Deep Dives
In-depth technical resources on Vara.eth architecture, security, and implementation.
Deep Dives
Comprehensive technical documentation for developers, architects, and researchers who need detailed knowledge of Vara.eth internals.
Official Specifications
| Document | Version | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Vara.eth Whitepaper | v0.3 | Complete system design: architecture, components, security model, economics, use cases |
| Technical Documentation | v0.2 | Implementation specification: actors, components, system flows, design decisions, economics |
System Architecture
Core Components
| Component | Purpose | Interface |
|---|---|---|
| Router | Central L1 settlement contract. Validates code, creates programs, commits batches, coordinates with Middleware | IRouter.sol |
| Middleware | Validator management via Symbiotic liquid restaking. Handles registration, elections, rewards, slashing | IMiddleware.sol |
| Mirror | Per-program L1 proxy (EIP-1167). Queues messages, emits events, stores stateHash. Variants: MirrorProxy, MirrorProxySmall | IMirror.sol |
| Executors | Decentralized validator network. Runs WASM programs, produces FROST pre-confirmations, commits batches | → Validators & Staking |
| Sails | Rust developer framework. Macros (#[service], #[program]), IDL generation, client bindings | → Sails Workflow |
→ Contract Addresses | Program Basics
Execution and Settlement
Complete execution flow — from user transaction to L1 settlement — is described in Technical Documentation, Section 4: System Flows.
Key characteristics:
- Message ordering: deterministic by
(blockNumber, txIndex, logIndex) - Pre-confirmations: instant via FROST threshold signatures
- Settlement: batch commits to Router with validator signature verification
Validator management:
- Era-based rotation (~1 day intervals) via
Middleware.makeElectionAt() - Economic security through wVARA staking in Symbiotic vaults
- Slashing for incorrect execution
Security Modes
| Mode | Status | Verification Method |
|---|---|---|
| PoA (current phase) | Live (testnet) | Controlled validator set operated by the protocol team |
| Liquid Restaking PoS | Planned | Economic security via wVARA stake and slashing |
| ZK-Verified | Future | Mathematical certainty via on-chain ZK-SNARK proof verification |
→ Vara.eth Whitepaper, Section 4: Security
Technology Foundation
Vara.eth is built on the Gear Protocol stack, a production-grade WASM runtime proven on Vara Network.
Gear Protocol
Actor Model runtime with persistent memory and WASM execution. Powers both Vara Network and Vara.eth. Actor isolation enables native parallelism — programs run concurrently without coordination overhead.
Actor Model
Each program is an isolated actor with private state and message queue. Inter-program communication is asynchronous message-passing only. No shared state means no contention.
Persistent Memory
Programs maintain state across executions without explicit storage APIs. Write Rust code as if state is always in memory — simpler than Ethereum's storage model.
WASM Execution
WebAssembly provides portable, sandboxed, deterministic execution. Programs compile once, run anywhere — validators execute identical bytecode. Supports up to 2 GB memory per program vs. EVM's gas constraints.
Cross-Chain Bridge
Vara.eth programs can interact with Vara Network through a ZK-based trustless bridge.
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Bridge Technical Overview | ZK architecture using Plonky2 and Gnark provers |
| Bridge Built-in Actor | On-chain actor API for cross-chain messages |
| BLS12-381 Built-in Actor | Native BLS signatures for efficient aggregation |
| Vara → Ethereum Guide | Cross-chain application patterns |
| Ethereum → Vara Guide | Receiving Ethereum events on Vara |
Source Code
Main Repository
| Directory | Purpose |
|---|---|
| contracts/ | Solidity contracts: Router, Mirror, Middleware, WrappedVara |
| cli/ | ethexe CLI for code upload and program management |
| rpc/ | JSON-RPC server (VaraEthApi) for Vara.eth-side interactions |
| observer/ | L1 event observer (monitors Router/Mirror events) |
| processor/ | Message queue processor (executes WASM programs) |
| consensus/ | FROST threshold signature implementation |
| network/ | P2P layer for validator communication |
| blob-loader/ | EIP-4844 blob fetcher (retrieves WASM code) |
| runtime/ | Gear WASM runtime integration |
| service/ | Main validator node service |
Related Repositories
| Repository | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Sails framework | Rust macros, IDL generation, client SDKs |
@vara-eth/api | TypeScript SDK (Ethereum-side + Vara.eth-side) |
| One of Us | Full reference application |