TL;DR: The Data Availability Layer is industry-leading scaling technology for rollups. It requires participation by 67% of the Tezos stake, and we call on bakers to begin running DAL nodes. Recent Octez releases have greatly improved the user experience.
The Paris protocol upgrade in June enabled a key component in future-proofing the Tezos network: the Data Availability Layer (DAL).
The DAL provides game-changing scaling for rollups by enabling verifiable publication of transaction data outside the confines of layer 1 blocks. The DAL’s integrity remains secured by Tezos bakers, who verify the publication and availability of DAL data and post attestations on layer 1, just like they already do for L1 blocks.
This however requires participation by at least 67% of the total Tezos stake. Therefore we call on bakers to begin running DAL nodes.
Why it’s important
The DAL is a cornerstone of Tezos X, a proposed roadmap and vision for the Tezos blockchain that enables a cloud-like developer experience, with industry-leading performance, composability, and interoperability.
More concretely, the DAL scales bandwidth, i.e., how much data can be transmitted through the network per second. While layer 1 blocks currently offer a bandwidth of around 0.025 MB/s, the DAL delivers 0.5MB/s for layer 2 out of the box, and the target is 100MB/s within two years.
In other words, the Tezos X journey has already begun, and running the DAL brings benefits for Tezos users from day one.
Etherlink scaling. The Smart Rollup-powered EVM environment on Tezos, Etherlink, is designed to be “fast, fair and (nearly) free”. The DAL makes it possible to cut the cost of publishing Etherlink transactions, and unlocks scaling that rivals that of much more centralized EVM platforms, but without compromising on decentralization.
Unique offering. The DAL is an industry-leading technology that puts Tezos at the forefront of blockchain innovation. Having a protocol-native solution for data-availability that is fully decentralized, scalable, and secured by layer 1 is a strong competitive edge. This approach enables seamless integration with Smart Rollups, Tezos’ enshrined layer 2 solutions.
For example, compared to Ethereum’s Dencun upgrade, the Tezos DAL offers a more scalable solution, resulting in significant cost advantages. By running the DAL, the Tezos ecosystem not only benefits from these technical advancements but also reinforces its position as a leader in blockchain technology.
Bakers should also note that economic incentives are likely to be proposed in a future upgrade, in the form of allocating part of network rewards to DAL attesters.
Bakers: Check your infrastructure on Ghostnet
DAL attestation comes with specific infrastructure requirements in terms of CPU, RAM, and internet connection bandwidth. While these requirements remain low for most bakers, those with larger stakes may face slightly increased demands due to the proportional nature of data attestation relative to stake size.
| 0.5% of total stake | 1% of the total stake | 2% of the total stake | 5% of the total stake | 15% of the total stake | |
| Machine type | e2-small (ssd) ($15 a month) | e2-small (ssd) ($15 a month) | e2-small (ssd) ($15 a month) | e2-medium (ssd) ($30 a month) | c2-standard-4 ($140 a month) |
| CPU clock | 2,25 GHz | 2,25 GHz | 2,25 GHz | 2,25 GHz | 3,1 GHz |
| RAM | 2 GiB | 2 GiB | 2 GiB | 4 GiB | 4 GiB |
| Bandwidth (upload) | 250 KiB/s | 250 KiB/s | 250 KiB/s | 250 KiB/s | 250 KiB/s |
| Bandwidth (download) | 250 KiB/s | 350 KiB/s | 400 KiB/s | 600 KiB/s | 1 MiB/s |
About 20 GB disk space is required for all scenarios. See our post with DAL hardware and bandwidth requirements for more details. Please note that this post recommends operating DAL nodes and Tezos bakers on separate IP addresses to avoid leaking the baker’s one. However, having further reviewed the risks, we no longer advise against deploying on the same machine.
Bakers should first run a DAL node on the ‘Ghostnet’ testnet before launching on mainnet. Until it becomes operational with 67% stake participating, running a mainnet DAL node will not show activity and will offer little insight into the DAL-compatibility of a baker’s infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the Ghostnet DAL already has 80% of the stake participating. It offers activity equivalent to that of a fully operational mainnet DAL, thus allowing bakers to verify that their infrastructure is ready.
Once tested on Ghostnet, bakers can then launch on mainnet and contribute towards the 67% threshold for the DAL becoming operational.
New improved node, and a call for feedback
Octez v21 (and later) contains notable improvements to the DAL node. It’s more robust than previous versions, and work has gone into improving the user experience when installing, configuring, and monitoring the node.
We encourage all Tezos bakers to upgrade to the most recent version. Do let us know any feedback you might have in the Tezos Discord #baking channel.
We’re interested in hearing about your experience of running the node and any issues encountered, as well as about your experience with the provided tutorials and how they can be improved.
With the DAL, Tezos is going where no blockchain has gone before. Thorough testing, early adoption, and comprehensive feedback are key for being able to push the limits of blockchain technology while preserving the high quality standards that define Tezos.
Bakers, it’s time to fire up the DAL – and don’t forget to let us know your feedback!