bootstrap

README

Bootstrapping

This package contains script for generating the bootstrap files needed to initialize the Flow network. The high-level bootstrapping process is described in Notion.

WARNING: These scripts use Go's crypto/rand package to generate seeds for private keys. Make sure you are running the bootstrap scripts on a machine that does provide proper a low-level implementation. See https://golang.org/pkg/crypto/rand/ for details.

NOTE: Public and private keys are encoded in JSON files as base64 strings, not as hex, contrary to what might be expected.

Code structure:

• cmd/bootstrap/cmd contains CLI logic that can exit the program and read/write files. It also uses structures and data types that are purely relevant for CLI purposes, such as encoding, decoding, etc.
• cmd/bootstrap/run contains reusable logic that does not know about the CLI. Instead of exiting the program, functions here will return errors.

Overview

The bootstrapping will generate the following information:

Per node

• Staking key (BLS key with curve BLS12-381)
• Networking key (ECDSA key)
• Random beacon key; only for consensus nodes (BLS based on Joint-Feldman DKG for threshold signatures)

Node Identities

• List of all authorized Flow nodes
  • node network address
  • node ID
  • node role
  • public staking key
  • public networking key
  • weight

Root Block for main consensus

• Root Block
• Root QC: votes from consensus nodes for the root block (required to start consensus)
• Root Execution Result: execution result for the initial execution state
• Root Block Seal: block seal for the initial execution result

Root Blocks for Collector clusters

Each cluster of collector nodes needs to have its own root Block and root QC

• Root ClusterBlockProposal
• Root QC from cluster for their respective ClusterBlockProposal

Usage

go run -tags relic ./cmd/bootstrap prints usage information

Phase 1: Generate networking and staking keys for partner nodes:

This step will generate the staking and networking keys for a single partner node.

Required Inputs

Values directly specified as command line parameters:

• node network address
• node role

Optional Inputs

Values can be specified as command line parameters:

• seed for generating staking key (min 48 bytes in hex encoding)
• seed for generating networking key (min 48 bytes in hex encoding) If seeds are not provided, the CLI will try to use the system's pseudo-random number generator (PRNG), e. g. dev/urandom. Make sure you are running the CLI on a hardware that has a cryptographically secure PRNG, or provide seeds generated on such a system.

Example

go run -tags relic ./cmd/bootstrap key --address "example.com:1234" --role "consensus" -o ./bootstrap/partner-node-infos

Generated output files

• file <NodeID>.node-info.priv.json
  • strictly CONFIDENTIAL (only for respective partner node with ID )
  • contains node's private staking and networking keys (plus some other auxiliary information)
  • REQUIRED at NODE START; file needs to be available to respective partner node at boot up (or recovery after crash)
• file <NodeID>.node-info.pub.json
  • public information
  • file needs to be delivered to Dapper Labs for Phase 2 of generating root information, but is not required at node start

Phase 2: Generating final root information

This step will generate the entire root information for all nodes (incl. keys for all Dapper-controlled nodes).

Required Inputs

Each input is a config file specified as a command line parameter:

• parameter with the ID for the chain for the root block (root-chain)
• parameter with the ID of the parent block for the root block (root-parent)
• parameter with height of the root block to bootstrap from (root-height)
• parameter with state commitment for the initial execution state (root-commit)
• json containing configuration for all Dapper-Controlled nodes (see ./example_files/node-config.json)
• folder containing the <NodeID>.node-info.pub.json files for all partner nodes (see .example_files/partner-node-infos)
• json containing the weight value for all partner nodes (see ./example_files/partner-weights.json). Format: <NodeID>: <weight value>

Example

go run -tags relic ./cmd/bootstrap finalize \
 --fast-kg \
  --root-chain main \
  --root-height 0 \
  --root-parent 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 \
  --root-commit 4b8d01975cf0cd23e046b1fae36518e542f92a6e35bedd627c43da30f4ae761a \
  --config ./cmd/bootstrap/example_files/node-config.json \
  --partner-dir ./cmd/bootstrap/example_files/partner-node-infos \
  --partner-weights ./cmd/bootstrap/example_files/partner-weights.json \
  --epoch-counter 1 \
  -o ./bootstrap/root-infos

Generated output files

• files <NodeID>.node-info.priv.json

  • strictly CONFIDENTIAL (only for respective Dapper node with ID )
  • contains node's private staking and networking keys (plus some other auxiliary information)
  • REQUIRED at NODE START: file needs to be available to respective Dapper node at boot up (or recovery after crash)

• files <NodeID>.random-beacon.priv.json

  • strictly CONFIDENTIAL (only for consensus node with ID )
  • CAUTION: we generate the random beacon private keys for all consensus nodes, i.e. Dapper and Partner nodes alike! The private random beacon keys must be delivered to the Partner Node operator securely.
  • contains node's private random beacon key
  • REQUIRED at NODE START: file needs to be available to respective consensus node at boot up (or recovery after crash)

• file node-infos.pub.json

  • contains public Node Identities for all authorized Flow nodes (Dapper and Partner nodes)
  • REQUIRED at NODE START for all nodes; file needs to be available to all nodes at boot up (or recovery after crash)

• file root-block.json

  • REQUIRED at NODE START by all nodes

• file root-qc.json

  • REQUIRED at NODE START by all nodes

• file root-result.json

  • REQUIRED at NODE START by all nodes

• file root-seal.json

  • REQUIRED at NODE START by all nodes

• file dkg-data.pub.json

  • REQUIRED at NODE START by all nodes

• file <ClusterID>.root-cluster-block.json

  • root ClusterBlockProposal for collector cluster with ID <ClusterID>
  • REQUIRED at NODE START by all collectors of the respective cluster
  • file can be made accessible to all nodes at boot up (or recovery after crash)

• file <ClusterID>.root-cluster-qc.json

  • root Quorum Certificate for ClusterBlockProposal for collector cluster with ID <ClusterID>
  • REQUIRED at NODE START by all collectors of the respective cluster
  • file can be made accessible to all nodes at boot up (or recovery after crash)