About Stratos

What is Stratos ?🔗︎

Stratos is a large-scale distributed infrastructure network designed to provide a comprehensive set of resources, including computation, storage, and network traffic, all in one platform. It leverages Proof-of-Traffic algorithms to reward participants and contributors based on their contributions to the network's traffic. Additionally, Stratos utilizes its own blockchain to measure the usage of computing resources, while incorporating the Practical Byzantine Fault-Tolerant consensus algorithm (PBFT) to integrate the network Proof-of-Traffic consensus algorithm deeply. This enables Stratos to provide settlement services and financial payment services for network providers and users in a highly efficient, fair, and transparent manner.

The primary goal of Stratos is to serve as a decentralized data mesh for blockchain applications. It seeks to define the next generation of decentralized computing services, catering to Dapp (Decentralized Application) developers like those working on projects such as Uniswap, AAVE, and NFT Dapps. By using Stratos, developers can deploy, store, and execute their code and data on decentralized infrastructure, thereby eliminating the need for complex network deployment. This allows developers to focus solely on their product's business logic without having to worry about the underlying infrastructure, leading to more effective development and lower costs.

In essence, Stratos aims to establish a distributed network ecosystem that brings together infrastructure providers, middleware developers, and Dapp developers. This collaborative environment encourages shared value creation and efficient cooperation to deliver credible, reliable, and cost-effective applications for the prosperity of blockchain-based solutions. One of Stratos' main promises is to offer an indestructible environment for all Dapps, ensuring that no one can take down applications hosted on the platform. This enhanced resilience and reliability foster a robust ecosystem for blockchain applications to thrive.

The Meaning of ‘Stratos’🔗︎

The name 'Stratos' is derived from the term 'stratosphere', an atmospheric layer encircling the Earth. Positioned approximately 10 kilometers above the Earth's surface (8 kilometers at the poles) and extending up to around 50 kilometers altitude, the stratosphere embodies distinct climatic attributes. Characterized by predominantly horizontal air currents and minimal vertical air movement, it fosters atmospheric stability and lacks substantial vertical convection.

In the context of decentralized services, 'Stratos' assumes a role akin to that of the stratosphere in relation to the Earth's blockchain ecosystem. It functions as a surrounding infrastructure, furnishing decentralized storage, decentralized databases, and decentralized computing services to blockchain applications. Drawing a parallel between the two, Stratos envelops the blockchain realm, providing an analogous environment of resourceful support.

The Significance of Decentralization🔗︎

When compared to centralization, decentralization brings forth two pivotal distinctions: Equal Rights and Data Ownership. In a decentralized framework, all participants enjoy equal rights, and data ownership rests with the creators rather than the system's proprietors. A case in point is the centralized system provided by Google, offering services such as customer support, information retrieval, online storage, and email. While ostensibly free, the true cost resides in personal data. Google exploits this data for commercial gains.

Decentralization, as exemplified by blockchain, ensures parity in rights and ownership of data. Each node within the blockchain network maintains equal rights, although nodes with greater computational prowess or those engaged in staking hold higher prospects for block generation. The blockchain's ledger data is accessible to the public; however, in stark contrast to centralized networks, sole verification authority over key data remains vested in the private key's possessor, resistant to external intervention.

An alternate perspective emerges by inquiring: Is decentralization synonymous with blockchain? This inquiry merits a nuanced technical delineation. A blockchain serves as a network where multiple nodes partake asynchronously via consensus mechanisms. Data across these nodes synchronizes within fixed time intervals, culminating in consensus. While a blockchain exemplifies an accomplished instantiation of decentralization, it certainly is not the sole solution. Some decentralized initiatives incorporate blockchain into their design despite business requirements that don't necessitate it, courting potential failure.

"Stratos, as a decentralized infrastructure, is poised to expedite the advent of the new Era of Decentralization. Stratos aspires to emulate the significance of Bitcoin in 2010, which heralded the blockchain's ascendancy, and the impact of Ethereum's smart contracts in 2015, fostering blockchain's prosperity. Stratos is poised to become the bedrock of the Era of Decentralization, underpinning decentralized service infrastructure and enriching the blockchain landscape. Analogous to providing air, water, and sunlight to a system, Stratos cultivates a stable, flourishing, and sustainable ecosystem within the stratosphere."

