Shardus


Software to enable a decentralized world.

Shardus is building distributed ledger software to remedy the problems of traditional blockchains — scalability, decentralization and efficiency. The technology being developed will use compute and state sharding to accommodate billions of daily active users, allowing for global-scale decentralized networks. The Shardeum and Liberdus networks will be launched using this technology.
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Technology

All peer-to-peer networks built using Shardus will benefit from sharding and auto-scaling to provide high throughput, low latency, and immediate finality while maintaining the highest level of decentralization and security.


The supporting technology that allows for these features is our unique Shardus Consensus Algorithm, which is based on Proof-of-Quorum, in combination with the Shardus Distributed Ledger, which addresses the problems of linear scaling and state sharding as the network grows.

Whitepaper

Features

Shardus logo
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Fast

Transactions are processed immediately and not grouped into blocks resulting in fully confirmed transaction times of just a few seconds.
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Scalable Processing

Transactions are routed to groups of nodes (shards) so that not all nodes have to process all transactions and the network can scale to millions of transactions per second.
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Scalable Storage

State data is distributed across multiple shards resulting in networks that can hold trillions of accounts without requiring each node to provide petabytes of storage.
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Truly Decentralized

Off the shelf computers can be used as full nodes to earn a steady regular income without joining mining pools and providing the highest level of decentralization.
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Secure

Proof-of-Quorum consensus provides the highest level of security and data consistency while maintaining energy efficiency.
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Sustainable

Fixed periodic distributions given to nodes for providing resources removes the variance in reward and allows for long-term sustainable incentives.

Token

The Shardus Token is an ERC-20 compliant token. The token is distributed for direct services contributed to the Shardus project and used for licensing the Shardus software. If you want to earn Shardus tokens, please let us know what you can do for the project. A report of distributed tokens is published each month.


The Shardus Token was previously called the "Unblocked Ledger Token" with the symbol ULT. It may still be listed on other sites with this name and symbol. Tokens available in the market are offered by individuals who have earned the tokens. The Shardus project does not trade it's token.

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Bounties

We offer various bounties for finding errors, video production, referring developers and more. Current bounties can be found here.

Bounties

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Roadmap

  • 2011

  • Q4 2011

    ✓ Research Started

    Simulation and study of consensus algorithms started.

  • 2016

  • Q2 2016

    ✓ Consensus and Ledger Design Started

    Design of consensus algorithm and distributed ledger started.

  • 2017

  • Q2 2017

    ✓ Consensus Algorithm Defined

    Specifications for the consensus algorithm completed.

  • Q3 2017

    ✓ Ledger Specs Defined

    Specifications for the distributed ledger completed.

  • Q4 2017

    ✓ Consensus Algorithm Testing

    Small-scale testing of the consensus algorithm was carried out.

  • 2018

  • Q1 2018

    ✓ Legal Counsel

    Legal opinion on the project funding model was obtained.

     

    ✓ Launch Preparation

    The website and whitepaper were developed.

  • Q2 2018

    ✓ Project Launch

    The project was launched as Unblocked Ledger Coin. No ICO needed.

     

    ✓ Team Expanded

    The core team has been expanded with more developers.

  • Q3 2018

    ✓ Rebranding

    The Project was rebranded from Unblocked Ledger to Shardus.

     

    ✓ Consensus Algorithm Development

    The Shardus Consensus Algorithm for a single shard was developed.

     

    ✓ Consensus Algorithm Testing

    Large-scale testing of the Shardus Consensus Algorithm was carried out on global network.

     

    ✓ Shardus Wallet Development

    The Shardus mobile app and web wallet were developed.

     

    ✓ Social Media Content

    Videos, blog posts and other content explaining the Shardus project were developed.

     

    ✓ Quarterly Status Event

    The team gave a demo of the Drift concensus algorithm.

  • Q4 2018

    ✓ Shardus Enterprise Server

    The first version of the Shardus server software will be developed using only one shard and simple transactions.

     

    ✓ Shardus Wallet Update

    The Shardus mobile and web wallet will be updated to work with the Enterprise server.

     

    ✓ Quarterly Status Event

    The team gave a demo of 20 node unsharded network for simple coin transfer along with a mobile wallet app. The network got out of sync.

