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Contribution Registration

Overview of Contribution Process​

In Centive Network, the contribution process is designed to provide a seamless, efficient way for nodes to offer their resources to decentralized services. Instead of traditional proof-of-work or proof-of-stake mechanisms, Centive uses an optimistic contribution model. This model allows nodes to pledge their resources (compute, storage, bandwidth or any other measurable contribution) to the network, commit their intent, and be rewarded based on sustained contributions rather than just individual tasks.

Optimistic Contribution & Staking​

Nodes register their intent to contribute via a staking mechanism. Here, staking acts as both a commitment of resources and a security deposit that can be slashed in case of underperformance. Unlike proof-heavy models that consume resources for cryptographic validation, Centive’s staking mechanism is lightweight and optimized for real-time contribution measurement.

Main Benefits​

  1. No resource-heavy proofs: The contribution process is designed to reduce computational overhead.
  2. Constant monitoring: Contributions are tracked continuously, ensuring fairness and rewarding sustained efforts.
  3. Security: Staking tokens act as collateral, ensuring that nodes uphold their commitments.

Example​

For a compute service, a node might register 16 cores and 64GB of RAM as available resources. This information is sent to the Centive Network’s smart contract. The node stakes tokens proportional to its resources, and the monitoring begins automatically via APM agents.

In Centive Network, contributions are tied to staking and resource availability. The formula for contribution impact can be represented as:

Impactnode=ResourcesnodeTotal Resourcesnetwork\text{Impact}_{\text{node}} = \frac{\text{Resources}_{\text{node}}}{\text{Total Resources}_{\text{network}}}

Where:

  • Resourcesnode\text{Resources}_{\text{node}} is the contribution of the node.
  • Total Resourcesnetwork\text{Total Resources}_{\text{network}} is the total resource availability across all active nodes.

Nodes are rewarded based on their percentage share of resources committed to the network.

Contribution Types​

Contribution types in Centive Network are diverse and can vary depending on the DePIN service requirements. Centive enables multiple categories of contributions, each tailored to specific service types, such as compute networks, content delivery networks (CDNs), and decentralized storage services.

Compute Contributions​

For compute-heavy applications, Centive tracks contributions in terms of GPU, CPU cycles, memory, and bandwidth. Nodes offering more computational power are naturally rewarded higher. This is ideal for DePIN services that require heavy computation, such as machine learning or big data processing tasks.

Content Delivery (CDN)​

Nodes in a CDN setup are rewarded based on their ability to deliver content efficiently. Contributions are measured by data delivery speeds, latency, and uptime. Centive tracks how well nodes serve content to users, ensuring the best-performing nodes receive higher rewards.

Decentralized Storage​

In decentralized storage environments, contributions are based on storage capacity, uptime, and retrieval speeds. Nodes storing data are rewarded not just for availability but also for ensuring data retrieval performance. Fault tolerance plays a big role here, as the network penalizes nodes unable to store or retrieve data consistently.

Contribution Intent Registration​

When nodes declare their intent to contribute, they initiate a registration process with the Centive smart contracts. This process is transparent and ensures that nodes can quickly stake their resources and begin contributing.

How It Works​

  1. Node Registration: Nodes register their intent via the Centive protocol by committing specific resources (GPU, CPU, bandwidth, etc.).
  2. Staking: Nodes stake tokens to back their commitment, signaling their intention to contribute.
  3. Automatic Monitoring: As soon as the node is registered, Centive deploys its APM agents to monitor node activity and performance.

Example​

In a content delivery network, a node could register as providing 10TB of storage and stake tokens corresponding to its capacity. The registration activates the APM agent, which monitors how well the node delivers content.

The contribution reward per node is proportional to its total resources. The formula is:

Rewardnode=ContributionnodeTotal Contributionsnetwork×Total Reward Pool\text{Reward}_{\text{node}} = \frac{\text{Contribution}_{\text{node}}}{\text{Total Contributions}_{\text{network}}} \times \text{Total Reward Pool}

Monitoring Registered Contributions​

Once a node has committed its intent and resources, it becomes part of the active contributor pool. Centive uses Application Performance Monitoring (APM) agents and end-to-end tests to track the actual performance of nodes in real-time.

How Monitoring Works​

  1. APM Agents: These agents are automatically deployed to monitor each node’s performance. They track resource utilization, uptime, and response times.
  2. End-to-End Tests: Nodes undergo real-time tests that simulate real-world DePIN service usage, ensuring that nodes are performing as expected.
  3. Fault Detection: In case a node fails to meet its commitment, it is flagged for review by the validator network.

The contribution score of a node is updated continuously based on monitoring data. The formula for resource efficiency can be represented as:

Efficiencynode=Resources DeliverednodeResources Committednode\text{Efficiency}_{\text{node}} = \frac{\text{Resources Delivered}_{\text{node}}}{\text{Resources Committed}_{\text{node}}}

If Efficiencynode\text{Efficiency}_{\text{node}} falls below a certain threshold, the node’s staking rewards may be reduced, and slashing might occur.

Staking Mechanism​

In Centive Network, staking plays a pivotal role in securing network integrity. When nodes register their contribution, they are required to stake tokens that act as collateral. If the node fails to deliver its commitment, these staked tokens may be slashed.

Staking Process​

  1. Staking Commitment: Nodes stake tokens proportional to the resources they commit (or fixed dependes on the network requirements). This ensures they have collateral that can be slashed in case of failure.
  2. Slashing: If a node is found to be underperforming or providing fraudulent data, its staked tokens are slashed.
  3. Reward Mechanism: As long as the node continues to meet its commitment, it earns rewards based on its staked tokens and the resources provided.