Exploring Analog: The Omni-Chain Protocol Transforming Web3

Analog envisions a blockchain universe where data isn’t just siloed within individual chains but flows freely and efficiently across different blockchains. This protocol is a leap toward a future where blockchain’s potential is fully realized, paving the way for a new era of connectivity and functionality.

What is Analog?

Source: Analog website

Analog is the world’s inaugural Layer-0 blockchain, a pioneering force in the blockchain universe, energized by the Proof-of-Time consensus mechanism. It is a decentralized omnichain protocol that promises seamless cross-chain interoperability without the reliance on bridges, oracles, or sidechains. The term ‘omnichain’ here signifies Analog’s universal compatibility with all existing blockchains, earning it the moniker “Blockchain of Blockchains.”

This groundbreaking capability stems from its Layer-0 foundation, which not only accommodates existing blockchains but also enables the construction of new blockchains atop it.

The Vision and Mission of Analog

Analog’s mission is to simplify the complexity of blockchain interactions. It seeks to provide a universal layer that allows for the seamless exchange of data and value across different blockchain systems. By doing so, Analog aspires to become the standard for time-based data in the Web3 space, facilitating a more connected and accessible blockchain environment.

Overview of the Analog Ecosystem Components

The ecosystem of Analog is composed of several key components that work in harmony to support its ambitious goals:

• Timechain: Analog’s primary blockchain, which introduces a novel consensus mechanism known as Proof-of-Time (PoT).
• General Message Passing (GMP): A framework that enables cross-chain communication, allowing different blockchain networks to interact.
• Analog Watch: A tool designed for monitoring and querying cross-chain data, providing users with real-time insights into the blockchain world.
• $ANLOG Token: The native cryptocurrency of the Analog network, which plays a crucial role in network governance and transaction facilitation.

Each component is meticulously designed to contribute to the overall functionality and robustness of the Analog network, ensuring that it remains at the cutting edge of blockchain technology.

Analog Network Architecture

The architecture of Analog is a sophisticated framework designed to deliver seamless interoperability across various blockchain networks. It comprises five essential components, each serving a unique and vital function within the ecosystem. Here are the five critical components in analog’s architecture;

1. Threshold Signature Schemes: These schemes are critical for ensuring the security and integrity of transactions across the network. They enable a form of distributed consensus where a transaction is valid only if a threshold number of signatures are present.

2. Consensus Engine: The engine at the heart of Analog’s network, responsible for achieving agreement across the distributed ledger. It ensures that all transactions are confirmed and recorded in a consistent order.

3. Continuum Smart Contracts: These are advanced smart contracts that operate across multiple blockchains, enabling complex operations and interactions that were previously not possible.

4. Gateway Smart Contracts: Acting as the entry points for cross-chain interactions, these smart contracts facilitate the communication and transfer of data and value between different blockchain networks.

5. Timegraph SDK & Developer Tools: This suite of tools empowers developers to build and integrate applications with the Analog network. The Timegraph SDK provides the necessary resources to interact with the Timechain and leverage its unique features.

Each component is pivotal in ensuring that Analog can function as a Layer-0 blockchain, providing the foundation upon which other blockchains can operate and interact.

Analog Interoperability Stack

Source: Analog documentation

The Analog Interoperability Stack is an architectural marvel, seamlessly integrating four distinct layers into a cohesive framework that enables omnichain interoperability.

Chain Layer: The Chain Layer comprises a diverse array of sovereign blockchains, all of which are brought into the Analog fold through an accessible SDK, allowing time nodes to connect EVM-based, Cosmos-based, and Polkadot chains with ease.

Connector Layer: Sitting above this foundational layer is the Connector Layer, the operational core of the network where connectors, hosted by time node operators, facilitate the crucial task of monitoring and message passing. This layer is vital for ensuring trustless interoperability. It is complemented by Chronicle Workers, which allow for the execution of custom logic across connected chains in response to specific state changes.

Consensus Engine: The Consensus Engine is the next critical component, underpinning the Analog Network as a public blockchain. Initially running on a Nominated Proof-of-Stake consensus engine and eventually transitioning to the Proof-of-Time protocol, this engine is the heartbeat of the network. It’s here that distributed time nodes come together, incentivized to act responsibly while producing blocks and maintaining the State Replication Machine. The process is straightforward yet robust: a time elector proposes a new block, other time nodes within the active set cast their votes, and upon acceptance, the block is signed and appended to the Timechain, followed by the distribution of rewards.

