Random Beacon

Definition ∞ A random beacon is a public, verifiable source of unpredictable random numbers, often used in blockchain protocols. These beacons generate outputs that are publicly available, difficult to manipulate, and cryptographically secure, ensuring fairness and impartiality for applications requiring randomness. In decentralized systems, random beacons are crucial for tasks such as selecting validators in proof-of-stake networks, distributing rewards, or facilitating fair lotteries and gaming applications. Their security relies on robust cryptographic methods and a distributed generation process to prevent single points of failure or bias.
Context ∞ Random beacons are essential components for the security and operational integrity of many blockchain protocols, particularly those employing proof-of-stake consensus mechanisms or requiring verifiable randomness for decentralized applications. Debates often focus on the trade-offs between the speed of randomness generation, the degree of unpredictability, and the cost of implementation. Research continues to explore more efficient and secure methods for generating and distributing verifiable random numbers across decentralized networks.

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→Distributed Randomness

→Protocol Efficiency

→Bilinear Pairing Elimination

Constant-Size Proofs Secure Distributed Verifiable Random Functions Efficiently

Cryptographers developed a Distributed Verifiable Random Function with proofs of constant size, eliminating bilinear pairings for faster, pairing-free verification.

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→Random Beacon

→Distributed Ledger Security

→Distributed Systems

Deterministic Bounds Strengthen Probabilistic Committee Selection for PoS Security

This research introduces deterministic bounds to cryptographic sortition, replacing probabilistic security with provable committee representation to enhance PoS robustness.

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→Verifiable Delay Functions

→Minimal Proof Size

→Fair Transaction Ordering

Proof-of-Sequential-Work Secures Low-Latency Randomness and Optimal Time-Lock Security

A new Proof-of-Sequential-Work primitive fundamentally optimizes Verifiable Delay Functions, enabling robust, low-latency on-chain randomness.

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→Proof-of-Stake

→Breeze Protocol

→Leader Election

Rondo Protocol Achieves Scalable, Dynamic Distributed Randomness Beacon

The Rondo protocol introduces Batched Asynchronous Verifiable Secret Sharing with Partial Output, enabling dynamic node membership and optimal $O(n)$ message complexity for scalable, unpredictable randomness.

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→Algebraic Assumption

→Decentralized Randomness

→Verifiable Delay Function

Post-Quantum Verifiable Delay Functions Eliminate Trusted Setup

Isogeny-based Verifiable Delay Functions leverage endomorphism rings for quantum-secure, trustless, and efficiently verifiable sequential computation.