  • 2019

  • Q1 2019

    ✓ Shardus Enterprise Server

    Node rotation, load detection, rate limiting and auto scaling added to the Shardus server software.

     

    ✓ Shardus Wallet Update

    The Shardus mobile and web wallet will be updated to work with the Enterprise server.

     

    ✓ Quarterly Status Event

    The team gave a demo of a 20 node unsharded network with node rotation, auto-scaling and rate-limiting. The network ran at 50 TPS.

  • Q2 2019

    ✓ Shardus Enterprise Server

    Lost node detection added to the server.

     

    ✓ Shardus Global Server

    Initial implementation of sharding. Demo sharding in static network. Added lost node detection, transaction routing, cross shard consensus and communication, partition repair.

     

    ✓ Quarterly Status Event

    The team gave a demo of the development tools. Also demoed a 15 node sharded network with transactions hitting multiple shards. But the network was static with all nodes joining at the beginning.

  • Q3 2019

    ✓ Shardus Global Server

    Demo sharding in dynamic network. Support for archive server and data repair in progress.

     

    ✓ Liberdus Website Development

    The Liberdus payment network Website developed to build a community for the project.

     

    ✓ Quarterly Status Event

    The team demonstrated sharding in a dynamic network to acheive linear scaling. A 10 node sharded network was able to process 100 TPS and when it grew to 40 nodes it was able to process 400 TPS.

  • Q4 2019

    ✓ Shardus Global Server

    Support for archive server and data repair in progress.

     

    ✓ Liberdus Server Development

    The Liberdus payment network application was developed by forking the Shardus software and modifying the application layer.

     

    ✓ Liberdus Wallet Development

    The Liberdus wallet was developed with support for coin transfer, secure messaging, and DAO for funding projects and adjusting economic parameters.

     

    ✓ Quarterly Status Event

    The team demonstrated the Liberdus network and wallet

  • 2020

  • Q1 2020

    ✓ Shardus Global Server

    Converted code base to TypeScript. Rework of the Peer-to-peer network consensus code. Code converted to TypwScript. Archive server storing cycles. Auto NAT traversal. Node admin interface. Global accounts feature added. Docker image for Rasberry Pi. Improvement to the data repair code. Documentation rewrite.

     

    ✓ Liberdus Test Network

    The public Liberdus test network was released for validators to download the binaries and join the network.

     

    ✓ Quarterly Status Event

    The team demonstrated the proposal and voting features of the Liberdus DAO. Also demoed running a validator node for the Liberdus network using a VPS and Rasberry Pi.

  • Q2 2020

    ✓ Shardus Global Server

    Improvement to the data repair code. Archive Server feature enhancements. Code hardening.

     

    ✓ Liberdus Test Network

    Experiment with network parameters. Code hardening.

     

    ✓ Quarterly Status Event

    The team demonstrated rebooting a sharded network and recovering the state even when only a fraction of the nodes rejoin.

  • Q3 2020

    ✓ Shardus Server

    Merging of Enterprise and Global server. Trustless transaction verification. Map reduce for stats in sharded network. Archive Server feature enhancements. Sharded network stability improvement. Shardus CLI improvements.

     

    ✓ Liberdus Test Network

    Redesign of the Liberdus UI. Development of the Liberdus Explorer. Code hardening

     

    ✓ Quarterly Status Event

    The team demonstrated the Liberdus explorer, the new Liberdus UI and the trustless transaction verification system.

  • Q4 2020

    ✓ Shardus Server

    Archive servers are able join the network and sync with others.

     

    ✓ Liberdus Test Network

    Liberdus server stability improvements. Code hardening

     

    ✓ Quarterly Status Event

    The team demonstrated linear scaling on a network of AWS t3.miros running across 20 data centers. A sharded 20 node network was able to acheive 100 TPS and a sharded 200 node network was able to hit 1000 TPS.

  • 2021

  • Q1 2021

    ✓ Auto-scaling

    The team tried to demonstrate auto-scaling, but had issies with nodes getting out of sync when the network was scaling down.

  • Q2 2021

    ✓ Auto-scaling

    The gossip algorithm was improved. The team demonstrated auto-scaling and linear scaling, with a network of 20 nodes growing to 80 nodes as the transaction throughput increased. When the transaction load was decreased the network shrank back down to 20 nodes.

