JATO: The Last Step Before Mainnet

TL;DR

Although we recommend reading this major release and all the significant details — especially before going live. We’ve made a nice short version for those not inclined.

Ssv.network has introduced Jato, the latest iteration of our public testnet, bringing an end to 2+ years of public testnets.
A quick look at how the ssv.network got to where we are today.
Jato is our mainnet candidate and provides:

(1) Major gas cost optimization
(2) Improved validator account management
(3) Increasing the number of nodes that run a validator.

Introduces permissioned operators for tailored user bases, more customization, and more control over staking operations.
When is Mainnet? — in short — Smart contract audits, Implement feedback and recommendations for Jato, release candidate goes live, and finally, Mainnet!
The crucial role of DVT / ssv.network in the Shanghai update.
Jato documentation & setup

Ssv.network Testnet V3 has Arrived

Introducing, Jato, the latest iteration of our public testnet. Building on 2+ years of public Distributed Validator Technology (DVT) testnets.

Jato represents the culmination of countless hours, lines of code, and contributions to make the final updates before mainnet. The future of ETH staking is finally here! Find out what it looks like today.

Building DVT for Scale

Jato commemorates the beginning and the end. The beginning of our countdown towards mainnet. And the end of 2+ years of public DVT testnets.

So, welcome Jato, our mainnet candidate. With Jato taking the reins ssv.network will make the final steps toward our vision of decentralizing Ethereum’s proof-of-stake (PoS)consensus.

Achieving this vision means that the majority (our goal of 67%) of staked ETH must run through DVT. This means the network must be able to scale the number of validators and the nodes operating inside it. And Jato does just that.

Under the hood, Jato will deliver:

Gas cost optimization
Improved scalability
Increase operator liveness
Provides a more modular approach to managing validators
Increasing the number of nodes running a validator(s)
Introduces permissioned operators

The Evolution of ssv.network

Solving the challenge of scale has been a catalyst for creating ssv.network as a multi-cluster DVT Network. This implementation gives stakers a choice of many diverse nodes (a.k.a operators) in the network to run their validator.

Each stakeholder in the ecosystem can focus on their product, service, or staking operation while ssv.network handles all the validator complexities in the background. This, however, is no easy feat.

To get to where we are today, the team spent countless hours of R&D and testing to develop our public testnets. Shifu — the V2 testnet — saw the creation of a new network topology. Ensuring the protocol can scale the network’s number of validators and operators.

After months of publicly running the Shifu testnet, we transitioned to Shifu V2, the multi-duty update. This enabled validators to support all Beaconchain duties. A first for DVT.

To enable ssv.network’s zero coordination capabilities, we added a smart contract layer. Doing things “the blockchain way” introduces complexity and comes at a cost, a gas cost, to be exact.

On-chain registration ensures optimal security with effortless and trustless cluster configurations. Ultimately, on-chain registration allows you to ensure that the keys are verifiable on-chain and could never get lost in a catastrophic event.

JATO — Assisting DVT’s Official Take-Off

We’ve named our last testnet Jato. Because it’s precisely that. A Jet-Assisted Take-Off for ssv.network!

In other contexts, Jato also means “cluster”, “group”, or “flock.” This landmark update signifies the take-off of our multi-cluster DVT implementation. Our most significant update yet!

ssv.network ‘JATO launching ssv.network’

JATO: The Last Piece of the Puzzle

Following Ethereum’s latest Shanghai update, there will likely be an influx of validators making withdrawals and entering new ecosystems. Now that ssv.network supports all duty types at scale. The last step is to reduce the cost of mass validator registration.

Gas Optimization of On-chain Validator Registration

Since on-chain registration can be costly at scale. The Jato update reduces gas costs by nearly 60–70%. In cases where validators have unique sets of nodes operating them, the cost drops by nearly 80%. This ensures maximum decentralization and resilience for minimal cost.

Benefits of reduced gas fees:

Significantly reduces the cost of validator registration
Supports validator registration at scale
Improves predictability of costs

Improved Validator Account Management

Jato enhances how each validator is managed at the account level. Stakers and service providers now have more control over their operations. By providing a more modular approach to validator management, we can help improve validator uptime from the account perspective.

ssv.network ‘modular account management’

Benefits of modular account management:

Improved user experience for managing validators
Modular approach ensures validator uptime
Greater control of individual validators

More Operators = More Resilience

It’s all about making validators exceptionally fault-tolerant at scale. To do this, we are working to increase the number of operators that can manage validators.

Currently, validators are run by 4 operators that can tolerate ¼ faulty nodes. Soon validators can be operated by 7,10, or 13 operators, dramatically increasing the resilience to faulty nodes.