A blockchain's system design, inaugurated with Bitcoin's advent, has been extensively validated. Varied implementations of public chains have affirmed its aptitude for provisioning public ledgers and smart contract services atop these ledgers. However, it's imperative to recognize that the blockchain's design is inapplicable to every decentralized service initiative.

Therefore, blockchain encapsulates but a fraction of decentralization's potential applications. As a provider of decentralized service infrastructure, Stratos amalgamates diverse decentralized components, transcending the limitations of a blockchain alone. Stratos stands as the quintessential infrastructure of the blockchain industry, offering a comprehensive suite of services to the entire blockchain domain, dissociated from single-chain affiliations and distinct from being a mere adjunct to a public chain ecosystem.

Since the inception of the blockchain sector in 2010, endeavors have been aimed at catalyzing its integration within traditional industries. However, as a blockchain primarily furnishes public ledger services, its impact on industries devoid of ledger-based requisites has been limited. Simultaneously, the booming token economy within the blockchain industry has led to misconceptions, causing external observers to perceive a lack of practical value in decentralized systems due to limited application in traditional industries. This perception neglects that decentralized systems' potential utility extends to these sectors, albeit current offerings inadequately address their needs.

Stratos' decentralized service infrastructure, meticulously designed and developed, is not restricted to the blockchain domain; it was envisioned to better serve centralized traditional industries. Stratos is poised to commercialize decentralized services, enhancing the infrastructure and services available to both decentralized and centralized businesses, while fostering efficiency, security, and stability in the provision of decentralized systems.

Stratos Past And Present🔗︎

The Stratos Team is comprised of a group of skilled developers who have achieved excellence in their respective field. These professionals have garnered their expertise through their employment at well-known companies such as Canadian National Railways, Amazon, Expedia, Alibaba, and other reputable organizations. Each team member contributes a wealth of top-level skills in enterprise-level development.

A notable aspect of the team is its substantial representation from Mindgeek, a major Internet company that ranks among the top 10 in terms of website traffic. Throughout Stratos' CEO Bin Zhu's 7-year tenure at Mindgeek, he led the Cloud team, overseeing the creation and advancement of a data platform from its inception. This platform efficiently manages millions of data records per second and handles the processing of hundreds of billions of records daily. Globally, this data platform offers diverse data services to more than 100 million users each day. This history of establishing a comprehensive data network constitutes the cornerstone of Stratos, equipping it with the indispensable elements required to achieve substantial commercial applications right from the outset.

Leveraging a wealth of practical experience and insights derived from the Google GFS and Hadoop HDFS architectural models, the team has expanded the realm of distributed storage to encompass solutions for decentralized storage. The Stratos Decentralized Storage is equipped with an integrated high-performance storage module, exemplifying the fusion of hands-on experience and robust architectural principles.

Stratos Components🔗︎

Stratos services consist of four core modules: blockchain, decentralized storage, decentralized databases, and decentralized computing. Just like Earth relies on air, water, soil, and sunlight, these four elements are crucial for creating the right conditions to foster growth. Various combinations of these modules also offer diverse decentralized services for both the blockchain and traditional industries.

Now, let's dive into the three layers: value, resource, and meta service. Picture them as levels, each with its own way of agreeing on things. The value layer uses Proof-of-Stake (PoS) agreement, the resource layer uses Proof-of-Traffic (PoT), and the meta service layer uses Proof-of-Authority (PoA).

This is an innovative solution to tackle the challenge of decentralization commonly referred to as the blockchain trilemma. Here's what each layer does:

PoA is the closest to centralization. It keeps the meta service layer efficient, even when decentralized.
PoS ensures the value layer is secure and strong.
PoT is a fully decentralized way to agree on things. It lets the resource layer grow endlessly, so more resources can join the Stratos network.

Also, these three layers are like three types of nodes. Miners can pick the one that suits their hardware and needs to join the Stratos network.

To put it simply, Stratos has four modules spread across three layers, with different ways of agreeing. This forms a sturdy structure for the Stratos network, giving users stable, reliable, and efficient decentralized services.

Whitepaper🔗︎

You can find all the technical details in the Stratos Whitepaper.