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fix: remove duplicate FAQ, groom FAQ, add Node Operators index page, add links to docs #448

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fix: remove duplicate FAQ, groom FAQ, add Node Operators index page, add links to docs #448

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26062f7
create a landing topic for node operators to fix faq
barriebyron Jun 26, 2023
976c2cc
add an overview landing topic for node operators
barriebyron Jun 26, 2023
fbee477
removed duplicate content in other FAQs - this topic is not used
barriebyron Jun 26, 2023
fec7aa1
remove duplicate unusued FAQ and move general FAQ here
barriebyron Jun 26, 2023
41a8431
remove double quotation marks
barriebyron Jun 26, 2023
9266975
groom the node operator FAQ
barriebyron Jun 26, 2023
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33 changes: 26 additions & 7 deletions docs/about-mina/faq.mdx
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@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
---
title: FAQ
title: Mina FAQ
---

import Subhead from "@site/src/components/common/Subhead";

# FAQ
# Mina FAQ


<Subhead>
Expand All @@ -17,24 +17,43 @@ The Mina node is written in OCaml. But you don't need to know OCaml to write sma

### What language are zkApp smart contracts written in?

Mina's zero knowledge smart contracts ("zkApps") are written in TypeScript.
Mina's zero knowledge smart contracts (zkApps) are written in TypeScript.

Learn more about [how to write a zkApp](/zkapps/how-to-write-a-zkapp).

### How large is the Mina Blockchain?

22KB
22 KB

### Given Mina is only 22KB, where are past transactions stored?
### Given Mina is only 22 KB, where are past transactions stored?

The Mina node can run with an optional flag to make it an archive node. This means it stores historic transactions, which is useful for anyone running a service such as a block explorer. Still, this data is not needed in order to verify the current consensus state of the protocol.
A Mina node can run with an optional flag to make it an archive node to store historic transactions. Archive nodes are useful for anyone running a service such as a block explorer. Still, this historical data is not required to verify the current consensus state of the protocol.

### What ZK proof system does Mina use?
### What zk proof system does Mina use?

Mina Protocol uses a custom proof system called Kimchi, which was developed by [O(1) Labs](https://o1labs.org/), and is the only blockchain offering infinite recursion.

Check out the [Mina Book](https://o1-labs.github.io/proof-systems/plonk/overview.html) to learn more about Kimchi and the cryptography powering Mina Protocol.

### What can I do on the Mina network?

Any node can send and receive transactions on the Mina network. Any node can also choose to be a node operator. See [Node Operators](/node-operators).

### What consensus algorithm does Mina use?

Mina's consensus mechanism is an implementation of Ouroboros Proof-of-Stake. Due to Mina's unique compressed blockchain, certain aspects of the algorithm have diverged from the Ouroboros papers. The version Mina uses is called Ouroboros Samisika.

#### Is there a Mina block explorer?

Yes, check out these block explorers:

- https://minaexplorer.com/
- https://minascan.io

### How does Mina achieve scalability?

Mina achieves scalability through the use of recursive zk-SNARKs. By generating a proof that attests to the validity of historic blockchain states, Mina can keep the blockchain size fixed. This allows for increased throughput due to block size limits not being as taxing on the network, thereby increasing the scalability of the network.

### What security audits have been completed?

You can review the results of the completed security audits here:
Expand Down
4 changes: 2 additions & 2 deletions docs/about-mina/index.mdx
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Expand Up @@ -26,9 +26,9 @@ Watch this [video to learn about zero-knowledge proofs](about-mina/what-are-zero

### What are zkApps?

Mina’s zero-knowledge smart contracts are referred to as “zkApps”. zkApps provide powerful and unique characteristics such as unlimited off-chain execution, privacy for private data inputs that are never seen by the blockchain, the ability to write smart contracts in TypeScript, & more.
Mina's zero-knowledge smart contracts are referred to as zkApps. zkApps provide powerful and unique characteristics such as unlimited off-chain execution, privacy for private data inputs that are never seen by the blockchain, the ability to write smart contracts in TypeScript, and more.

Learn more about how [zkApps work](/zkapps).
See [zkApps Overview](/zkapps).

### How does consensus work on Mina?

Expand Down
224 changes: 2 additions & 222 deletions docs/mina-faq.mdx
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# FAQ

## Testnet

#### Do I need any specific hardware?

Currently, a 8-core processor and 16 GB of RAM are the minimum requirements.

#### What about software?

You can download all the software required to run a Mina node here. Right now,
we have builds that work on macOS, as well as Debian 9 and Ubuntu 18.04. You can
also [build from source](https://github.com/minaprotocol/mina) or run via Docker
/> for other unsupported systems.

#### What can I do on the Mina network?

Any node can send and receive transactions on the Mina network. Additionally,
any node can choose to be a "Node operator". Node operators play two specific
roles:

1. Block Producer - this is analogous to being a Bitcoin "miner" or a
"validator" in other proof-of-stake networks. By staking mina, you can be
selected to produce a block and win the block reward

2. Snark Worker - this job is what helps compress data in Mina's network. The
snark worker nodes generate proofs of transactions, and the block producer
buys these proofs on the network (we call it a "snarketplace" :) - thus, the
snark worker gets rewarded a bit of the block reward for their efforts.