Timechain: Crowning the stack is the Timechain itself, the heart of the Analog Network. It’s not just a ledger; it’s a repository of metadata associated with the ticks from multiple chains, meticulously pre-processed by time nodes into a prescribed format. The Timechain’s duties extend beyond being a public ledger; the infrastructure supports the development of DApps like the Analog Watch and serves as a redundant security mechanism, fortifying the network against potential attacks.

The Analog Ecosystem

Source: Analog documentation

The Analog Ecosystem is a robust multi-chain environment that empowers developers and users. It’s a place where the building blocks of Analog come together to create a vibrant and dynamic network.

Watch UI

The Watch UI is a developer-facing marketplace offering tools to publish and query data from any connected chain. Its user-friendly web interface simplifies the management of API keys for specific Views, making it an invaluable resource for developers.

Watch SDK

Complementing the Watch UI is the Watch SDK, a comprehensive set of tools and libraries that streamline the process of publishing, indexing, and querying data from supported chains. The SDK’s GraphQL API is the foundational layer for all subsequent SDKs, providing a versatile and powerful means of programmatic interaction with on-chain data.

PostgreSQL Database

At the backend, a PostgreSQL database serves as the indexed storage solution, presenting transformed data through a GraphQL endpoint. While plans are in place to decentralize storage services, Analog Watch currently utilizes a centralized service to manage this database, ensuring efficiency and reliability.

Timechain Primitives

The Timechain primitives are key to the ecosystem, offering accountability mechanisms that validate the reliability and integrity of data retrieved from the database. These primitives also establish a standard interface for the Analog Network to onboard various chains, enhancing the network’s adaptability and reach.

Connected Chains

The foundation of the ecosystem is the Connected Chains layer, which encompasses all the Layer 1 and Layer 2 blockchains integrated into Analog’s stack. With support for a wide array of blockchains, including Ethereum, Astar, Polygon, and Arbitrum, Analog Network is set to become a central hub for blockchain interoperability.

Analog Products and Their Architecture

Timechain

Source: Analog website

The Timechain is the backbone of the Analog network, a permissionless ledger powered by a dynamic set of validators known as time nodes. These nodes run a Nominated Proof-of-Stake (NPoS) consensus algorithm, eventually transitioning to a Proof-of-Time (PoT) protocol. The Timechain is designed for scalability and efficiency, incorporating innovative technologies like ranking scores and verifiable delay functions (VDFs) to ensure unparalleled performance for cross-chain applications

Timechain Architectural Concepts

Below are some key architectural concepts underpinning the Timechain:

1. Validators

Two types of validators uphold the network’s security and integrity:

• Chronicle Nodes: These are the observers of the blockchain world that monitor events and state changes on external chains, relaying information back to the Timechain.
• Time Nodes: These are the core validators running the consensus protocol, pivotal in securing the Timechain and contingent on their stake in $ANLOG tokens.

1. Threshold Signature Schemes (TSS)

Integral to the Timechain’s operation, TSS accounts require collective authorization from chronicle nodes for transactions to proceed, embodying a system where trust is distributed and consensus is paramount. The TSS framework includes:

• Distributed Key Generation (DKG): This process generates a group TSS key, which is then registered on the Timechain to verify the legitimacy of signatures produced by the protocol.
• Threshold Signing: A specialized chronicle node, selected as a leader, coordinates the signing process among the nodes.
• Verification: The final step where the signature’s validity is confirmed.

1. Sharding

Sharding enhances the network’s scalability by randomly assigning chronicle nodes to shards. Each shard hosts nominated chronicle nodes and is coordinated by a randomly selected node using a Verifiable Random Function (VRF).

How the Timechain Works

When a new block is introduced to the Timechain, Analog Watch determines the data retrieval needs from connected chains, packaging it according to the predefined View schema. The aggregated data is then indexed in a PostgreSQL database, providing a GraphQL endpoint for user and application queries.

The validation process involves two levels:

• Threshold Cryptography: Chronicle nodes attest to the data’s validity by appending their signatures, requiring a supermajority for certification.
• Timechain Consensus: Time nodes reach a consensus on the broadcasted payload, culminating in the appending of a hash ID to the Timechain, which serves as a testament to the data’s integrity.

