Provers
Role of Provers in the Network
Provers are an integral part of the Aleo network but do not participate in Aleo's network consensus. They run specific algorithms to solve the CoinbasePuzzle and obtain a ProverSolution that satisfies the ProofTarget. This ProverSolution is then broadcasted. When the consensus network confirm and include the ProverSolution in a block, the Prover receives the corresponding CoinbaseReward incentive.
Economic Incentives for Provers
In the long term, the CoinbaseReward incentive that Provers can obtain is directly proportional to their computational power relative to the entire network. The economic incentive for Provers is similar to PoW in Bitcoin, but unlike Bitcoin, Aleo's network doesn't employ a winner-takes-all strategy. As long as the ProverSolution satisfies the ProofTarget, it is accepted by the network. This approach ensures fairer and more stable rewards for Provers. It's noteworthy that unlike the BlockReward for validators, the CoinbaseReward decreases over time, reducing by 10% annually until there are no CoinbaseReward incentives after 10 years.
PuzzleReward = CoinbaseReward * 2/3
BlockReward = 23.8 + CoinbaseReward * 1 / 3
Where:
BlockReward is distributed by validators based on staking ratios.
PuzzleReward is distributed based on the proportion of Prover Solutions' ProofTargets.
CoinbasePuzzle
In the Aleo network, every 360 blocks form an Epoch. When a new Epoch is generated, the CoinbasePuzzle changes accordingly. If a Prover continues to compute the old CoinbasePuzzle, the network won't accept its ProverSolution. This implies that Provers need to monitor block changes in the consensus network and update their CoinbasePuzzle information when a new Epoch is generated.
Besides requiring ProverSolutions to be valid, the network also demands that they meet a ProofTarget greater than or equal to the specified value. The ProofTarget measures the workload of Provers; similar to PoW, the higher the ProofTarget, the greater the computational work required by the Prover. Aleo's network adjusts the ProofTarget based on the current computational power participating in the network. When computational power increases, the network enlarges the ProofTarget to prevent excessive ProverSolutions, thus avoiding network congestion and situations where numerous ProverSolutions cannot be included in blocks.
Become a Prover Node
Becoming a Prover node does not require staking or authorization, anyone can start a Prover node.