#### What is the point of a testnet?

The Mina testnet's goal is to improve Mina's stability, improve the software
through bug fixes and addressing user experience, and to test the economic
incentive design in Mina. By participating in the testnet, you get to be the
first participants in the Mina protocol, and help develop it from ground zero.

#### My daemon crashed -- where should I share the error log?

First, check out [Github issues](https://github.com/minaprotocol/mina/issues) to
see if this is a known issue. If the error you experienced is a new issue, file
a Github issue with the appropriate tags (daemon, bug). Mina developers will
triage the issue and fix it in a future sprint -- thanks for your help!

#### How can I report other issues / get in touch with the development team?

It's better when we learn together.

- The Mina community's live discussion channel is the
[Discord server](https://bit.ly/MinaDiscord)
- You can also create Github issues: https://github.com/minaprotocol/mina/issues
- If you need to get in touch, you can submit a ticket via the
[Mina Support chat](https://support.minaprotocol.com/).

#### Is there a block explorer?

Yes, check out these block explorers:

https://minaexplorer.com/

https://mina.bitfly.at/

## General Questions

#### What consensus algorithm does Mina use?

Mina's consensus mechanism is an implementation of Ouroboros Proof-of-Stake. Due
to Mina's unique compressed blockchain, certain aspects of the algorithm have
diverged from the Ouroboros papers, and the version Mina uses is called
Ouroboros Samisika. Stay tuned for more details on Ouroboros Samisika and some
technical writeups on its details and implementation.

#### How does Mina achieve scalability?

Mina achieves scalability through the use of recursive zk-SNARKs. By generating
a proof that attests to the validity of historic blockchain states, Mina can
keep the blockchain size fixed. This allows for increased throughput due to
block size limits not being as taxing on the network, thereby increasing the
scalability of the network.
### Why did you develop a new protocol?

#### Why did you develop a new protocol, rather than augmenting existing cryptocurrencies?

The reason for developing a new protocol instead of offering services to other
blockchains is because adding SNARKs after the fact to a Layer 1 project is not
trivial. Even basic operations need to be optimized for performance inside a
SNARK, and existing implementations are not able to be retrofit as such. If we
look at hashing functions for example, SHA256 (used by Bitcoin) or Keccak (used
by Ethereum) are extremely expensive inside a SNARK circuit, but Poseidon (what
Mina uses) is optimized for performance. This and many other technical
considerations make it infeasible to easily add recursive SNARKs to existing
Layer 1’s, without entirely overhauling the base protocol.
The reason for developing a new protocol instead of offering services to other blockchains is because adding SNARKs after the fact to a Layer 1 project is not trivial. Even basic operations need to be optimized for performance inside a SNARK, and existing implementations are not able to be retrofit as such. If we look at hashing functions for example, SHA256 (used by Bitcoin) or Keccak (used by Ethereum) are extremely expensive inside a SNARK circuit, but Poseidon (what Mina uses) is optimized for performance. This and many other technical considerations make it infeasible to easily add recursive SNARKs to existing Layer 1 blockchains, without entirely overhauling the base protocol.

#### How does Mina verify the current state of the chain without having historical data? How do you audit a transaction if you only keep a proof of the blockchain?

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -127,16 +48,6 @@ blockchains the full history isn’t necessary for any actions that can be
performed on chain, these are more for data analysis purposes than anything
else.

#### Will you require a trusted setup?

No! Mina uses a
[Pickles SNARK](https://medium.com/minaprotocol/meet-pickles-snark-enabling-smart-contract-on-coda-protocol-7ede3b54c250),
which requires no trusted setup.

#### Does Mina support smart contracts? If so, what smart contracting languages does it support?

See the documentation for zkApps, Mina's zero-knowledge proof based
applications.

#### Does Mina support shielded transactions, like in Zcash?

Expand All @@ -148,43 +59,8 @@ development roadmap.

See here for information about using launchd or systemd with Mina.

## Block Producers

#### How can I verify that I am indeed producing blocks?

(Via the CLI): Execute `mina client status`

As output, you should see a block of text, there will be a line similar to this
if your Block Producer is running:
`Block producers running: 1 (B62qrPN5Y5yq8kGE3FbVK...)`

If your Block Producer has won a slot, you will see something like this:
`Next block will be produced in: in 17.52m`

(Via the Logs): The following text appears each time the daemon produces a
block:

`Producing new block with parent $breadcrumb`

#### I produced a block, why wasn't it selected for the _Canonical Chain_?

Due to a property of the Ouroboros Samisika consensus protocol, it's entirely
possible that more than one block is produced in a particular slot. The network
resolves the short-lived forks and will consolidate onto one block per slot by
random selection.

