Analyzing Pastel Network’s Cascade Protocol
With the rapid advancement of blockchain technology, the demand for storage systems that are both secure and decentralized has become more crucial than ever before. That’s where the Cascade Protocol by Pastel Network comes into play, providing a viable solution that enables users to store their data in a highly redundant, distributed manner for a one-time fee.
Overview of Cascade Protocol
Pastel Network’s Cascade Protocol is a decentralized storage layer built on advanced technology that was designed to solve problems that centralized and decentralized solutions failed to solve. It intends to overcome the limitation of network storage capacities for web3 applications that rely on high-data fidelity data such as digital art, media, games, and Metaverse assets.
One of the Cascade Protocol’s primary aspects is its emphasis on no data retention, which is fundamentally an exercise in developing fault-tolerant, high-reliability systems. Pastel Network intends to ensure that the world does not lose access to any of the NFTs entrusted to the network even after 100 years.
How does Cascade Protocol Operate?
Cascade starts by accepting any external data object. It divides each asset into a series of redundant partitions using an LT-encoding fountain code technique. Each partition comprises random portions of the concatenated file, which is then disseminated redundantly among the network’s participating supernodes. The size of each partition and the desired redundancy factor of each partition dictate how the data is packed into partitions.
Partition Distribution and Assignment
Using the Kademlia DHT mechanism, the partition sets are auto-distributed over the network to randomly selected supernodes. This approach generates a usable “distance metric” for any binary string of data and eliminates the need for any extra construction.
Such a solution eliminates the requirement for a system to determine which node is in charge of which partitions. It also eliminates the need to loop through supernodes to discover the one with the necessary partitions and avoids the need for sophisticated logic to handle partition re-allocation when supernodes arrive or leave the network.
Supernodes are in charge of storing partitions in the network that are ‘closest’ to them. This set of nearest partitions to a specific supernode varies when new partitions are generated, and supernodes enter and exit the network. This results in a completely distributed, deterministic manner for random outputs to self-organize into a certain network topology.
Cascade’s Self-Healing Mechanism
The protocol emphasizes no data retention, which is an exercise in developing fault-tolerant, high-reliability systems at its core. Despite the redundancy and self-balancing introduced above, it is still possible that a specific chunk will be lost for good. Suppose Supernodes on the network discover that a specific chunk is no longer available. In that case, the highest-ranked supernode can retrieve enough LT pieces to reconstruct the original file and then regenerate any missing fragments using the random seed corresponding to the chunk.
Taking Data Storage Up a Notch
The Cascade Protocol is a big step forward in decentralized storage, offering a dependable, fault-tolerant storage solution for Web3 applications that rely on high-data-fidelity information such as digital art, media, games, and Metaverse assets. In contrast to existing storage systems, the Cascade Protocol naturally integrates storage into the blockchain. This integration ensures that digital assets are securely and redundantly stored, eliminating the possibility of a single point of failure.
Final Thoughts
Finally, Pastel Network’s Cascade Protocol is an innovative solution to the storage limitations of existing blockchains. The protocol makes use of cutting-edge technology to deliver a highly redundant, distributed storage solution that ensures the long-term nature of blockchains envisioned by decentralized applications.
Cascade allows developers to divide their assets over a range of supernodes, ensuring that the globe does not lose access to a single data file entrusted to the Pastel network. The Cascade Protocol is a big step forward in decentralized storage, offering a dependable, fault-tolerant storage solution for Web3 applications that rely on high-data-fidelity information.
