Hey BlockDAG Community,

Today was all about exploring more mining algorithm techniques for BlockDAG. BlockDAG with their unique structures, require robust mechanisms to ensure data integrity and validate transactions. SHA-3 (Secure Hash Algorithm 3) emerges as a compelling contender for the hashing function within the BlockDAG mining process. Let’s delve deeper into how SHA-3 integrates with BlockDAG’s Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus mechanism.

SHA-3: A Sponge for Secure Hashing

SHA-3 stands out for its sponge function capability. In essence, it can act in two modes:

• Hashing: Takes data of any size and produces a fixed-length output string (hash). This one-way property is crucial for ensuring data integrity in BlockDAG.
• Extending: Allows for incremental data incorporation, making it adaptable to the potentially varying data sizes encountered during BlockDAG mining.

SHA-3 in Proof-of-Work (PoW)

The core concept behind SHA-3’s role in mining lies in Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus mechanisms. Here’s the gist:
 

1. Block Construction: Miners prepare a block containing transaction data and a reference to the previous block’s hash (ensuring immutability).
2. Nonce Introduction: A nonce (number used once) is added to the block data.
3. Hashing Challenge: The entire block data, including the nonce, is fed into the SHA-3 function.
4. Mining the Hash: Miners iterate through different nonce values, re-hashing the block data each time. The goal is to find a hash that falls within a specific target range (often achieved by adding leading zeroes).
    

Pseudocode for BlockDAG Mining with SHA-3

function MineBlock(blockData, difficulty):

   while True:

    nonce = GenerateRandomNonce()

    dataToHash = Concatenate(blockData, nonce)

    hash = SHA3(dataToHash)

    if CheckHashValidity(hash, difficulty):

      return blockData, nonce # Block is valid, return data and nonce

    else:

      continue # Hash doesn’t meet difficulty, loop again
 

Explanation:

1. The MineBlock function takes the block data and mining difficulty as input.
2. A loop iterates until a valid hash is found.
3. Inside the loop, a random nonce is generated.
4. The block data and nonce are concatenated to form the data to be hashed.
5. The SHA-3 function is used to hash the data.
6. The CheckHashValidity function (not shown here) compares the hash with the difficulty target. This typically involves checking for a certain number of leading zeroes in the hash string.
7. If the hash meets the difficulty criteria, the block data and nonce are returned, indicating a successful mining operation.
8. If the hash fails the check, the loop continues, and a new nonce is attempted.

high-level look at the algorithm

During the implementing process of SHA-3 within our BlockDAG blockchain several steps will be included, which are hashing transactions or blocks for security and integrity within the chain. Below is a simplified pseudocode example of how SHA-3 will be implemented in our blockchain system:

function calculateSHA3(data):

   // This function calculates the SHA-3 hash of the given data

   // Step 1: Initialize the SHA-3 hashing algorithm

   hash_instance = initializeSHA3()

   // Step 2: Update the hash with the data

   hash_instance.update(data)

   // Step 3: Finalize the hash and obtain the digest

   digest = hash_instance.finalize()

   // Return the hexadecimal representation of the digest

   return hexadecimalRepresentation(digest)

function mineBlock(transactions, previousBlockHash, targetDifficulty):

   // This function is responsible for mining a new block in the DAG-based blockchain

   nonce = 0

   blockData = concatenate(transactions, previousBlockHash, nonce)

   while true:

       blockHash = calculateSHA3(blockData)

       // Check if the block hash meets the target difficulty

       if meetsDifficulty(blockHash, targetDifficulty):

           break  // Found a valid block hash that satisfies the PoW condition

       // Increment the nonce and update the block data

       nonce = nonce + 1

       blockData = concatenate(transactions, previousBlockHash, nonce)

   // Return the valid block hash and nonce

   return blockHash, nonce

// Example usage:

// Assume transactions and previousBlockHash are defined elsewhere targetDifficulty = “0000FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF”

// Mine a new block

validBlockHash, nonce = mineBlock(transactions, previousBlockHash, targetDifficulty)

Here’s why we are now considering SHA-3 over RandomX:
 

• Security: SHA-3 boasts a robust design, addressing potential vulnerabilities in older SHA versions.
• Efficiency: It offers competitive hashing speeds compared to other secure algorithms.

Next steps

SHA-3 presents a promising avenue for BlockDAG security. However, ongoing research and development are crucial. Here’s what to consider:

• Real-World Implementation: More BlockDAG projects need to adopt SHA-3 to solidify its position in the BlockDAG security landscape.
• ASIC Resistance: The debate regarding SHA-3’s impact on Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) in mining continues. Staying updated on this evolving landscape is essential.