Welcome to the magical space journey of the Namada Shielded Expedition (Namada SE)! On this passionate path, our Pilots and crew members have bravely faced difficult challenges, traversing each planet and turning off the universe to reach the promised land of the mainnet and claim precious rewards.
OriginStake is thrilled to introduce a series of interviews with our warriors, providing an opportunity to gain deeper insights into this innovative and thrilling testnet program. In today’s interview series, we will witness the sincere and profound sharing from the Pilot team of Cosmostation.
Let’s sit down and chat with us to explore our battle journey! This is a great opportunity to learn more about the individuals behind the success of the Namada SE and how we overcame all challenges.
Q&A
Q: Hello Cosmostation team, could you briefly introduce your team?
A: Hello everyone! Cosmostation is a leading crypto infrastructure company headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Since our inception in 2018, we have been at the forefront of providing crucial infrastructure solutions that enable protocols to scale effectively across more than 70 blockchain networks.
Our suite of products includes validator node operation, staking as a service, block explorer development, wallet services, and API services. At Cosmostation, we are deeply committed to the cypherpunk ethos, emphasizing privacy, security, and decentralization in all our operations. We consider our community to be our most valuable asset and the cornerstone of our success.
By delivering reliable and scalable infrastructure solutions, Cosmostation has played a pivotal role in the growth and development of numerous blockchain protocols. Our expertise and dedication have made us a trusted partner in the rapidly evolving cryptocurrency ecosystem.
Q: What motivated you to join the Namada Shielded Expedition, and what were your initial expectations?
A: Our primary motivation for joining the Namada Shielded Expedition was the opportunity to explore advanced privacy technology in blockchain. Namada’s innovative approach to privacy-preserving transactions caught our attention, and we saw the expedition as a chance to gain hands-on experience with this cutting-edge platform. Enabling privacy across various vectors is an objective crucial to the mass adoption of blockchain technology, and Namada is at the forefront of this effort.
Q: As a top 50 pilot, can you describe your journey throughout the race? What were some key milestones for you?
A: As pilot validators in the Namada NEBB, we encountered unique challenges due to Namada’s custom application layer built on CometBFT. This architecture, designed to support shield transactions and other proprietary features, distinguishes Namada from typical Cosmos SDK-based chains. While adapting to this ecosystem required significant effort, it provided valuable insights into privacy-focused blockchain platforms.
A key highlight of our journey was our contribution to the Namada ecosystem. We identified a critical gap in Namada’s CLI functionality: the absence of a key conversion feature for matching key formats after generating new validator keys for rotation. We developed and proposed a key-convert command to address this issue.
Our proposal was successfully merged into Namada’s codebase (GitHub PR: https://github.com/anoma/namada/pull/2516), enhancing Namada’s functionality and securing our NEBB S class status. Other teams faced similar challenges and appreciated our solution, underscoring its broader impact.
Q: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during the expedition, and how did you overcome them?
A: A primary challenge during the Namada NEBB was adapting to frequent updates and managing major system changes, including hard-fork upgrades, on the Namada testnet without errors. The constant updates demanded significant attention and flexibility from validators. To mitigate these challenges, our team developed a Namada validator monitoring tool for checking epoch health status. Recognizing the broader utility of our monitored on-chain state, we deployed a validators miss counter dashboard, providing all pilots with crucial information about their consensus participation.
Hard-fork upgrades presented additional risks of improper execution or potential rollbacks. We addressed these by preparing backup nodes and data, enabling us to manage various scenarios during the complex upgrade process proactively. This meticulous preparation ensured smooth upgrades and continuous node operation.
These strategic efforts contributed to Cosmostation achieving exceptional uptime results during the NEBB process, as acknowledged in the Namada forum. This demonstrates our commitment to operational excellence and proactive problem-solving in challenging blockchain environments.
You can check it out here: https://forum.namada.net/t/nominations-outstanding-shielded-expedition-submissions-contributions/644
Q: Can you share a particularly memorable or impactful moment from your experience in the Namada Shielded Expedition?
A: A notably significant experience during the Namada NEBB occurred during the hard-fork upgrade, which catalyzed extensive communication among numerous pilots. The decentralized nature of the validator community, with participants dispersed across various geographical regions, typically limits opportunities for collective interaction. However, the complex tasks associated with the hard-fork upgrade in the NEBB process necessitated increased collaboration. Validators actively shared clarifications on confusing aspects and exchanged critical information.
This collaborative approach to problem-solving not only facilitated a smoother upgrade process but also fostered a sense of community among the participants. The experience underscored the importance of effective communication and mutual support within decentralized networks, particularly during critical operational phases.
Q: The NEBB ranking has seen a lot of changes throughout the race. How did you feel about these fluctuations, and how did they impact your strategy?
A: The Discord community provided insights into the dynamic NEBB rankings and diverse strategies employed by pilots. While successfully completing numerous tasks and achieving S-class scores, our team’s focus evolved. Initially concerned with rankings, we shifted our attention to core validator responsibilities, emphasizing tooling and monitoring development. Recognizing the long-term value in preparing for mainnet operations, we prioritized enhancing validator tooling and uptime management. This strategic pivot proved more meaningful for our NEBB journey, aligning with our professional objectives and positioning us to contribute effectively to the Namada ecosystem. Our approach demonstrates adaptability and a commitment to operational excellence, prioritizing sustainable network support over short-term competitive gains. This experience reinforced the importance of strategic focus in blockchain network participation, highlighting our proactive stance in validator operations.