Increase Cluster Size Benefits:

Significantly improved validator fault tolerance
Enables decentralization of centralized infrastructure
Greater diversity of nodes managing validators

Permissioned Operators — Providing Trust and Transparency

Giving operators the ability to adjust permissions for the validators that they manage is an important step in providing more customizability and trust.

Entities who just want to use DVT infrastructure and don’t want their operations to be open to the public can utilize this approach. This allows operators to essentially create a private island inside ssv.network where they can:

Build a tailored user base
Define their own checks and balances
Have more customization
More control over their staking operations
Increase trust
Set higher standards
Still have all the benefits of ssv.network infrastructure

Use Case for Permissioned Operators

A fascinating use case for permissioned operators is Institutions. These entities will play a crucial role in bringing more ETH into the staking ecosystem. But due to their needs for trust, transparency, and minimal risk, it’s been an uphill struggle to onboard them. Until now…

To help bridge this gap, institutions can utilize permissioned operators. This enables them to know exactly who is part of their operation and to customize their setup however they see fit. All the while still benefiting from ssv.network’s DVT infrastructure.

Institutional operators can build a whitelist (permission only) based on many different factors:

Specific criteria such as KYC-approved validators
Only dealing with specific locations (countries and jurisdictions)
Project-specific validator configurations

By giving institutions full control over their operations, Jato helps to provide the needed trust and transparency for them to join the ecosystem. This doesn’t only apply to institutions since it can be used by a group of friends that want to have their own private staking group with its own rules.

What’s next for ssv.network?

With Jato, there are only a few small steps before ssv.network goes to Mainnet!

Smart contract audit for security
Improvements to smart contract performance
Implement feedback and recommendations for Jato
Release candidate goes live
Mainnet!

Supporting Withdrawals & LSTs Alongside Shanghai

The upcoming Shanghai update will enable Ethereum’s withdrawals. Officially completing Ethereum’s full staking lifecycle from beginning to end. Very soon, Liquid Staking Tokens (LSTs) won’t be the only way to unlock ETH liquidity.

Withdrawals will allow ETH to be moved more easily between services in the staking ecosystem. Leveling the playing field for all different kinds of service providers. This will enable a new wave of LST and staking innovation to boom like never before!

So, where does DVT fit in?

DVT facilitates the separation between service providers working on their products and the work required to maintain their infrastructure. Ssv.network enables developers to utilize our ready-to-use infrastructure to seamlessly develop and deploy fully decentralized applications. There are already numerous applications being developed on ssv.network that are doing just that.

Have a look at our latest Developer Ecosystem Update to see all the fantastic things builders are doing with ssv.network!

The Future of Staking is now!

Jato launches on the 30th of March 2023 and will be officially announced during ssv.network Community Call #13. To help make Ethereum’s landmark transition an easy one, DVT is here to help. The future of staking is now!

Follow these steps to make sure you’re ready for Jato

Are you a validator?

If you’re an existing Shifu user:

Please remove validator(s) from the old version of the network and onboard it to Jato — via the new Web App or smart contracts.

Moving to Jato is essential for the continued operation of validators

As Jato goes live, Shifu will be gradually shut down — requiring validators to choose new operators running on Jato.

New users can register their validator(s) on the network after 30 March and will be automatically added to the Jato testnet.

Are you an Operator?

Jato will be starting on a clean slate for the network. Please re-register on the new network.

In order to run an operator in the Jato network, do the following:

Fully Delete the current “Shifu” instance
Install a new operator according to the installation guide
Register your operator to the network
(not mandatory) Sign your operator’s name through the web app (My Account)

Need more information on Jato?

We’re constantly rolling out new documentation and supporting projects within Discord.

Documentation v3

Run a distributed validator

Contracts

Tools

SSV-Keys v3

As part of the changes and optimizations of our smart contracts. The keyshares (sharesPublicKeys and sharesEncrypted) are generated by the SSV Key Distributor tool and have been replaced with a single shares variable. To be v3 compatible, you must split your validator keys using the new version of the SSV-Keys tool.

Cluster Scanner

If you have any questions or need assistance, talk to our support team on Discord.

Summary

Jato is the latest iteration of the ssv.network’s public testnet. Marking a significant milestone in the journey towards decentralizing Ethereum’s proof-of-stake consensus.

Jato boasts impressive improvements, including optimized gas costs, enhanced scalability, improved operator liveness, and user experience.

Additionally, Jato’s private network feature is a game-changer for those seeking trust, transparency, and minimal risk.

As the final puzzle piece, Jato brings ssv.network one step closer to its mainnet launch. The future of ETH staking looks brighter than ever before!