ChainSafe Systems Protocol Engineering

Protocol engineering is a field that involves the design, implementation, and analysis of protocols for communication systems. Protocols are sets of rules and standards that govern the exchange of information between devices or systems. Protocol engineering is an interdisciplinary field that involves expertise in computer science, electrical engineering, and network theory.

ChainSafe’s protocol engineering department is responsible for designing and implementing protocols for blockchain systems. This may involve developing protocols for consensus mechanisms, data storage and retrieval, security, and other aspects of blockchain technology. The engineers in this department are also responsible for analyzing and testing protocols to ensure that they are reliable and secure.

In addition to designing and implementing protocols, protocol engineers are also responsible for researching and staying up-to-date on the latest developments in blockchain technology. They may work closely with other engineers, researchers, and developers to design and implement new protocols and integrate blockchain technology into existing systems. Blockchain protocol engineering is a rapidly evolving field that plays a critical role in developing and adopting blockchain technology.

Protocols at ChainSafe

Currently, we are active in the Ethereum, Filecoin, and Polkadot ecosystems. The following libraries we maintain are the cornerstones of ChainSafe Protocol.

• Lodestar - an Ethereum consensus-layer client (TypeScript): Lodestar is a software that implements the Ethereum consensus protocol and enables users to interact with the Ethereum blockchain. The Ethereum consensus protocol is a set of rules that govern how transactions are processed and validated on the Ethereum network.
• Forest - a full-node client for Filecoin (Rust): A full-node client implementation for Filecoin is responsible for implementing the Filecoin protocol, which includes the consensus mechanism, data storage and retrieval, and other aspects of the Filecoin network. It allows users to connect to the Filecoin network, download and validate the blockchain, and participate in the consensus process.
• Gossamer - a Polkadot host (Go): A Polkadot host is a peer-to-peer client that runs a full-node implementation of the Polkadot protocol and participates in the Polkadot network as a validator. As a validator, a Polkadot host is responsible for verifying and validating transactions on the Polkadot network. It does this by participating in the consensus process, which involves reaching an agreement with other validators on the state of the network.

In addition to the protocol clients, we design, implement, and maintain a list of cryptographic, serialization, and networking libraries.

• bls: A JavaScript implementation of Boneh-Lynn-Shacham Signatures (BLS).
• discv5: A TypeScript implementation of the Ethereum Discovery V5 protocol (discv5).
• go-schnorrkel: Schnorr Signatures over Ristretto255 in pure Go.
• js-libp2p-gossipsub: A TypeScript implementation of Gossipsub.
• js-libp2p-noise: A Noise libp2p handshake for js-libp2p.
• ssz: A TypeScript implementation of Simple Serialize (SSZ).

Open positions

The following blockchain and networking protocol engineering opportunities are currently vacant.

• Protocol Engineer, Gossamer/Polkadot (Go)

The doors for protocol engineering opportunities always remain open despite market conditions. If you are proficient with Rust, Go, or TypeScript, feel free to reach out!