Architecture

Cartesi's architecture cleverly bridges the gap between traditional software development and blockchain technology by implementing off-chain computation in a Linux environment. This innovative architecture consists of the following core components:

Cartesi Machine

RISC-V Architecture

The Cartesi Machine simulates a RISC-V CPU, which is a simple and modular Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) that is well-suited for formal verification and low-level computing. This ISA forms the foundation of the Cartesi Machine's virtual hardware.

Integration with the Linux Kernel

Cartesi Machine runs a full Linux operating system, allowing developers to use standard Linux tools, libraries, and programming languages. This integration is achieved by cross-compiling Linux software to the RISC-V architecture, effectively making Cartesi Machine a Linux-based virtual machine running off-chain.

Deterministic Execution

Cartesi Machine has the characteristic of deterministic execution, which means that the same input will always produce the same output no matter in what execution environment. This determinism is crucial for the reproducibility of off-chain computation, allowing others to verify the results without the need for trust.

Interaction between off-chain and on-chain

Cartesi Machine interacts with on-chain components through a series of smart contracts. These contracts are responsible for submitting data to the Cartesi machine, triggering computation, and retrieving results. This architecture allows for complex computations to be executed off-chain, anchoring only necessary data on-chain, significantly reducing gas costs and improving overall efficiency.

Noether Sidechain

Noether is a specialized sidechain that is used to ensure the availability of data used in off-chain computing. This data availability layer is important because off-chain Cartesi Machine computation relies on data that is accessible to all parties involved. Noether uses a proof-of-stake mechanism to maintain its network, where stakers provide and validate data storage.

Unlike the permanent data storage of traditional blockchains, Noether is optimized for temporary storage. This design is particularly suitable for applications that require short-term storage of large data sets, such as off-chain computing tasks. The data can be discarded after use, greatly reducing storage costs.

In short, Noether is committed to managing data availability in a decentralized manner, ensuring that data is not controlled by a single entity. This is achieved through a network of nodes: these nodes collectively store and provide the data required by Cartesi applications.

Protocol

The Cartesi protocol implements secure and verifiable off-chain computation while maintaining the integrity and security of the blockchain.

Descartes Framework

The Descartes framework allows developers to run complex computations off-chain using the Cartesi Machine. It ensures that the results of these computations are reproducible and verifiable. Descartes handles the execution environment, where input is processed within the Cartesi Machine and the results are submitted back to the blockchain.

Descartes contains a dispute resolution mechanism where the Cartesi protocol can break down computations into smaller steps that can be individually verified on-chain if participants challenge the results of the computation. This process ensures that any incorrect results can be detected and corrected without having to re-run the entire computation on-chain.

Verifiable Computation

The results generated by Cartesi Machine are anchored to the blockchain through encrypted proofs. These proofs allow any party to verify the correctness of the computation without trusting the original executor.

Rollups

Cartesi uses rollup technology to aggregate multiple transactions or computations into a single on-chain transaction. This reduces the load on the blockchain and allows for higher throughput. Rollup helps maintain the security of the underlying layer (such as Ethereum) while offloading computational work to the Cartesi Machine.

Cartesi supports Optimistic Rollup and Zero-Knowledge (ZK) Rollup. Optimistic Rollup assumes all transactions are valid and only verifies on-chain in case of dispute. ZK Rollup uses cryptographic proofs to ensure the validity of each batch of transactions. Both Rollup technologies provide solutions to scalability issues by reducing the amount of on-chain processing and storage.

bright spot

• Cartesi Machine: Simulates a RISC-V CPU with a Linux operating system, enabling developers to perform off-chain computation using standard programming languages and tools.
• Deterministic Execution: Ensuring the reproducibility of calculations, allowing for verifiable and trustless results.
• Off-chain and on-chain interactions: Smart contracts manage data submissions and computation results to optimize gas usage and efficiency.
• Noether sidechain: Manage data availability using a decentralized network, optimized for ephemeral data storage to reduce costs.
• Rollup: Supports Optimistic Rollup and Zero-knowledge Rollup, improving scalability by aggregating multiple transactions into a single on-chain transaction.