TLDR:

• BNB Chain has a large and active developer community that will continue to power advancements in blockchain technology, including restaking.

• Operators can get set up to participate in restaking by following a three-step process, including permissionless registration via KernelDAO

• Once operators have attracted delegated assets and are approved by DVNs, they can commence earning tasks & earning rewards.

• DVNs can apply to register with KernelDAO, and specify tasks which must contain four main components.

• Comprehensive documentation is available via KernelDAO’s GitBook.

There are many ways to measure the activity and success of a blockchain, including volume, number of wallets & projects, revenue generated, and TVL. But while these are all valid considerations, one that often goes unnoticed is the presence of a thriving developer community driving innovation & long-term sustainability behind the scenes. Without qualified and experienced builders to keep pushing boundaries, a blockchain risks stagnating and falling behind, potentially resulting in everything from declining adoption to even security issues. Ethereum is the undisputed king of this metric, but BNB Chain also performs very well here, with one of the most active developer communities in the industry. Being EVM-compatible and largely open-source, BNB Chain is a familiar and user-friendly environment in which to build. If you’ve got technical skills, there are two main ways that you can get involved with KernelDAO, either by becoming an operator or by building a dynamic validation network (DVN).

Operators perform a task similar to Ethereum node operators: they’re responsible for running specialised software & providing attestations for DVNs, and they receive rewards for doing so in return. The process to get set up is quick and easy, involving just three main steps:

1.    Obtain an operator ID from the KernelDAO protocol, this is permissionless and can be completed using an EOA, contract, or Safe account.

2.    Apply to a DVN and await their approval. DVNs may impose certain requirements such as a minimum amount of delegated assets.

3.    Operators can determine how to complete tasks by reviewing documentation submitted by DVNs.

Once set up, operators can attract delegated assets from restakers via the KernelDAO framework. Operators are required to execute tasks offchain on behalf of DVNs and so they must keep track of their performance – they may be required to store this data on their own infrastructure or as execution proofs onchain. If this process is deemed to be completed satisfactorily by all parties, security rewards are then distributed via KernelDAO from DVNs to operators, who keep a percentage, while the majority is passed on to restakers in proportion to the value of their restaked assets. However, if an operator is judged to be performing tasks poorly, their delegated restaked assets can be penalised by the DVN and they can also eventually be ejected and prevented from executing future tasks.

In contrast to being an operator, successfully launching a DVN with KernelDAO is a little more complicated. As a reminder, DVNs are products that are built by leveraging the shared economic security made available by KernelDAO. It’s this efficient and inexpensive restaked economic security that can make DVNs easier and cheaper to launch, compared to traditional methods of establishing dedicated decentralised security networks. The registration process starts off very similar:

1.    Obtain an immutable DVNCoordinator address which is a universal identifier provided by KernelDAO via a permissioned process. This can be completed using an EOA, contract, or Safe account, or alternatively via a DVNGateway smart contract that contains custom logic regarding operator requirements.

2.    Once approved by KernelDAO, the DVN can begin to attract and onboard operators.

The DVN must then specify what offchain tasks must be completed by operators, such as verifying asset prices for an oracle, or verifying asset movements and balances for a bridge. These tasks must be designed to be scalable, and contain four main components:

1.    It’s recommended that tasks are organised via an offchain task aggregator. This is a tool developed and maintained by the DVN that is responsible for assigning tasks, gathering responses, determining validity, and either approving or rejecting operator actions.

2.    DVNs must provide a long-running executable (LRE) to operators such as a docker container. This receives tasks from the aggregator, processes the operators tasks & responses, and sends responses back to the aggregator.

3.    Comprehensive documentation is essential to ensuring a productive relationship between DVNs and operators. It should include the necessary steps and requirements to register/deregister as an operator, along with LRE install instructions. Trust assumptions should call out any trusted/centralised components, and monitoring tooling such as a Grafana dashboard provided. Finally, official channel channels between the DVN and operators should be outlined.

4.    Each DVN must specify its reward payout rules, using ERC-20 tokens. DVNs can choose their own reward period. KernelDAO acts as objective third party, helping to verify and store the reward data onchain using Merkle proofs, after which operators and delegators can claim their rewards once available.

KernelDAO’s comprehensive documentation also includes an outline of a sample DVN architecture. It’s great additional reading if you’re interested in leveraging shared economic security to build something cool! All of the pieces are falling into place for BNB Chain to be the home of a restaking renaissance, powered by KernelDAO. Whether you have the skills to build a DVN, infrastructure know-how to become an operator, or assets to restake, there’s a way for you to get involved!