Agenda and Meeting Overview

The 26th Polygon Protocol Governance Call focused on three main topics:

• PIP-48: Introduction of Path Based Storage Schemes (PBSS) in the Polygon PoS Bor update version 1.5.0.
• DNS Discovery Implementation: Modeled after EIP-1459 to enhance node synchronization.
• PIP-47 Update: Upgrades to the Polygon Protocol Council.

PIPs Discussed

• PIP-48: Path Based Storage Schemes
• PIP-47: Introduction of a multi-threshold multisig system to the Protocol Council

PIP-48: Introduction of Path Based Storage Schemes

Jerry Chen from the Polygon Labs team discussed PIP-48, which introduces PBSS to replace the legacy Hash Based Storage Schemes (HBSS). PBSS is a new storage scheme adopted from Ethereum, providing a different method of storing trie nodes in the database.

Previously, with HBSS, whenever an account balance changed due to a transaction, the nodes storing the trie node for that balance would create a new entry in the database. With PBSS, these additional entries are unnecessary because the same balance is stored under the same account path.

Benefits of PBSS over HBSS include:

• Significant reduction in storage requirements for nodes: Storage reduced by approximately 74%, from 2.5 TB to 900 GB.
• Decreased block execution time: Reduced by about 60%, from 0.8 seconds to 0.3 seconds.
• Reduced memory usage: Decreased by around 50%.
• Elimination of pruning: New data overwrites old data in the database, so pruning is no longer required.

PBSS can be used for all types of Polygon nodes (except full archive nodes) but is not backward compatible. The Polygon team recommends that all node operators switch to this new version to benefit from reduced storage and memory requirements and increased block execution speed. The current release still uses HBSS as the default storage scheme, but the next release will switch to PBSS as the default. This upgrade was already pushed to the Amoy testnet on October 24th, 2024.

DNS Discovery

Dan Moore from the Dev Tools team at Polygon Labs discussed the node discovery via DNS upgrade. This upgrade is based on EIP-1459 and improves the ability for nodes to sync with the chain. For context, it is not uncommon for nodes to be unable to sync with the chain because they cannot find peers (other nodes to connect with to share blockchain data).

Node Discovery via DNS:

Node discovery via DNS is a method to bootstrap peer connections for nodes in a more secure and efficient way. Traditionally, when discovering peers, nodes would rely on "initial distributed hash table nodes"—entry points for new nodes joining the network—which could be unreliable. DNS discovery addresses this issue, resulting in near-instant connectivity to hundreds of peers out of the box. By adding the Ethereum Node Record (ENR) Tree URL to the P2P DNS discovery configuration, node operators gain access to a large set of healthy nodes to reliably sync with the chain.

Benefits of this upgrade include:

• Significant reduction in node sync times.
• Improved developer experience for operating nodes.
• Enhanced network stability through reductions in block reorganizations.
• Faster transaction broadcasting and block propagation.
• Enhanced security by signing the node list with a private key and including the public key in the ENR tree URL, allowing clients to directly verify the integrity of the node list.

Implementation Details:

• The Polygon team designed a Merkle tree structure for node lists that allows for incremental synchronization of peers, so Polygon Bor doesn't have to download the entire node list every time. It can add, sync, or remove new peers while running.
• They have a highly scalable DNS provider ensuring high availability and uptime.
• Polygon will run a series of high-bandwidth relay nodes to maximize the number of peers for the community. The team has observed over 650 peers on each node.
• Node Peering Settings: The default setting for peering is currently 200, but in many of the nodes set up by the Polygon team for the community, the default is set to 2,000. Due to the "dial ratio," where peering nodes can only dial one-third of the max peer number, it's important to set it sufficiently high to maximize peering.
• Polygon’s Bor nodes will auto-detect new peers and have monitoring and alerts in place to detect any DNS or relay node issues for quick resolution.

Future Possibilities:

• The model supports linking to other node lists, potentially allowing for collaboration with partners who maintain their own node lists and creating a federated network of trusted node lists.
• The Polygon team encourages all node operators and validators to integrate these changes to take advantage of these improvements.
• The team believes they are setting a new standard for network stability and performance by leveraging authenticated and updatable node lists.

PIP-47: An Update

Christopher Von Hessert from the Security team at Polygon Labs provided an update on PIP-47. PIP-47 aims to move the current Protocol Council setup on Gnosis Safe into a new setup being built by the Aragon team, consolidating all governance activities into a single environment.

While acknowledging that this would improve the governance experience on Polygon and reduce complexity, the team stated there are security considerations to address before implementing this change. These include not only smart contract security but also the web interface and its integrations.

Security Considerations:

• The Polygon security team frames this issue by considering that in the future, Polygon governance could be responsible for billions of dollars in total value locked—not only in Polygon but also across the entire Polygon ecosystem. As this would be the most critical system in the ecosystem, the team is taking security very seriously and will delay the implementation of PIP-47 until all aspects of security are thoroughly examined.
• Although the smart contracts have been audited, the team feels that additional testing and reviews are necessary, perhaps adopting a phased approach to ensure secure implementation.
• Concerns extend to user interfaces—the web assets, their hosting locations, management, and operational aspects. These areas require further work, not just in terms of reviews but also in building operational processes and monitoring to ensure system availability and security, minimizing the risk of manipulation.

Current Plan:

• For the time being, the Polygon team will continue using Gnosis Safe for all transactions.
• According to Christopher Von Hessert, the team wants to ensure that any new implementation matches the security level of Gnosis Safe and its underlying infrastructure. Therefore, they will continue to use the existing multi-signature setup with Gnosis Safe.
• These will be connected to the new governance hub that Aragon and the Polygon governance team are building together. While they will be using the governance hub, the final on-chain signatures will still be performed using Gnosis Safe.

Season 1 of Polygon’s Community Grants Program

Polygon's Season 1 Community Grant Program allocated 34 million MATIC to foster innovation on its protocols, receiving over 700 applications between June 11th and August 31st, 2024. The program operated through two tracks: the General Grant Track for all Polygon builders and the Consumer Crypto Track aimed at driving consumer adoption. Out of the total allocation, 4,029,625.10 MATIC will be committed—3,761,662 MATIC distributed to approved projects and the remainder covering operational costs.

Grants were awarded across 11 categories, with a significant emphasis on consumer applications like Social-Fi, NFT, Gaming, and Game-Fi, which collectively accounted for over 26% of approved applications. Notably, more than 40% of accepted projects are multinational teams—many at the MVP stage without prior funding—indicating Polygon's success in attracting new developers and projects globally. The program's focus on clear, measurable milestones in grant proposals has ensured alignment with the ecosystem's growth objectives.

The first season's outcomes demonstrate a robust demand for building consumer-facing applications on Polygon, surpassing traditional crypto VC landscapes in both diversity and global reach. For a detailed breakdown and deeper insights, check out the full Transparency & Impact Report made in collaboration with Blockworks Research.

Conclusion

The 26th Polygon Protocol Governance Call highlighted significant advancements in network performance and stability through PIP-48 and the implementation of DNS Discovery. These upgrades are expected to greatly benefit node operators and enhance the overall efficiency of the Polygon network. The delay in implementing PIP-47 underscores the team's commitment to security, ensuring that governance structures are robust before proceeding with critical changes. Node operators and validators are encouraged to adopt the new updates to take full advantage of the improvements, as the Polygon team continues to set new standards for network stability and performance. Season 1 of Polygon’s Community Grants Program focused on consumer applications surpassed traditional crypto VC landscapes in both diversity and global reach

 

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