Astar Network - Development Updates (Read Only)

Astar Network (Polkadot)
1

Astar Development Updates

Technical development updates
Technical development updates1200×630 152 KB

Report # 1

Date: 2024/06/07

Introduction

Welcome to Astar’s weekly development update! In this topic, we provide you with the latest advancements, enhancements, and fixes across our protocol, portal, and network. Our goal is to keep you informed about the ongoing improvements and ensure you have the best possible experience.

This week, there are no new runtime or network upgrades to announce, but we do have an exciting Portal update to share with the community.

Portal Updates

:gear: Features

  • The Portal Dashboard page was updated via #1289, which introduced inflation charts and redesigned the Data dashboard. The community can monitor real-time token inflation on this dashboard.
  • A Wallet Connect feature was incorporated into the wallet connection modal as detailed in #1278. Users can now connect their EVM wallets to the Astar portal using wallet connect.
  • Finally, a banner highlighting the start of the next dApp Staking voting period was added to the Portal in #1299.

:bug: Fixes

  • A bug in the XCM transfer interface concerning the switching between different XC20 tokens has been fixed. This fix can be found in #1294.

:arrows_counterclockwise: Refactors

  • A series of code refactors have been executed: the ledger migrate UIs for dApp staking V3 have been eliminated #1293, the dApp Staking v2 code has been scrapped in #1283, and the Yoki campaign banner has been removed in #1297.

Thank you for your continuous support and feedback!

The Astar Foundation Team

10 Likes
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Great update, Astar team! Loving the new inflation charts—super handy for keeping an eye on token dynamics.

The Wallet Connect addition is a game-changer for ease of access.

Cheers for squashing that XCM transfer bug too! It’s these little fixes that make a big difference. Can’t wait to see what’s next.

Keep it up! :rocket::star2:

1 Like
3

Thank you!

For the sake of transparency, I am glad to see the reports coming out every week.

2 Likes
4

Hi G,

Thank you for the wonderful report :tada:
People who access the portal daily may have casually noticed that the portal has been updated. However, the general public does not often pick up detailed information from Github, so I think this kind of report is appreciated.

One thing I noticed while looking at this report is about the official documentation. I believe Astar Doc v3 is planned for the future. The documentation may not be updated very frequently, but I thought it would be good to have some sort of update announcement. I would like to help with that as well. If you have any suggestions for an appropriate reporting method, I would appreciate your comments.

By the way, until now, I personally checked Github at particular milestones or when I had time, and if there was an update to the official documentation, I announced it by posting on X or Discord/TG.

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I am of the opinion that this thread should be closed to prevent the community from writing and losing the flow of weekly news. Just my opinion :sweat_smile:.

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It’s very useful information. Thank you so much =)

1 Like
7

Thank you for the update.
Having regular reports like this is very helpful for the community.

1 Like
8

Astar Technical Development Updates

Report # 2

Date: 2024/06/14

Introduction

Greetings, Astar Community!

Welcome to our weekly technical development update, where we bring you the latest advancements and improvements from our dedicated development teams.

This week, we’re excited to share updates across our protocol and portal. Our focus is to enhance user experience, improve protocol stability, and ensure the security of our ecosystem.

Stay tuned for detailed insights into the recent upgrades, fixes, and new features that will elevate your interaction with Astar.

Protocol

After a recent Astar runtime upgrade a few weeks ago, which introduced an oracle feed for price, the tier thresholds in dApp Staking increased significantly more than expected. This issue stemmed from a flaw in the formula used to calculate the difference between the number of slots. The issue has been fixed in #1252.

As a consequence, some projects were incorrectly demoted to lower tiers, causing them to miss out on rewards they would have otherwise earned. To address this, a script has been developed to determine the accurate earnings for each project and prepare a call to reimburse the difference.

The code for this reimbursement script can be found on GitHub: AstarNetwork/dapp-staking-reimbursement-script.

The community could be particularly interested in the following resources:

Portal Updates

:gear: Features

The new dApp Staking Period is starting soon. Therefore, significant updates and improvements have been prepared and successfully implemented in #1302. These updates feature several enhancements to improve both the staking process and user experience. Specific changes include:

  • New Staking UI: A new staking UI has been developed to enhance user experience and simplify the staking process. It features clearer instructions, streamlined workflows, and intuitive design elements to help users navigate the staking features more effectively.
  • Dashboard Enhancements: Updated interface to provide more detailed insights and user-friendly navigation.
  • New Metrics: Additional metrics and analytics to help users make decisions.

