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Core Validator Election


Overview

Core's Satoshi Plus consensus draws validator support from three delegation sources:

  • Delegated Proof of Work (DPoW) from Bitcoin miners
  • Self-Custodial Bitcoin Staking from Bitcoin holders
  • Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) from CORE token holders

Each source contributes to a validator's hybrid score, which determines their election into the active validator set.

Election Process

validator-election-flow

1. Delegation of Support

Validators receive support from three sources:

  • Bitcoin Holders: Timelock Bitcoin using CLTV and embed validator metadata in the redeem script to vote for validators.
  • Bitcoin Miners: Delegate hash power by including validator votes in the op_return field of Bitcoin coinbase transactions.
  • CORE Token Holders: Delegate CORE tokens directly to preferred validators.

Each form of delegation contributes to validator selection and reward eligibility.

2. Hybrid Score Calculation

Validators are ranked by a hybrid score that blends the three forms of support:

S=(rHptHp)m+(rSptSp)k+(rBptBp)l S = (\frac{rHp}{tHp})* m + (\frac{rSp}{tSp})*k + (\frac{rBp}{tBp})*l

Where, m+k+l=1m + k + l = 1

  • rHprHp: Bitcoin hash power delegated to a validator.
  • tHptHp: Total hash power on Core.
  • rSprSp: Amount of CORE tokens staked to a validator.
  • tSptSp: Total CORE tokens staked on Core.
  • rBprBp: Amount of BTC tokens staked to a validator.
  • tBptBp: Total BTC tokens staked on Core.
  • mm: Ratio assigned to hash power.
  • kk: Ratio assigned to CORE staking.
  • ll: Ratio assigned to BTC staking.

This formula promotes proportional and fair influence across all delegation sources.

3. Validator Selection and Block Production

  • The top 29 validators with the highest hybrid scores are elected every round (1 day)
  • Validators produce blocks in a round-robin fashion, with each slot lasting 3 seconds
  • The validator set is updated every 200 blocks to promote consistency and prevent disruption from underperforming or penalized validators
  • Core maintains liveness as long as fewer than ⅓ of validators are malicious

Flow Summary

The validator election cycle proceeds as follows:

  1. Delegation: Miners, CORE stakers, and Bitcoin stakers delegate support
  2. Score Calculation: Hybrid scores are computed using the defined formula
  3. Election: Top 29 validators are selected based on scores
  4. Block Production: Validators take turns producing blocks
  5. Rewards: CORE tokens are earned by validators and distributed proportionally to delegators
  6. Cycle Repeats: Validator set updates every 200 blocks