“Mobile Astar Node” Concept

Astar Astar Initiatives
1

Introduction

This concept is an experimental endeavor. Once it comes to fruition, it will enable anyone to easily contribute to the Astar Network ecosystem. Here, I would like to share my thoughts, the requirements for its realization, and the challenges we currently foresee.

Firstly, I intend to gather opinions from others about this concept. Once we see a certain level of feasibility, we will formalize it into a project, recruit development members, and continue activities with an eye on proposing it to the Unstoppable Community Grants (UCG) in the future.

Overview

The purpose of this concept is to leverage mobile devices as Astar Nodes, enabling even those who are not ICT professionals to easily promote the decentralization of the Astar Network and contribute to its ecosystem. Additionally, by repurposing unused mobile devices, this initiative also contributes to reducing electronic waste and protecting the environment.

Currently, there is an activity called the “Peers program” being conducted to promote the decentralization of the Astar Network and the activation of the community. (Revised Proposal: Proposal: Peers program - spread Astar nodes across the world with Raspberry Pi.) This activity has achieved certain results and is essentially similar to an extension of this initiative.

Background

I’d like to describe the background that led me to consider this initiative.

Recently, I attended a Symbol/NEM meetup in Japan. There, I saw a demonstration of an application called “Mobile Node powered by Symbol”. This application allows you to operate a Symbol Node directly on an Android smartphone. I also tried running Symbol’s testnet on my Android smartphone, and it was surprisingly easy to operate. In the case of Symbol Nodes, if certain conditions are met, it is possible to perform harvesting (i.e., block generation rewards), and this application supports that functionality as well. The following photo shows the Symbol Node running on a “Moto e32s.”

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I wondered if the same could be done with Astar Nodes.

In Astar’s “Peers program,” the aim is to promote network decentralization by running Astar Nodes on small PCs like Raspberry Pi. These machines are relatively low-spec, and even the latest Raspberry Pi 5 is not much different in specifications compared to recent smartphones. Therefore, I believe that once we overcome the challenges mentioned later, it would be possible to achieve “Mobile Node-ization” for Astar, similar to Symbol.

Goals of This Concept

Enabling everyone to operate an Astar Node via a mobile application will significantly advance network decentralization.

Particularly, we aim to promote the operation of Astar Nodes in regions where they are currently absent or scarce. For example, we believe it is possible to target the operation of over 20 nodes in each of the following regions within a year. This is a quite ambitious and challenging goal compared to the “Peers program.”

  • South America
  • Africa
  • West Asia
  • Southeast Asia
  • Australia

These regions are already being targeted by the “Peers program,” but this initiative aims to further accelerate that progress.

Expected Smartphone Specifications

Based on the success of the “Peers program” and information from the “Mobile Node powered by Symbol,” the necessary specifications are expected to be as follows:

  • CPU: Quad Core or higher
  • Memory (RAM): 4GB or more (6GB or more recommended)
  • Internal Storage: 64GB (block history is not primarily stored here)
  • External Storage: HDD or SSD with 2TB or more *Note: A self-power hub or USB Power Delivery is required, as mentioned later
  • USB Type C Interface
  • Internet: Home Wi-Fi (standard downstream speed expected to be around tens to 100 Mbps) *Note: Assuming the use of home-installed Wi-Fi for blockchain node operation

Benefits of Mobilizing Astar Nodes

  • Promotes the decentralization of the Astar Network.
  • Enables node operation on low-power smartphones.
  • Contributes to reducing electronic waste and protecting the environment.
  • Makes node operation accessible even to those who are not ICT professionals through the mobile app.
  • Reduces initial costs compared to using a Raspberry Pi by repurposing old mobile devices.

Challenges in Mobilizing Astar Nodes

I recognize the following challenges:

  1. Additional Storage Required for Astar Node Database
    Currently, the storage required to save the Astar block history is about 1TB. Considering it will increase in the future, at least 2TB of storage space is desired. While a 2TB micro SD card exists, it is extremely expensive. Therefore, realistically, an external portable HDD or SSD is necessary. However, since smartphones typically only have one USB-C interface, it is essential to set up an environment that allows simultaneous power supply to the smartphone and data access to the external drive by using a self-power hub or USB Power Delivery.

