Holding nodes accountable

Node checks and balances mechanism

Blockchain systems that rely on fault-tolerance mechanisms often adopt an optimistic approach, as seen in Ethereum Rollups built on the OP Stack. The core principle is that actors within the network are presumed to act honestly unless proven otherwise. This same philosophy is implemented in the Leea Network through its validator system.

Nodes are assumed to accurately report specifications and provide legitimate compute resources to the network unless Validators detect dishonest behavior. If any misconduct or inconsistencies are detected, Validators will trigger the Leea Network’s smart contracts, initiating a dispute resolution process. This dispute allows for arbitration and appropriate actions to be taken against dishonest providers of hardware.

Node offenses can be defined in the LEEA Network as follows:

1. Reporting false information: providing inaccurate machine specifications or misleading details about the availability and execution of on-demand VMs.

2. Unexpected disconnect: node picks up a job and starts execution, but fails to report the task as complete or does not submit the required results.

3. Poor performance: underperforming hardware, such as GPU clusters taking longer than expected to complete tasks, or on-demand images experiencing delays in execution.

Important note: Nodes will never be penalized for issues related to downloading or running images or containers if the problem stems from a pre-existing issue with the VM image during on-demand execution. For other compute resources, it is the responsibility of the client to identify potential issues and request Validators to verify if a problem exists on their end.

When node commits an offense that is detected by validators on the Leea Network they will be subject to slashing with DAO-based arbitration. Read more about validators in the validators section.

Validator role

Essentially validators are working for the Leea Network to detect issues with specification reporting, availability of compute, and compute performance. Issues can also be flagged by clients themselves but it is the job of the validators to double-check what clients are claiming and submit their findings against the dispute being opened on-chain.

Once a slashing is executed and the appropriate amount is deducted from the offending party, the slashed $LEEA will make its way to the validator(s) that assisted and to the DAO treasury which achieves the following:

• Payment to the validators rewards validators and encourages them to keep their operations active and find further faults in the network

• DAO compensation for the work done in supporting the arbitration process

• Facilitate ecosystem growth. As $LEEA in the treasury grows, it increases the ability to work with more ecosystem partners and create more protocol incentives growing the reach of the protocol