A Feb. 3 paper authored by Nikolai Durov, a Telegram co-founder, lays out the details of Telegram Open Network'south consensus mechanism, named Catchain. The proposed solution is a Byzantine Error Tolerant (BFT) Proof of Stake (PoS) algorithm, like to that used by NEO or Cosmos.

BFT algorithms are attempted solutions to solve the Byzantine Generals problem, where actors of a particular network need to maintain its functionality even if some nodes are unreliable or malicious.

How Catchain works

Catchain will piece of work for equally long equally one third of nodes are not malicious, which is equivalent to the theoretical limit outlined for BFT solutions. The system focuses on validating each block equally it gets created, similar to Creation' Tendermint or NEO'south dBFT. This in opposition to systems proposed by Ethereum and Cardano, where blocks are easy to produce, but must be then reconciled through fork resolution.

Each new cake is created via a block generation round, during which validators accept a limited fourth dimension to concur. Should they neglect to practice so, that block is skipped.

Each validator has a clear office during a block voting procedure, with some creating the blocks, others proposing a block for voting, while the remaining nodes vote on the proposal. The roles are shifted with each new round, which should ensure the correctness of the procedure.

Telegram is fix to have no more than than 100 validators for the master chain and from ten–30 for each "shard chain." According to tests conducted in 2022, a block tin exist generated every five seconds, undergoing the full consensus procedure each time.

For the about function, the arrangement is reported by TON developers to be similar to Creation' and Algorand's. Differences lie in some of the specifics, such equally how the nodes communicate with each other. Simply having each node communicate with every other is very inefficient, which means that each project tried to find its own manner of making the procedure faster.

Telegram'southward recent history

The SEC prevented TON's launch with an emergency action filed in October 2022. The committee argues that Telegram conducted an unsanctioned sale of securities.

Other ecosystem participants argue that since the sale was restricted to but accredited investors, Telegram did nothing wrong.

The network is currently simply agile in testnet fashion, which has non stopped some from creating blockchain explorers for information technology. The committee has nevertheless been very critical of its state of development, arguing that there are few current or planned uses for its GRAM tokens.