EPF Report: Weeks 2 & 3 - ErlangVM, ELixir and grasping Ethereum 2 consensus layer

• EPF Report: Weeks 2 & 3 - ErlangVM, ELixir and grasping Ethereum 2 consensus layer
  • Abstract
  • From Erlang to Elixir
  • Grasping Ethereum 2 and Its Consensus Layer
  • Resources

Abstract

The primary focus of these weeks was to deepen my understanding of Elixir and the intricacies of an Ethereum consensus client. Activities included completing the "Elixir in Action" book, reviewing articles related to Elixir and Erlang, and commencing the reading of Eth2Book by Ben Edgington.

From Erlang to Elixir

The past weeks have been full of discoveries, diving deep into the intricate workings of the Erlang VM (BEAM). This journey was filled with excitement, learning, and revelations. Elixir, a functional programming language, is built atop the Erlang VM, just as Erlang is. Both, upon compilation, become bytecode interpretable by the VM.

Elixir's objective is to provide an abstraction layer over Erlang, a language known for its complexity and low-level programming. Elixir introduces syntactic sugar and enhancements over Erlang, making it simpler and quicker to deploy applications while retaining the characteristics of the Erlang VM.

Why Choose the Erlang VM?
Erlang and its VM were developed by Ericsson in 1986, thanks to its co-creators Joe Armstrong, Robert Virding, and Mike Williams. The principal intent behind Erlang's creation was to advance the development of telephony applications. This demanded a language equipped with particular properties:

• Simplified construction and management of distributed systems
• Reliable concurrency
• Resilience via fault tolerance
• High availability
• Consistent latency

The Erlang VM is distinguished from many modern programming languages. Rather than vying for hyperbolic labels like the "fastest" or the most "powerful," its mission is to offer predictable service for complex systems—systems designed for endless operation.

Many of these attributes make Elixir an apt choice for constructing a new consensus client, leading to our project: Lambda Consensus Client.

Grasping Ethereum 2 and Its Consensus Layer

Ethereum has undergone significant evolution, morphing into the colossal protocol recognized today. It is intricate, sophisticated, and understanding its mechanisms demands time and patience, necessitating deep dives into its construction reasons and deciding which to replicate.

My recent research has been largely concentrated on the Engine API segment of the consensus layer.

The Engine API consists of methods implemented by execution clients, which are consumed by consensus clients to facilitate secure and efficient inter-client communication (EL <> CL) Engine API specs. This communication happens via the Engine API, using RPC methods authenticated by JWT tokens. These tokens must be generated with a 256-bit encoded secret created by the EL and provided to the CL during initialization. This ensures secure EL <> CL communication, preventing unauthorized interference.

This week, I successfully initiated a first PR that introduces an Elixir HTTP wrapper. This allows the use of internal functions to invoke Engine API methods for execution clients (tested Reth and Geth). We have established communication! Currently, I have integrated:

• JWT token generation
• RPC call generation
• engine_exchangeCapabilities function
• Response validation and error handling

Future plans include secret import via the command line interface (currently hardcoded), comprehensive support for all engine_ methods, additional testing, improving understanding of inner workings.

Resources

Elixir

• Elixir in Action (Third Edition)
• Zen of Erlang
• Where Erlang Blooms
• What can I only do in Erlang
• Stacking theory for systems design
• On Erlang States and Crashes
• How Erlang does scheduling

Ethereum

• Vitalik Annotated Specs - Understanding Consensus implementation
• Eth2Book Annotated Specs - Understanding Consensus implementation
• Eth2Book - Understanding Ethereum 2 (Especially consensus)
• Ethereum Consensus Specs - Understanding implementation specs
• Engine API Specs - Understanding the Engine API implementation

Engine API image taken from Ethereum.org