A Ledger dApp Staking V3 Promotion Card has been introduced in #1304. This promotion card aims to encourage users to utilize the Ledger hardware wallet for staking, offering enhanced security and ease of use.

:bug: Fixes

Several key fixes have been made to enhance the stability and functionality of the portal:

  • Improved getDapp Method Error Handling: In #1307, error handling in the getDapp method has been enhanced, ensuring more robust and reliable operation. This fix resolves issues with error handling and allows developers to correctly register new dApps on the Portal again.
  • Fix Recent History Link for zkEVM: In #1311, a fix has been deployed to correct the transaction links in the transfer history for zkEVM, ensuring users can now access their transaction history without issues.
  • Disable XCM Transfer for Shiden: In #1313, XCM transfer functionality for Shiden was disabled. This was necessary due to Kusama’s recent runtime upgrade, which introduced significant changes, including a breaking change for transaction encoding with the CheckMetadataHash extension. Disabling XCM transfers prevents potential cross-chain issues.
    This is temporary until Kusama runtime compatibility with Shiden is tested and confirmed.

Thank you for your continuous support and active participation in our community!

The Astar Foundation Team

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11

Astar Technical Development Updates

Report # 3

Date: 2024/06/24

Introduction

We are excited to share the latest updates from Astar’s development. Our teams have been working to enhance our protocol, refine our portal, and strengthen our network. This week’s update includes protocol improvements, new features, fixes, and refactors aimed at optimizing your Astar experience.

We remain committed to transparency and continuous improvement, ensuring Astar stays at the forefront of blockchain innovation.

Dive in to explore the latest advancements and see how we’re making Astar better for you every day!

1. Protocol & Network Updates

This is a runtime-only release, meaning the client isn’t impacted and operators aren’t required to upgrade. Key updates include improvements to dApp staking rewards for better-performing dApps, enabled only on Shibuya at the moment.

Client Updates:

  • Upd/shibuya specs: Updating one of Shibuya’s collators (#1258).
  • Update Tokyo to new chain (Paseo based): Updating testnet relay chain Tokyo (#1261).

Runtime Updates:

  • Stakingv3 - Rank dApps in-between tiers: Improvement to dApp staking by ranking dApps between tiers (#1240).

Other Updates:

  • Frontier RPC tests: Enhanced testing for Frontier RPC (#1249).
  • GHA check migrations: Implementation of GitHub Actions for check migrations (#1254).
  • Remove legacy Zombienet tests: Removal of outdated Zombienet tests (#1255).
  • Chain sync test: Adding a job on release github action to test chain synchronization (#1257).
  • EVM tracing test: Add EVM Tracing tests for runtime api (#1259).
  • Try-runtime clear prefix for large storage maps: Enhancement for clearing prefixes in large storage maps during runtime trials (#1262).

2. Portal Updates

:gear: Features

  • Add Hydration to XCM: Implemented in #1315, this feature enhances XCM (Cross-Consensus Messaging) by adding hydration parachain, which improves data integrity and reliability during cross-chain operations.
  • AirLyft Dapp Staking Campaign Promotion Card: Introduced in #1319, this promotion card aims to highlight the AirLyft dApp staking campaign, encouraging more participation and engagement.
  • Pinky: Staking Promotion Card: Developed in #1328, this promotion card is designed to boost awareness and usage of Pinky’s features.
  • Show Estimated Staker + Bonus Rewards on Vote Info Banner: Implemented in #1329, this update adds an info banner displaying estimated staker rewards and bonus rewards, helping users make informed decisions during voting.
  • Add dApp Staking Categories Description: In #1316, a feature to provide detailed descriptions for dApp staking categories has been implemented, improving user understanding and navigation.

:bug: Fixes

  • Fix dApp Swiper Configuration: Corrected in #1317, ensuring the dApp swiper functions correctly.
  • Fix for Filtering dApps in Other Category: Addressed in #1322, this fix resolves issues with filtering dApps in the “Other” category.
  • Category Filter Fix, Take 2: Further improvements to category filtering in #1323.
  • Added Maintenance Mode Condition to Disable the Bridge Feature: Implemented in #1330, this fix disables the bridge feature during zKyoto maintenance, preventing potential issues and ensuring platform stability.
  • Tier Display Fix: Corrected in #1331, ensuring accurate display of tier information.
  • Update dApp Promotions File to Set Ledger as First: Adjusted in #1333, prioritizing Ledger banner in the card promotions list.
  • Fix Promotion File: Additional corrections in #1334.

