Data Availability Sharding

Ethereum Express Network introduces an innovative data availability sharding mechanism. This approach involves breaking down full blocks into a set number of smaller fragments, known as shards. These shard divisions follow specific encoding rules. Participants in the network can choose to either store all data or opt for a fixed number of shards, which they validate through a verifiable random sampling process. This flexibility ensures the integrity of stored data while enhancing decentralization and scalability. Any node has the potential to become a verifying node by staking tokens, further contributing to decentralization. The management and functioning of the Data Availability Layer hinge on the settlement layer. This encompasses tasks such as handling storage transactions, packaging and proposing integrated data availability layer blocks, and ultimately confirming the validity of these blocks. Moreover, the governance and staking processes associated with validation nodes within the Data Availability Layer play a crucial role in bolstering the scalability of the entire system.