General Message Passing (GMP)

Source: Analog website

The General Message Passing (GMP) protocol is the cornerstone of Analog’s interoperability, enabling a seamless flow of information and transactions across diverse blockchain networks. This protocol is layered atop a permissionless network of time nodes, which provide essential routing and validation services, fundamentally altering the development and usage landscape of decentralized applications (DApps) in a multi-chain ecosystem.

GMP Architecture

Source: Analog documentation

The GMP protocol is composed of components that exist both on-chain and off-chain, each playing a critical role in the facilitation of cross-chain communication:

On-Chain Components:

• Gateway Smart Contracts: These contracts are observed by time nodes through Chronicle Workers and are pivotal in enabling cross-chain communication. For each connected chain, a unique smart contract is deployed and managed by time nodes.
• Gas Receiver Services (GRS) Smart Contract: A contract deployed on the source chain to handle transaction fee payments, allowing users and applications to pay fees in a bundled form using the native token of the source chain.
• Security Smart Contract: These contracts confirm that cross-chain messages delivered to the destination chain have been signed by the required number of chronicle workers, as determined by the shard. Developers can specify shards that meet their application’s security needs.
• Time Nodes (Validators): These on-chain entities vote on proposed blocks to the Timechain, with their voting power proportional to their staked $ANLOG tokens. Time nodes also can delegate voting power and serve as Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) notaries, attesting to the validity of blocks on the Timechain.

Off-Chain Components:

• Time Nodes (Blockchain Oracles): Each time node operates two off-chain routines:
  • Chronicle Worker: Participates in the TSS-based consensus to agree on state changes in external chains.
  • Connectors: These routines enable time nodes to connect to various chains, fetching validated transactions/data and generating a signed payload for verification.
• Sentinels: Special nodes within the Analog Network, not part of the time node network, that monitor gateway smart contracts and connector signatures for fraudulent activities. Sentinels can submit fraud proofs to the Timechain for verification if any fraudulent activity is detected.

How Does GMP Work?

The GMP protocol’s operation is streamlined for developers, requiring two sets of gateway smart contracts—one on the source chain and another on the destination chain. With these Analog-managed contracts in place, developers are relieved of the burden of implementing cross-chain functionality. This setup empowers developers to create cross-chain applications that cater to users on any connected chain, ensuring a straightforward integration process and a user-friendly experience.

Analog Watch

Source: Analog website

Analog Watch, also known as the Query Marketplace, is a developer-facing product that allows querying data from any connected chain through an intuitive interface. It leverages a robust GraphQL API for programmatic interaction with on-chain data and a PostgreSQL database for backend storage. The Watch architecture has transitioned to using Views, which aggregate application-specific data from multiple smart contracts, enabling efficient indexing and querying. Analog Watch’s architecture is designed to improve data availability and fault tolerance, with features like auto-listing smart contracts and enhanced error logging.

How Analog Watch works

Source: Analog documentation

By leveraging the Timechain, Analog Watch provides a decentralized solution with cryptographic assurances for indexing data from smart contracts. The process begins with user authentication, which is necessary to deploy, explore, and query the View. To authenticate, users generate session keys (SSKs) linked to their wallets, a process detailed in the “Authentication” section of the documentation.

• Defining the View Schema: The View schema is a blueprint that dictates which smart contract data the Analog Network nodes, known as chronicle nodes, will extract from the blockchain. For instance, a View analyzing Uniswap and Sushiswap pools would specify the smart contract addresses, pool assets, fees, and other relevant parameters.
• Creating and Deploying a View: Upon defining a View, the platform initiates a Call Extrinsic sent to the Timechain’s Runtime Network, which operates on each time node’s Task Scheduler. The Runtime Network comprises two modules:
  • Task MetadaExecutionta Pallet: This module allows the Task Scheduler to submit task metadata associated with the View to off-chain storage, typically a PostgreSQL database.
  • Task Schedule Pallet: It schedules tasks and forwards them to the appropriate shard, following a first-come, first-serve basis for task prioritization.
• Task and Data Retrieval: Chronicle Nodes within the selected shard execute the tasks using the Task Executor process, interfacing with the target chain through Connectors. After task completion, the data is sent to the lead Chronicle Node (Coordinator) of the shard, which aggregates signatures from the participating nodes involved in the multi-party computation processes (MPC).
• Validation and Consensus: Once a supermajority of chronicle nodes sign off on the fetched data, the Coordinator generates a Threshold Signature Scheme (TSS) proof and submits it to the Timechain. A block proposer then compiles the TSS proof and proposes a new block to the Timechain, triggering an NPoS-based consensus mechanism. This results in the block’s metadata being added to the Timechain while the signatures and remaining data are stored off-chain.
• Interacting with the View: After publication, users can interact with the View through the Watch SDK or Watch UI, enabling them to query the indexed data efficiently.