Below is a visualization of the Mina Blockchain:

## SNARKs and Snark Workers

#### If I run a Snark Worker, how do I get paid for my SNARKs that I generate?

Block producers (the validators who add new blocks to the blockchain) are
required to buy SNARKs from the network (or from what we call the Snarketplace)
and will pay out some of their block reward as fees to the snark workers who
generated SNARKs. This creates a secondary incentive mechanism in the network to
reward nodes that help compress transactions.

#### Is generating SNARKs similar to Proof-of-Work (PoW) mining?

No, they are different in several ways:
Expand All @@ -207,99 +83,3 @@ No, they are different in several ways:
where there will always be work to be done, and nobody needs to say ahead of
time when they want to work.

#### Why have my SNARKs not been included? (A.K.A. How should I price my SNARKs?)

Even though your SNARK Worker might be producing SNARKs at a breakneck pace, if
someone else produces a cheaper proof for a particular job you have already
completed, their SNARK would be preferred due to its lower fee.

Pricing your SNARKs is a delicate balance between the cost of compute, the
market environment (demand for SNARKs), your SNARK throughput, and the speed at
which each of your SNARK Worker processes can produce SNARKs. Sometimes, it
might even be economically prudent to turn off your SNARK Worker altogether
until the market improves.

#### Will Snark Workers require more storage and computing power over time? What about compared to Mina full nodes?

Snark workers will not need more storage or computing power over time. Snark
workers simply query the mempool for pending transactions requiring Snark
proofs, and then generate said proof -- this does not require syncing historical
data. In addition, the underlying proving cost of Snark work doesn’t get more
expensive with time.

If we are comparing Snark worker nodes with full nodes on Mina, then yes Snark
workers will benefit from specialized hardware as generating SNARK proofs is
currently compute intensive. Again, however, with the explosion of SNARK
research, this is likely to change and become more accessible to consumer
hardware.

#### What is the difference between a SNARK, a SNARK proof, and snark work?

SNARKs are a very overloaded term currently — when you read **SNARK**, it could
be referring to the concept of succinct non-interactive proof systems (eg.
SNARKs vs Bulletproofs), the specific technical implementation of the proof
system (eg. the construction, the circuit, or the prover), or the individual
instance of the proof itself (eg. the blockchain SNARK).

When we speak about it, we will try to adhere to using:

- SNARK: as the general concept of succinct, non-interactive zero-knowledge
proofs
- SNARK circuit: the specific circuit and prover, as pertaining to an app
- SNARK proof: an individual proof that is generated by a SNARK prover
- snark work: a Mina protocol data structure that is a wrapper around one or two
SNARK proofs and a price to be paid to the snark worker that generated the
proof(s). This is made unforgeable by a Signature of Knowledge scheme that
will be detailed in another section.

#### Is there any concern about a single large snark worker [dumping](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumping_(pricing_policy)>) work in the snarketplace, and then raising prices after monopolizing the market?

In economics, there is a pricing strategy called predatory pricing (or dumping)
where one supplier of a product seeks to exhaust competing suppliers in the
market by undercutting the market price. The supplier prices their goods much
cheaper than the market rate, in order to drive out competitors, even if it
means incurring short-term losses. Once the market has been cleared, the
dominant supplier then increases prices
[above competitive market rates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supracompetitive_pricing),
as competition has been extinguished.

However, this strategy is only effective in markets where there are high
barriers to entry. Meaning, competitors who were crowded out in the predation
stage are unable to rejoin the market.

This is not the case for snark work, as the barriers to entry are low. Anyone
who has spare compute can join the snarketplace and produce as little as one
snark work, and profit on that unit of work. The only barrier to entry is the
initial capital expense on hardware, but we anticipate hardware requirements to
be low, such that users with spare equipment can come online and participate. If
any snark worker succeeds in driving out the market and increases prices, it is
anticipated that newcomers would reappear and drive prices back down.

#### Does speed of producing snarks matter? If my computer is slower, will I be at a disadvantage?

No, provided that the snark work produced is still required by block producers,
it doesn't matter who produced it first — only the price matters in the block
producers' eyes. The caveat here is that earlier inclusion into the snark
mempool is obviously beneficial, as block producers are likely to "see" the work
earlier.

One could however envision a scenario where a set of snark workers are favored
because they produced the most number of snark works that are profitable, and
buying proofs from as few entities as possible would allow for more transactions
to be included in any block.

There is also a threshold at which time becomes a factor, but this would only
apply to very underpowered devices. We will follow up with detailed benchmarks,
when we have run more tests.

#### Will a full node need to store all intermediate SNARK proofs? Eg. Will the storage requirements grow linearly with blocks?

Nope -- when a new block is generated, Mina computes the proof recursively over
the prior proof and the new block. This is the advantage of recursive
composition -- at any given time, nodes only need to store the most recent
proof. Intermediate proofs are not needed. See this talk for more clarity on how
this architecture emerged: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWVGATxEB6M

#### How do you control or limit the number of cores Snark Workers use?

You can use the `-snark-worker-parallelism` flag when starting up `mina daemon`.
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