Block and Header Validity

Abstract

Like all blockchains, chains are defined as the chain of valid blocks from the genesis, to the head. Thus, the block and header validity rules define the chain.

Verifying a block/header is done in 3 parts:

1. Verify correct serialization according to the protobuf spec

2. Perform basic validation of the types

3. Perform verification of the new block against the previously accepted block

Evolve uses a header/data separation architecture where headers and data can be validated independently. The system has moved from a multi-validator model to a single signer model for simplified sequencer management.

Basic Validation

Each type contains a .ValidateBasic() method, which verifies that certain basic invariants hold. The ValidateBasic() calls are nested for each structure.

SignedHeader Validation

SignedHeader.ValidateBasic()
  // Make sure the SignedHeader's Header passes basic validation
  Header.ValidateBasic()
    verify ProposerAddress not nil
  // Make sure the SignedHeader's signature passes basic validation
  Signature.ValidateBasic()
    // Ensure that someone signed the header
    verify len(c.Signatures) not 0
  // For based chains (sh.Signer.IsEmpty()), pass validation
  if !sh.Signer.IsEmpty():
    // Verify the signer matches the proposer address
    verify sh.Signer.Address == sh.ProposerAddress
    // Verify signature using custom verifier if set, otherwise use default
    if sh.verifier != nil:
      verify sh.verifier(sh) == nil
    else:
      verify sh.Signature.Verify(sh.Signer.PubKey, sh.Header.MarshalBinary())

SignedData Validation

SignedData.ValidateBasic()
  // Always passes basic validation for the Data itself
  Data.ValidateBasic() // always passes
  // Make sure the signature is valid
  Signature.ValidateBasic()
    verify len(c.Signatures) not 0
  // Verify the signer
  If !sd.Signer.IsEmpty():
    verify sd.Signature.Verify(sd.Signer.PubKey, sd.Data.MarshalBinary())

Block Validation

Blocks are composed of SignedHeader and Data:

// Block validation happens by validating header and data separately
// then ensuring data hash matches
verify SignedHeader.ValidateBasic() == nil
verify Data.Hash() == SignedHeader.DataHash

Verification Against Previous Block

SignedHeader.Verify(untrustedHeader *SignedHeader)
  // Basic validation is handled by go-header before this
  Header.Verify(untrustedHeader)
    // Verify height sequence
    if untrustedHeader.Height != h.Height + 1:
      if untrustedHeader.Height > h.Height + 1:
        return soft verification failure
      return error "headers are not adjacent"
    // Verify the link to previous header
    verify untrustedHeader.LastHeaderHash == h.Header.Hash()
    // Verify LastCommit hash matches previous signature
    verify untrustedHeader.LastCommitHash == sh.Signature.GetCommitHash(...)
    // Note: ValidatorHash field exists for compatibility but is not validated

Data

Field Name	Valid State	Validation
Txs	Transaction data of the block	Data.Hash() == SignedHeader.DataHash
Metadata	Optional p2p gossiping metadata	Not validated

SignedHeader

Field Name	Valid State	Validation
Header	Valid header for the block	Header passes ValidateBasic() and Verify()
Signature	Valid signature from the single sequencer	Signature passes ValidateBasic(), verified against signer
Signer	Information about who signed the header	Must match ProposerAddress if not empty (based chain case)
verifier	Optional custom signature verification function	Used instead of default verification if set

Header

Note: Evolve has moved to a single signer model. The multi-validator architecture has been replaced with a simpler single sequencer approach.

Field Name	Valid State	Validation
BaseHeader
Height	Height of the previous accepted header, plus 1.	checked in the `Verify()`` step
Time	Timestamp of the block	Not validated in Evolve
ChainID	The hard-coded ChainID of the chain	Should be checked as soon as the header is received
Header .
Version	unused
LastHeaderHash	The hash of the previous accepted block	checked in the `Verify()`` step
LastCommitHash	The hash of the previous accepted block's commit	checked in the `Verify()`` step
DataHash	Correct hash of the block's Data field	checked in the `ValidateBasic()`` step
ConsensusHash	unused
AppHash	The correct state root after executing the block's transactions against the accepted state	checked during block execution
LastResultsHash	Correct results from executing transactions	checked during block execution
ProposerAddress	Address of the expected proposer	Must match Signer.Address in SignedHeader
ValidatorHash	Compatibility field for Tendermint light client	Not validated

Signer

The Signer type replaces the previous ValidatorSet for single sequencer operation:

Field Name	Valid State	Validation
PubKey	Public key of the signer	Must not be nil if Signer is not empty
Address	Address derived from the public key	Must match ProposerAddress