foundry toolkit for EVM development

    Foundry is a Rust-based toolkit for developing, testing, and deploying EVM-compatible smart contracts. It consists of three primary tools:

    • forge: Used for building, testing, and deploying contracts.
    • cast: Used for interacting with deployed contracts via the CLI.
    • anvil: A local Ethereum-compatible node for development.

  3. Overview of MetaMask Wallet

    MetaMask is a blockchain wallet available as a browser extension and mobile app. It provides a key vault, secure login, token wallet, and token exchange for managing digital assets and connecting to decentralized applications (dApps). MetaMask generates passwords and keys locally on the user's device, ensuring that the user maintains full control over their accounts, data, and privacy.

  4. Overview of Shardeum's Security Model

    Shardeum employs a defense-in-depth security approach across three layers:

    1. Economic Security: Uses a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) model where validators are stake-backed. Voting power is stake-weighted, and penalties (slashing) are applied for protocol violations such as double-signing or downtime.
    2. Technical Security: Utilizes a Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) consensus mechanism to ensure safety and liveness. The execution environment is a secure, deterministic EVM aligned with Ethereum security assumptions.
    3. Operational Security: Relies on a distributed validator set to eliminate single points of failure, combined with active monitoring, alerting, and regular security patching.

  5. Overview of the Shardeum Ecosystem categories

    The Shardeum ecosystem provides a suite of tools and services categorized by their function to support network interaction and development:

    • Wallets: Used to manage SHM tokens and interact with the network.
    • Infrastructure: Includes RPC endpoints, node hosting, and backend services.
    • Developer Tools: Provides SDKs, APIs, and frameworks for building on the network.
    • Exchanges & Onramps: Services for accessing and moving SHM.
    • dApps & Integrations: Applications and services connected to the Shardeum network.

  6. Understand Shardeum EVM compatibility

    Shardeum is fully compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), meaning it can execute EVM bytecode deterministically across all nodes. This allows developers to deploy Ethereum-compatible smart contracts without modification. Key characteristics include:

    • Turing Completeness: Supports any computable logic for DeFi, NFTs, and gaming.
    • Bytecode Execution: Contracts authored in high-level languages (like Solidity) are compiled to bytecode and become immutable once deployed.
    • Tooling Support: Compatible with standard frameworks such as Hardhat, Foundry, Remix, and Truffle, as well as wallets like MetaMask.

  7. Understand Shardeum Full Node roles and use cases

    Full nodes maintain and verify the blockchain state, acting as a source of truth for wallets and applications, but they do not participate in consensus. By default, full nodes run with pruning enabled to store only the most recent state. They are typically used for dApp infrastructure, supporting RPC endpoints, and improving network resilience.

  8. Shardeum High-Level Architecture Overview

    Shardeum utilizes a layered internal architecture to separate core responsibilities, allowing independent optimization of each layer:

    1. Consensus and Networking Layer: Handles validator coordination, transaction ordering, and BFT consensus.
    2. State and Data Management Layer: Manages on-chain state growth, account balances, and synchronization.
    3. Execution Layer: An EVM-compatible environment responsible for deterministic smart contract execution and gas metering.
    4. Protocol Modularity: Designed for upgrades and performance improvements without disruptive redesigns.
    5. Application Layer: The environment where Solidity-based smart contracts and dApps reside.

  9. Implement Sentry Node Architecture for validators

    To protect validators from DDoS attacks and hide their IP addresses, implement a Sentry Node Architecture where the validator resides on a private network and only connects to public-facing Sentry Nodes. Update the persistent_peers configuration on the validator to point to the sentry nodes.

  10. Understand the Shardeum Gas and Fee Model

    Shardeum implements a standard EVM gas model to ensure compatibility with Ethereum tooling. Each operation has a defined gas cost measuring computational and state access effort, and every transaction must specify a gas limit. Transaction fees are denominated in the network's native token, SHM, and are paid by the transaction sender. The total fee is calculated based on the gas consumed during execution multiplied by the gas price specified in the transaction.

  11. Choose a Shardeum testnet node type

    Depending on your goals, choose one of the following node configurations for the Shardeum testnet:

    • Validator Nodes: Used to participate in consensus and block production. Ideal for testing validator operations, node management, and simulating mainnet participation.
    • Full Nodes: Verify and maintain blockchain state without participating in consensus. Used for supporting RPC access for wallets/dApps and testing application integrations. These typically run with pruning enabled by default.
    • RPC Nodes: A specialized full node configured to expose JSON-RPC and WebSocket endpoints. Used for providing application access to the testnet and supporting developer tools.
    • Archive Nodes: A full node configuration that retains the complete historical state from genesis. Used for indexers, analytics tools, blockchain explorers, and research.

  12. Shardeum Network Roadmap and Phases

    Shardeum's rollout is divided into progressive phases:

    Phase 1 (Current): Focuses on a stable EVM-compatible mainnet. Key features include full EVM smart contract support, PoS consensus with validator delegation, a decentralized validator network, and fast deterministic finality. The primary initial market focus is India.

    Phase 2 (Planned): Focuses on global adoption and scaling. Planned improvements include throughput and performance optimizations and additional protocol-level scalability enhancements.