The Ethereum Foundation is testing a method of running validators that could make it significantly easier for institutions holding large amounts of ether to establish staking infrastructure, expanding the pool of participants and creating a more decentralized network.
In a post on The experiment aims to make running validators on multiple machines less complicated.
Buterin said the goal is to reduce the process to something resembling a one-click setup, where operators choose which computers will run the validation nodes, start the software and enter the same key on each machine. The system would then automatically connect the nodes and start staking.
“My hope for this project is that we can make it as easy as possible and with one click to place distributed bets for institutions,” Buterin wrote.
Currently, running Ethereum validators generally means operating a single node that contains the key used to sign blocks and participate in the network. If that machine fails or goes offline, the validator may stop working and you may be penalized.
Distributed validation technology (DVT) changes that by allowing multiple independent machines to act collectively as a single validator. Instead of relying on a key and a computer, multiple nodes work together and only a few sign for the validator to work. That means the validator can keep running even if some machines crash.
But existing DVT systems can be complicated to implement because operators must coordinate networks, keys and communication between nodes. Buterin has previously argued that complexity is one of the reasons why large betting providers have come to dominate the ecosystem.
The “DVT-lite” setup aims to automate much of that process, making it easier for institutions to run distributed validators with minimal infrastructure experience.
Buterin said he plans to use the system himself and hopes large ETH holders will adopt similar setups, helping to spread control of Ethereum’s staking infrastructure across more traders rather than concentrating it among a handful of professional providers.
“The idea that ‘working infrastructure’ is a scary, complicated thing that every person who participates in must be a ‘professional’ is terrible and anti-decentralization, and we should attack it head-on,” he wrote.
Read more: Vitalik Buterin proposes simpler ‘distributed validator’ bet for Ethereum