    Sample
    Sample1732×1212 87.2 KB

    Supplement to This Challenge -1 :
    There is a compatibility issue between USB Power Delivery/self-power hubs and smartphones. Some combinations do not allow for simultaneous charging and data access to the external drive. (I found this to be true with certain Motorola smartphones, even within the same brand.)
    To address this, you may need to check if the manufacturer of the USB Power Delivery or self-power hub has a list of compatible smartphone models. Otherwise, it’s a matter of trial and error. However, this challenge can potentially be mitigated by sharing verified products and combinations within the community.
    Supplement to This Challenge -2:
    The capacity of standalone SD cards continues to increase. Thus, I believe the future where multi-terabyte micro SD cards can be obtained at a reasonable price is not far off. In that case, like Symbol’s mobile nodes, it will also become easy to operate an Astar Node entirely on a smartphone alone.

  2. Development of Mobile Application
    To make node operation accessible to non-ICT professionals, a mobile application needs to be developed. Unfortunately, I am not a mobile app developer, so specialized help is required.Additionally, For example, it is currently known that the Astar Node binary (astar-collator) is available for aarch64. While it can run on a Raspberry Pi with Ubuntu installed, it cannot run on smartphones with Android OS / aarch64. Cross-compiling is necessary to create a binary that can run on the Android OS and architecture.

  3. Feasibility of Expected Specifications
    After, or concurrently with, the development of the binary that runs on smartphones, it is necessary to confirm whether Node operation is possible with the expected specifications. This is something that can only be determined through actual testing.

Regarding Motivation for Users

(October 12, 2024, Addendum)

For this concept, I considered it necessary to motivate users to actually run an Astar Node on their mobile devices. The benefits I mentioned are solely for the Astar Network ecosystem and the natural and social environment, relying on the users’ sense of mission. Of course, it would be great if many users contribute because of that, but relying solely on people’s actions may not sustain this initiative.

At the very least, even if mobile devices are reused, the need for additional storage and the cost of consumed electricity will be a cost to the user.

Therefore, I thought it would be beneficial to have something that serves as an incentive for the executing users. Although I do not have a concrete idea yet, since this is a web3/blockchain initiative, I believe it would be advantageous to devise a system that users can sustainably engage with, built upon well-structured token economics. At the same time, I think it is necessary to concurrently develop and manage a community to expand the reach of this initiative.

Medal NFT

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Summary of the Concept

Thank you for reading my concept so far.

There may still be challenges beyond those mentioned above that I haven’t yet considered.
I welcome comments and ideas from the community. Additionally, if anyone is interested in this initiative and would like to collaborate, please feel free to contact me. As I mentioned before, once we have a clearer direction and feasibility, we aim to formalize this into a project, recruit development members, and continue activities with a view to proposing it to the Unstoppable Community Grants (UCG) in the future.

References

Japanese document

Here is the Japanese version of the document.

About Me

6 Likes
2

@bLd759 B, what do you think?
@tksarah idea is great actually. I’m not a tech person, but I get his idea by utilizing old smartphone to reduce electronic waste.

There will be extreme challenges ahead but I really like this idea.

1 Like
3

Interesting idea, overall I like it if we can have a light node running on mobile phone, or even one dApp staking project that can utilize the mobile phone, that would be nice. I think Nodle network is one example, which I have tested and running quite well, they don’t need a lot of resouces as well, ras pi might be another option which had more spaces and computation power, I think peaq network used to have node running on ras pi.

1 Like
4

I think this is a very excellent initiative.
Unlike validators (collators), there are no incentives for full-node operation, but the ability to participate in network operations at low cost using already existing equipment would contribute to organizing a elastic network.

It would be even more ideal if we could go one step further and allow mobile nodes to send transactions directly without going through third-party RPC nodes.

1 Like
5

Because this is really an innovative and ambitious concept: turning any abandoned mobile device into an Astar Node will strongly improve network decentralization while being good for the environment. And due to the wide availability of smartphones, node operation is affordable and approachable, even by non-ICT professionals. Another thing that is really worth mentioning is the project’s focus on scaling in regions where it’s still underdeveloped, which is inclusive and forward-looking. Important this will be, but the really thorny technical issues will be storage and compatibility. The solution you’ve put forward for verified products, which is more community-focused, is the most promising.

Btw have you considered collaborating with already existing mobile development teams or open-source communities focused on mobile nodes as a way to speed up the development of the Astar Nodes mobile application?

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Thank you for your comment.

I believe it is possible for mobile nodes to serve as RPC endpoints, but I understand that your perspective is likely from the viewpoint of implementing a light client. This is also an interesting point, so I think it will be considered for future enhancements.