  • Q3 2021

    ✓ Large Network

    The team demonstrated the PeerSwap decentralized network built with Shardus. Also demonstrated linear and auto-scaling by growing a new network on AWS to 1000 nodes and achieving 5000 TPS.

  • Q4 2021

    Shardeum Prototype

    Demonstrate an EVM compatible smart contract platform built on Shardus

  • 2022

  • Q1 2022

    Shardeum Prototype

  • Q2 2022

    Shardeum Alpha-net

  • Q3 2022

    Shardeum Beta-net

  • Q4 2022

    Shardeum Main-net

Team

Aamir Syed
Aamir Syed

Developer

Kaung Myatthu
Kaung Myatthu

Developer

Andrew Foster
Andrew Foster

Developer

Zahoor Mohamed
Zahoor Mohamed

Developer

Jai Raj Rana Magar
Jai Raj Rana Magar

Developer

Ahmed Iqbal
Ahmed Iqbal

Developer

Thant Sin Toe
Thant Sin Toe

Developer

Omar Syed
Omar Syed

Developer

Dan Ingamells
Dan Ingamells

Researcher/Technical Writer

Greg Hemmer
Greg Hemmer

Partnership Manager

Shahzad Nathani
Shahzad Nathani

Head of Business Development

Marc Mattox
Marc Mattox

Community Relations

Leon Gaban
Leon Gaban

Community Relations

Farhin Ali
Farhin Ali

Advisor

Grant Gulovsen
Grant Gulovsen

Legal Advisor

Joe Schloesser
Joe Schloesser

Advisor

Ghousuddin Syed
Ghousuddin Syed

Advisor

Naoll Merdassa
Naoll Merdassa

Advisor

You?
You?

Developer

FAQ

What is Shardus?

Shardus is a project with a mission to develop technology for the public benefit. It's focus is on advancing distributed ledger technology. The software developed by Shardus will be the foundation for global-scale decentralized networks. The Shardus software can be used as a starting point for other public or private decentralized networks by adding a custom transaction layer. Decentralized application which are built using Shardus will inherit many features including scalability, decentralization, effiency and sustainability. Applications built using Shardus will scale to accommodate more throughput as demand grows, simply by adding more nodes to the network.

What is Shardeum?

Shardeum is a smart contract platform built using the Shardus software. It uses the Ethereum Virtual Machine and is 100% compatible with Ethereum. It will have bridges to Ethereum and many other networks. Shardeum will have high transaction throughput, very low transaction fees, and true decentralization.

What is Liberdus?

Liberdus is the first application built using the Shardus software. It’s core function will be the payment network and coin. Liberdus will have very fast transaction times, very low transaction fees, and sustainable rewards for validators. Liberdus holders can participate in the future direction of the network by voting on economic parameters like transaction fees, validator rewards and a maintenance fund.

Is there a token for this project?

Yes, there is a token on the Ethereum network called Shardus with the symbol (ULT). In the past this token was called Unblocked Ledger Token before being renamed to Shardus. The token is given in exchange for code development and bounty completion. The token is given at a rate of $0.10 per token. The token is not sold in a presale or an ICO. Nor does the Shardus project sell the token on exchanges to raise funds.

What is the utility of the tokens?

The Shardus tokens are needed for licensing the Shardus software.

How can I obtain tokens?

To obtain the tokens directly from the Shardus project, you need to contribute effort or resources to the project. Tokens cannot be obtained from the project for any form or money, crypto or fiat. If you are a developer you should fill out the Join form and apply to join the development team to earn tokens that way. We also post bounties from time to time and you can earn tokens by completing them. You can also buy or sell the tokens from an exchange or from those who have earned the token. The Shardus project is not involved with exchange listings or facilitating trades.

Is the Shardus project open source?

Once the project is completed, the source code will be made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license. After 50 years, it will be available under a Creative Commons BY license with no restrictions. Anyone interested in reviewing the code during development, may do so with a NDA which expires after the code is released.

Where can I get answers to more questions?

You can check the Advanced FAQ on our Project Wiki. If you still have questions, email [email protected] or ask on our subreddit r/Shardus.

Join Us

We are looking for awesome engineers. If you want to be on the cutting edge of blockchain technology and build a product that will change the world, send us a note. If you can support the project in other ways, please let us know.

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