Analog Watch represents a significant advancement in data accessibility for Web3, offering a decentralized, cryptographically secure method for indexing and querying blockchain data. Its architecture ensures that users and applications can deploy and retrieve data with confidence in its integrity and validity.

Analog Tokenomics

The Analog network introduces its native cryptocurrency, the $ANLOG token, as a central element of its tokenomics structure. The total supply of $ANLOG tokens is capped at 90.58 million, establishing a fixed and immutable limit.

Token Distribution Framework

• Public Sale (1.6%): This portion of $ANLOG tokens was made available during the pre-launch phase, including lock drop allocations open for public participation.
• Private Sale (26.8%): Allocated for venture capitalists, institutional investors, family offices, and angel investors, this segment represents a significant stake in the network’s future.
• Community Allocations (38%): Earmarked for the Analog community, this includes ecosystem funds, staking rewards, and airdrops, all designed to foster community engagement and network growth.
• Team and Advisors (19%): Dedicated to the individuals who have contributed to the development and advisory of the Analog network, ensuring that those who have built the platform are invested in its success.
• Treasury (14.6%): Serving as the financial backbone of the network, the treasury funds are allocated for partnerships, developer rewards, community grants, operating capital, exchange listings, strategic investments, and other initiatives that contribute to the long-term prosperity of the project.

The Team Behind Analog

The Analog team is a collective of seasoned professionals, each bringing a wealth of experience and expertise. This dynamic group is led by Victor Young, the co-founder, whose vision and hands-on experience in blockchain engineering and startups have been instrumental in addressing the interoperability challenges within the Web3 landscape.

• Victor Young - Co-founder: A graduate of the University of Waterloo, Victor has dedicated decades to blockchain engineering. His entrepreneurial spirit and deep understanding of the interoperability issues in siloed industries have been the driving force behind the creation of Analog.
• Eric Wang - Head of Business Development: Eric’s extensive background in investment, funding, and ecosystem growth, including his roles at Parity Technologies and ROK Capital, positions him perfectly as the Head of Business Development at Analog, where he spearheads go-to-market strategies and partnerships.
• Avneet Singh - Product Lead: With a rich history in software engineering and blockchain, including leadership roles at Chainlink Labs and PayPal, Avneet now channels his vast experience into his role as Product Lead at Analog, steering the engineering aspects of the project.
• Simon Mathonnet - Marketing Lead: Simon’s expertise in blockchain marketing and growth results from years of experience, including his time as the head of marketing at Tendermint and head of growth at WonderFi. He now leads the marketing efforts at Analog, applying his knowledge to enhance the project’s reach.
• Sanchal Ranjan - Product Manager: Sanchal’s journey through startups, consulting at Deloitte, entrepreneurship at Y Combinator, and co-founding ZiffyHomes has culminated in his role as Product Manager at Analog, where he is deeply involved in product development and rollout.
• Florian Franzen - Head of Research: Florian’s responsibilities as Head of Research involve delving into the core protocol and technical product development. His Web3 experience from institutions like CAESAR and the Web3 Foundation enriches Analog’s research endeavors.
• David Craven - Senior Blockchain Engineer: David’s extensive software and blockchain engineering background, with experience at Parity Technologies, Sunshine Protocol, Actyx, and Cloudpeers, equips him to excel as the Senior Blockchain Engineer at Analog.
• Lohann Ferreira - Blockchain Engineer: Lohann’s diverse roles as a developer, architect, and founder, including his recent blockchain engineering positions at First Foundry and Enjin, inform his current role as a Blockchain Engineer at Analog.

This team’s combined 150+ years of blockchain experience and their creative approach to solving interoperability issues make them uniquely qualified to drive Analog’s mission forward.

Conclusion

Analog emerges as a beacon of interoperability, promising to bridge the divides between isolated blockchain networks. Its innovative Proof-of-Time consensus mechanism and the Timechain architecture lay the groundwork for seamless cross-chain transactions, heralding a new era of connectivity in the Web3 space. The future of blockchain interoperability, with Analog at its helm, looks not just promising but inevitable.