1 Like
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Thank you for repoly.
Yes, I am considering it. For now, I would like to contact the developers of “Mobile Node powered by Symbol” and the developers in the Symbol community who initiated this.

8

I really like this idea!
Looking forward to reading bLd’s comments on the feasibility of this concept.

1 Like
9

The idea is great, but I have a question: Will running Node heat up the CPU and other components of the phone? Because the phone is very susceptible to damage if it runs continuously in a hot state for several hours.

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10

I believe that expanding the possibility of setting up a node to all NON-TECHNICAL users is a really good initiative that would certainly bring value to the entire ecosystem. I have been using the ACURAST system for months which allows you to use old smartphones to make the network secure (these actions are incentivized by the project itself) and this trend of reuse/recycle is really very popular now and I find it a great opportunity to give ASTAR this possibility too. Fantastic idea.
I think the biggest obstacle is the large storage capacity that the devices need. Surely having to purchase other pieces to add in order to run the node from the mobile phone could create barriers but I am sure that, little by little, together with the community, there will get a clear list of models and accessories (already tested) and will become it very simple to set up a NODE with a few simple steps. Surely in the future smartphones will have more and more free memory and micro SSDs will have lower costs. As in almost all things, my advice is always to make the UI/UX as simple and immediate as possible.

1 Like
11

Thank you for the great question!

I believe it is necessary to evaluate that aspect as well, but I’m not particularly worried. When considering the sever application that operates within the resource range of mobile devices, it is unlikely that this app will be highly demanding. I think the load on the Raspberry Pi will serve as a benchmark.

Also, although it is not Astar, when I ran “Mobile Node powered by Symbol”, it remained stable and synchronized to the highest block value without generating heat.

12

Thank you you for comment.

Yes, I strongly agree with this point as well. I am committed to making the UI/UX as simple and easy to understand as possible.

1 Like
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When you’re at this stage, feel free to share work-in-progress material and I’ll be happy to give you feedback.

1 Like
14

Thank you for your comment.
I would also like to look into Nodle Network.

15

I really like the proposal of making old hardware useful and using modern software to give it life. The issue of technical garbage could be combated in a certain way, nice topic @tksarah

2 Likes
16

Hello Community,

Thank you all for your many comments.
I have added the following topics to this concept.

Regarding Motivation for Users

For this concept, I considered it necessary to motivate users to actually run an Astar Node on their mobile devices. The benefits I mentioned are solely for the Astar Network ecosystem and the natural and social environment, relying on the users’ sense of mission. Of course, it would be great if many users contribute because of that, but relying solely on people’s actions may not sustain this initiative.

At the very least, even if mobile devices are reused, the need for additional storage and the cost of consumed electricity will be a cost to the user.

Therefore, I thought it would be beneficial to have something that serves as an incentive for the executing users. Although I do not have a concrete idea yet, since this is a web3/blockchain initiative, I believe it would be advantageous to devise a system that users can sustainably engage with, built upon well-structured token economics. At the same time, I think it is necessary to concurrently develop and manage a community to expand the reach of this initiative.

I would like to discuss this point as well.

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2 Likes
17

That’s a great concept. If this becomes a reality, I think it would boost the Peers Program we’re currently working on. It’s also great that we can make good use of mobile devices that are no longer in use.

Thanks for your excellent initiative.

1 Like
18

Great points! Providing incentives through token economics is a smart way to motivate users to run Astar Nodes on mobile devices. Building a supportive community will also help expand this initiative. Looking forward to discussing this further!

1 Like
19

It would be exciting to see something like this take shape. I’m already impressed with the people we’ve brought on board for the peers program, and I think leveraging mobile devices will lower the barrier even further. Of course, we’ll need to test across various smartphones and operating systems to ensure compatibility. That said, I believe @bLd759 is in the best position to assess whether this is feasible when he gets a chance.

1 Like
20

I love the proposal and the tiered model!

Managing file nodes on mobile devices reminds me of Bitcoin mining applications, that although the rewards are low, real resources were placed at the disposal of the network.

@tksarah
I see the incentive model as extremely important, as you rightly mention, expecting people to just do it without any motivation would lead to different results than expected.

In my personal opinion, the number of levels seems to me to be in accordance, the gamification model is well implemented. Now, talking about rewards, besides the NFT, do you have something in mind that would be more attractive, suddenly access to a liquidity pool where the NFT holders and managers of a node have access to rewards? What could we offer (from Astar) to the users?