Thread by @FrancescoCiull4

Client Diversity thread.

Having multiple clients is a feature of the Ethereum blockchain

It will become even more so after the merge!

But why bother developing several clients instead of just one?

Let's see.

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Table of Contents:

Introduction
Client types
Execution Clients
Execution clients stats
Consensus Clients
Consensus Clients stats
Why multiple Clients?
Why is client diversity important?
Bugs
Resilience to attacks
Proof-of-stake finality
Shared responsibility

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Introduction

An Ethereum node runs on a client, but there is not a single type of client, there are many.

The clients are built using common specifications to ensure:
- same UX
- same functionality
- communication with other nodes

Now the distribution is not diverse enough.

Client Types

There are currently 2 types of clients:
- Execution Clients
- Consensus Clients
- Why Multiple Clients?
Diversity is important for both of them

Execution Clients

They:
- process and broadcast transactions
- manage Ethereum's state
- run transactions computation in the EVM.
- handle proof-of-work consensus.

After the merge, the consensus will be handled by the consensus clients.

Execution clients stats

For the execution layer. here is the situation.

Geth: ~82%
Openethereum: ~8%
Erigon ~7%
Nethermind: ~2%
Other clients: ~1%

Not well balanced.

Consensus Clients

They allow the network to reach an agreement about the head of the Beacon Chain, using proof-of-stake.

They don't participate in validating or broadcasting transactions or executing state transitions (done by execution clients).

Consensus Clients stats

For Consensus Clients, the situation is better:

Prysm: ~67%
Lighthouse: ~19%
Teku: ~9%
Nimbus: ~5%
Grandine: ~1%
Other clients: <1 %

Here is a site you can check:
clientdiversity.org

Why Multiple Clients?

- Multiple clients are an Ethereum strength: many blockchains rely on a single one.

- Client diversity makes the network more resilient to attacks and bugs.

- Having multiple clients is not enough: they must be adopted equally by the community.

Why is client diversity important?

Having independently developed (and maintained) clients is important for a decentralized network!

Reasons:
- Bugs
- Resilience to attacks
- Proof-of-stake finality
- Shared responsibility
- Shared responsibility

Bugs

A bug in a single client is a minor risk for the network if it represents a minority of nodes.

With an even distribution of nodes, the likelihood of most clients suffering from a shared issue is small, and the network is more robust.

Resilience to attacks

Low diversity increases the risk associated with a hack on the dominant client.

An attack for a specific client is unlikely to be successful for other clients.

Client diversity has already proven to be a great defense against network attacks.

Proof-of-stake finality

Ethereum has had 100% uptime for now.

⚠After The Merge, the risks caused by poor client diversity become more alarming!

A critical bug in a consensus client with 33%+ nodes could prevent the Beacon Chain from finalizing, and Ethereum would be offline!

Shared responsibility

Having major clients put excess strain on a small dev team.

The lesser the diversity, the greater the burden of responsibility for the devs maintaining the main client.

Spreading the responsibility is good for:
✅ health of nodes
✅ health of people

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