Q: What technical aspects of the Namada platform stood out to you, and how did they influence your performance in the race?
A: The Namada platform distinguished itself through notable technical features in privacy, governance, and validator operations. The privacy-focused design, particularly the implementation of wrapped transactions for enhanced confidentiality, presented an intriguing challenge for our team, given our expertise in block explorer development. This feature prompted us to innovate in effectively presenting wrapped and shielded transactions to users.
From a governance perspective, the introduction of public goods funding proposals and the incorporation of temporal indices like epochs facilitated a deeper understanding of validator contributions and efficient key rotation strategies. These unique aspects enabled our team to consistently develop and distribute essential tooling, conduct thorough research, and maintain S-class performance throughout the process. Furthermore, the platform provided a valuable opportunity to test IBC transaction connectivity with existing Cosmos SDK-based chains.
This comprehensive experience not only showcased Namada’s innovative approach to blockchain technology but also allowed our team to demonstrate our adaptability and expertise in navigating novel blockchain architectures.
Q: With the numerous bugs and postponements, what kept you motivated to stay the course and continue competing?
A: Despite the challenges of bugs and postponements, several factors kept us motivated. The responsive and transparent communication from the Namada team was crucial in maintaining trust. Additionally, each setback presented an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the platform. The supportive community and the shared sense of contributing to groundbreaking technology also played a significant role in keeping us engaged and committed to the process.
Q: How do you view Namada’s approach to privacy on the blockchain, and what do you think sets it apart from other platforms?
A: Namada’s approach to privacy is both innovative and pragmatic. Its multi-asset shielded pool, allowing for privacy-preserving transactions across different assets, sets it apart from single-asset privacy solutions. Namada’s focus on interoperability with other blockchain networks while maintaining privacy is a unique feature that positions it well for real-world adoption. The balance Namada strikes between privacy and regulatory compliance is also commendable and forward-thinking.
Q: Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently in your approach to the race?
A: In retrospect, we would have invested more time in understanding the theoretical foundations of zero-knowledge proofs earlier in the race. While we eventually gained this knowledge, having it from the start would have been advantageous. Additionally, we would have engaged more actively with the community from the beginning, as we later realized the immense value of collaborative problem-solving and shared insights.
Q: Can you describe a particularly challenging puzzle or task you encountered during the expedition and how you managed to solve it?
A: While managing tasks and validator operations, we identified several features missing in Namada for our existing system. To address this, we directly contributed and made core-level modifications to enhance the system. Through this process, we discovered that the Namada chain is a novel application blockchain platform, distinct from the typical Cosmos SDK-based chains. This realization required us to invest considerable time in developing the necessary features.
However, with active discussions and support from the Namada indexer teams on the vibrant Discord community, we successfully implemented these features and resolved the issues.
Q: How do you envision the future of privacy on the blockchain, especially in light of your experiences with Namada?
A: Our experience with Namada has reinforced our belief that privacy will be a crucial aspect of future blockchain ecosystems. We envision a future where privacy-preserving transactions become the norm rather than the exception. Namada’s approach demonstrates that it’s possible to have strong privacy guarantees without sacrificing interoperability or regulatory compliance. We believe we’ll see more platforms adopting similar principles, leading to a more privacy-conscious blockchain landscape.
Q: What role do you see Namada playing in the broader blockchain ecosystem in the coming years?
A: We see Namada potentially becoming a key player in bridging the gap between privacy-focused and public blockchain networks. Its interoperable nature could make it a crucial hub for privacy-preserving cross-chain transactions. Namada’s innovative approach to multi-asset privacy could set new standards in the industry, influencing how other platforms approach privacy. As regulatory scrutiny around cryptocurrency increases, Namada’s balanced approach to privacy and compliance could position it as a model for responsible innovation in the space.
Q: As the race comes to an end, what are your thoughts and emotions about reaching this point?
A: Reaching the end of the race brings a mix of emotions. There’s a sense of accomplishment in having persevered through the challenges and contributed to this innovative project. There’s also excitement about the future possibilities that Namada opens up. At the same time, there’s a touch of reflection on the intense period of learning and community engagement. Overall, I feel grateful for the experience and optimistic about the impact of our collective efforts on the future of blockchain privacy.
Q: Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring pilots who are considering joining future races or similar blockchain expeditions?
A: To aspiring pilots, I would advise embracing the learning process fully. These expeditions are not just competitions but invaluable learning experiences. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes – they often lead to the most significant learnings. Engage actively with the community; the collective knowledge and support of fellow participants are incredible resources. Stay adaptable and resilient, as the ability to adapt is crucial in the fast-paced world of blockchain.
Finally, approach the experience with curiosity and enthusiasm. The excitement of working on cutting-edge technology and the relationships built along the way are as valuable as any ranking or reward.
Closing
Thank you to Cosmostation for sharing your incredible journey and insights. Your contributions to the Namada Shielded Expedition have been invaluable, and we look forward to seeing how you continue to shape the future of blockchain technology.
Stay tuned for more interviews with other remarkable pilots from the Namada Shielded Expedition!
About Cosmostation
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