:arrows_counterclockwise: Refactors

  • dApp Staking Ranked Tier Update: Updated in #1324, this refactor improves the ranking system for dApp staking tiers, ensuring more accurate and fair distribution of rewards.

Thank you for your continuous support and feedback!

The Astar Foundation Team

7 Likes
12

Astar Technical Development Updates

Report # 4

Date: 2024/07/19

Introduction

Hello Astar Enthusiasts!

We are excited to share the latest technical updates from Astar. Our dedicated teams have been working diligently on protocol and portal development.

This week’s update includes essential protocol upgrades, new features, important fixes, and thoughtful refactors designed to enhance your experience on Astar. Our goal is to keep you informed and ensure Astar remains at the forefront of blockchain innovation.

Dive into the details below to see how we’re continuously improving Astar for our community!

1. Protocol & Network Updates

We are pleased to announce the release of Astar version v5.42.0, which includes numerous updates for both the client and the runtime.

:warning: For Shibuya only, it is crucial for operators to upgrade their clients as soon as possible due to the introduction of new host functions. Do not upgrade Astar or Shiden collators to 5.42 for the moment. :warning:

Key Updates:

  • Polkadot-SDK Dependencies: Upgraded to version v1.9.0, bringing various client-side improvements and optimizations.
  • Astar Governance v1 Model: Integrated into Shibuya, enhancing governance mechanisms.
  • dApp Staking Ranking System: Enabled for both Shiden and Astar, providing a more structured and fair staking environment.
  • Collator Unbonding: Updated with a dedicated call to withdraw bonded funds, improving the efficiency and security of fund withdrawals.

Upgrade Priority: CRITICAL

For more details, you can view the full release notes here.

Changes

Client

  • revert node id (#1280)
  • Uplift to v1.5 (#1256)
  • Release v5.42.0 prep (#1298)

Runtime

  • Local/Shibuya v1 governance integration (#1260)
  • Add missing storage version setting for Shibuya governance (#1286)
  • Missing governance permissions for Shibuya (#1287)
  • Enable RankedTier for Astar & Shiden (#1288)
  • add candidacy un-bonding period (#1281)
  • Uplift to v1.5 (#1256)
  • feat: update to polkadot v1.9.0 (#1290)
  • Minor governance param adjustment (#1296)
  • Release v5.42.0 prep (#1298)
  • disable metadata hash (#1300)

Others

2. Portal Updates

We are also excited to share the latest updates from our Portal team with the release of version v0.0.68. This release includes new features, critical fixes, and essential refactors to enhance the portal’s functionality and user experience.

:gear: Features

zkEVM Bridge Maintenance for zKyoto

Implemented in #1337 after the infrastructure migration of zKyoto, this feature ensures that the zkEVM bridge for zKyoto remains operational and secure. Regular maintenance and updates are crucial for maintaining the integrity and performance of the bridge, enabling seamless cross-chain interactions.

zkEVM Bridge Maintenance for Astar zkEVM

Following the infrastructure migration of Astar zkEVM, the portal team has implemented updates in #1341, #1342, and #1344 to ensure the Astar zkEVM bridge remains functional, robust, and efficient, supporting the growing demands of the Astar network.

Polkadot.js Uplift to v11.3.1

Implemented in #1327, this update upgrades Polkadot.js to version v11.3.1. This uplift brings various improvements and enhancements to the portal, ensuring compatibility and leveraging the latest features and fixes from the Polkadot.js library.

:bug: Fixes

Fix Bonus APR Calculation

Implemented in #1346, this fix addresses issues with the bonus APR calculation. Accurate bonus APR calculations are essential for providing users with precise information about their staking rewards, ensuring transparency and trust in the staking process.

Fix Inflation Chart Token Burn Effects

Implemented in #1351, this fix corrects the inflation chart to accurately reflect token burn effects. This update ensures that users have a clear and accurate view of inflation and its impact on the token supply, improving the transparency and reliability of financial metrics.

:arrows_counterclockwise: Refactors

The latest portal release also includes several refactors aimed at improving code quality and maintainability. For a detailed list of changes, refer to the full changelog.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to enhance and expand the Astar network. Your feedback and support are invaluable to us as we strive to make Astar the best it can be.

Thank you for being part of our journey!

The Astar Foundation Team

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