Just read the fascinating research paper about MonadBFT — a breakthrough in blockchain consensus. 🎯
Let me explain it using something everyone can understand: giving a group presentation in class... 🧵
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Imagine students (validators) taking turns presenting slides (blocks) in front of the class. Each presenter builds on the previous one’s content. For fairness, there are classroom rules to follow.
But what if someone skips a teammate’s slide or pretends it never existed?
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That’s why the class needs a system to ensure the presentation goes smoothly — even if someone messes up or cheats.
That system is called Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT) — a way to keep things on track even when some students misbehave.
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Here’s how it works:
After Alice presents, the rest of the class reviews her slide. If more than 2/3 of the students agree it’s good, Bob can move on and present his own slide on top of hers.
The group approval happens through voting.
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But there’s a catch:
Bob must show Alice’s approved slide when he presents. Her slide becomes part of the final deck only if Bob includes it in his presentation.
If Bob is slow, unresponsive, or dishonest, Alice’s work is lost.
This is called tail-forking.
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MonadBFT solves this.
If Alice’s slide was approved, the next presenter (Charlie, if not Bob) must include it in their presentation. No one can ignore or discard previously approved work.
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MonadBFT also fixes other problems:
👎🏻 Slides needing multiple rounds of review before getting finalized
👎🏻 Everyone sending votes to the whole class
👎🏻 Forced timer for everyone's presentation
👎🏻 Class stalling if someone misses their turn
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🏎️ Fast Finality
In older systems, a slide needs multiple rounds of approval before it is accepted as part of the final deck.
MonadBFT speeds things up: if more than 2/3 of students approve a slide, it’s speculatively final after one round of approval.
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That means everyone can safely build on it immediately — unless someone cheats and shows two conflicting versions of their slide.
And if that happens? The cheat is provable and punishable.
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⚡️ Lightweight Messaging
Each student casts their vote — but only sends it to the next presenter, not the whole class.
This keeps the process smooth, even as the class grows from 5 to 500.
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⌛️ No Arbitrary Delays
If Alice finishes early and everyone votes quickly, Bob can start immediately.
There’s no “wait x time just in case.” The presentation moves at the real pace of the class.
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👀 Handling Absences
MonadBFT handles missed turns gracefully. If enough students approved the previous slide, the next presenter (after the one who missed) can show that approval and continue the presentation. If not, the class can skip ahead if it’s provably safe.
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A blockchain using MonadBFT is like a well-run class:
🏎️ Slides get speculatively finalized in one round
⚡️ Process scales from small to large lectures easily
⌛️ Presentation moves as soon as last slide is approved
👀 Presentation keeps going even if someone misses a turn
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In short:
MonadBFT is the ultimate group presentation rulebook!
It makes sure every slide counts, progress stays smooth, and bad behavior doesn’t break the flow.
An elegant upgrade to how blockchains reach agreement.
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