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Conflux PoS Technical Overview

This document provides a technical overview of Conflux's Proof of Stake (PoS) mechanism. For practical staking guides, see our Staking Guide.

Purpose and Design​

Conflux implements a hybrid consensus mechanism that combines Proof of Work (PoW) with Proof of Stake (PoS). This unique approach serves three critical purposes:

  1. Protection Against 51% Attacks: In early network stages when hash power is limited, PoS provides an additional security layer against potential attacks.
  2. Chain Finality: The PoS mechanism ensures definitive finality for the PoW chain through committee voting.
  3. Enhanced Security: The dual-layer consensus creates a more robust security model than either mechanism alone.

For a comprehensive analysis of this hybrid approach, see Why PoS.

Technical Architecture​

PoS Chain Design​

The PoS chain in Conflux is purposefully minimalist, focusing solely on essential security functions:

  • Operates as a standalone chain dedicated to pivot block voting and committee election
  • Integrates directly into conflux-rust nodes for seamless operation
  • Maintains approximately 1-minute block time
  • Excludes general blockchain features to optimize for its security role

PoS Account Structure​

The PoS account system employs a dual-key architecture for enhanced security:

Address Format​

Each PoS account requires:

  • A BLS key pair for consensus signatures
  • A VRF key pair for random committee selection

These keys combine to generate a unique 256-bit address:

0xd731d7633dd38c47769c2a62926b9a54d288a5e664f4d2108ac5bb6601bb30f5

The PoS account can be bound to a PoW account. The bound PoW account will receive the interest from the PoS chain.

Node Wallet Implementation​

The wallet functionality is built directly into Conflux nodes for secure and automated operation:

  • Automated Setup: First-time node launch generates keys and prompts for encryption password
  • Secure Storage: Keys are stored locally with password encryption for protection
  • Autonomous Operation: Handles consensus participation automatically without user intervention
  • Basic Interface: Provides essential CLI commands for wallet management and monitoring

Consensus Participation​

The PoS consensus mechanism relies on a structured voting system and carefully designed committee organization to ensure network security and efficient decision-making.

Voting Rights​

Participation in consensus requires staking CFX tokens:

  1. Token Locking: Users must lock CFX tokens to gain voting power
  2. Voting Power: Each 1,000 CFX locked grants 1 vote
  3. State Synchronization: Changes take effect after ~10 minute sync period
  4. Getting Started: See our Staking Guide for detailed instructions

Committee Structure​

The committee is designed to balance decentralization with efficient consensus:

  • Size: Maximum 300 seats ensures broad participation while maintaining efficiency
  • Organization: Divided into 6 groups of 50 members for systematic rotation
  • Rotation: Hourly replacement of oldest group maintains fresh participation
  • Selection Process:
    • Forward planning with 1.5-hour election lead time
    • VRF-based randomness for fair selection
    • Flexible seat allocation allowing multiple seats per account based on stake

Incentive Mechanism​

The PoS incentive system is designed to encourage active participation and maintain network security through a balanced point distribution:

Point System​

A total of 6,000,000 points are allocated per committee cycle across four key activities:

  1. Election Participation (1.2M points) Early engagement is rewarded with 120 points for each of the first 10,000 votes with lowest hash values, encouraging broad participation.

  2. Committee Membership (4.5M points) Each elected vote receives 15,000 points, incentivizing long-term commitment to network security.

  3. Block Leadership (180K points) Block proposers earn 3,000 points per PoS block, rewarding efficient block production.

  4. Additional Signatures (120K points max) Extra rewards for signatures beyond the minimum threshold promote high participation rates.

Reward Distribution​

The point system directly ties to financial incentives:

  • Points are calculated and settled every 60 blocks (one committee cycle)
  • Network interest is divided proportionally based on accumulated points, and the binded PoW account will receive the interest
  • Any undistributed interest (from unfilled point allocations) is burned
  • Current reward rates can be found in the Staking Guide

Accrued Interest Formula​

The network interest rate is dynamically adjusted based on total staking participation:

Interest per block = sqrt(total_staking / total_circulation) * 4% / blocks_per_year

For security purposes, interest accrual stops if a committee remains unchanged for 7,200 blocks.

Lock-up Periods and Examples​

The locking mechanism is designed to ensure network stability while providing predictable token availability.

Standard Timeline​

A carefully structured timeline ensures both network security and token holder flexibility:

  1. Initial Period: 13-day mandatory staking duration
  2. Status Transition: Automatic change from staking to staked status
  3. Unstaking Window: 1-day processing period
  4. Total Duration: Minimum 14-day commitment required

Example Scenarios​

To illustrate how the locking mechanism works in practice:

Case 1: Standard Unstake​

This represents the optimal path for token unlocking:

  1. Initial stake on Day 1
  2. Unstake request on Day 13 (after minimum staking period)
  3. Tokens become available at end of Day 14

Case 2: Early Unstake​

Demonstrates the impact of early withdrawal requests:

  1. Initial stake on Day 1
  2. Early unstake request on Day 2
  3. Tokens still locked until end of Day 14 (mandatory lock period applies)

For current staking rates and detailed instructions, refer to our comprehensive Staking Guide.

Security Measures​

The security of the PoS system is maintained through a comprehensive set of penalties and protective measures. For a detailed understanding of:

  • Slashing conditions and amounts
  • Security risk factors
  • Preventive measures Visit our detailed guide on Penalties and Slashing