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Update 2024-12-20-Vac-2024.md
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0xbathang
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---
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# Vac 2024 Year in Review
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With 2024 now behind us and a new year ahead,
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Vac is proud to reflect on the milestones and breakthroughs that defined another year of researching and developing free and open digital public goods for the [Institute of Free Technology](https://free.technology/) and wider web3 ecosystem.
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Below, we celebrate each unit's achievements and look forward to its 2025 plans.
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## Nescience
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Nescience is our state separation architecture that aims to enable private transactions and provide a general-purpose execution environment for classical applications.
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### Highlights
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This year, the Nescience state separation architecture moved from exploration to real progress, taking significant steps towards building a functional and reliable system.
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The team focused on turning ideas into something real, testing the proposed architecture, and understanding its strengths and weaknesses.
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This year, the Nescience state separation architecture moved from exploration to real progress,
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taking significant steps towards building a functional and reliable system.
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The team focused on turning ideas into something real,
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testing the proposed architecture,
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and understanding its strengths and weaknesses.
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* ZkVM exploration and benchmarks
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* Published [deep reviews of 23 existing zkVMs](https://vac.dev/rlog/zkVM-explorations/)
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* Cryptography module to ensure privacy and security
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### Looking forward
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In 2025, the Nescience team plans to double down on what works, fix what doesn’t, and push NSSA closer to real-world use.
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* Sandboxed testnet data analysis – the sandboxed testnet will be our primary data source that we will analyse to identify issues, limitations, and areas for improvement.
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* Expanding the node – expand sandboxed components into a full node implementation with rigorous testing and iterative optimisation (to bridge the gap between proof of concept and production readiness).
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* Finalising the architecture and RFC – after completing NSSA’s architecture, we will draft an RFC to ensure transparency and enable greater collaboration with the broader ecosystem.
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* Expanding the node – expand sandboxed components into a full node implementation with rigorous testing and iterative optimization (to bridge the gap between proof of concept and production readiness).
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* Finalizing the architecture and RFC – after completing NSSA’s architecture, we will draft an RFC to ensure transparency and enable greater collaboration with the broader ecosystem.
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* Testing real-life scenarios – applying NSSA to diverse, practical use cases to assess its adaptability, performance, and impact.
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* Ongoing optimisation – ensure NSSA is robust, efficient, and ready to scale.
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* Ongoing optimization – ensure NSSA is robust, efficient, and ready to scale.
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## Token Economics (TKE)
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The TKE Service Unit works closely with IFT portfolio projects to design and implement crypto-economic incentive structures.
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### Highlights
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* Formalised and implemented [Codex](https://codex.storage/) economic incentives in the Litepaper and simulations
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* Formalized and implemented [Codex](https://codex.storage/) economic incentives in the Litepaper and simulations
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* Orchestrated Status Network incentive structure and smart contract implementation
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* Started building [Nomos’s](https://nomos.tech/) economic model
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* Consulted and provided analysis of incentives for the Logos Operators ordinals project
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* Drove discussions on the economic sustainability of [Waku](https://waku.org/); helped define RLN membership and its payment mechanism
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* Drove discussions on the economic sustainability of [Waku](https://waku.org/);
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helped define RLN membership and its payment mechanism
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### Looking forward
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In 2025, TKE will continue to support IFT portfolio projects, working toward economic sustainability while strengthening relationships within the organisation.
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In 2025, TKE will continue to support IFT portfolio projects,
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working toward economic sustainability while strengthening relationships within the organization.
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Additionally, the service unit aims to continue building its external reputation through partnerships and publications of relevant work on the [Vac forum](https://forum.vac.dev/).
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## Quality Assurance (QA)
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The QA Service Unit focuses on the development and execution of comprehensive test plans, including implementing unit and interoperability testing.
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The QA Service Unit focuses on the development and execution of comprehensive test plans,
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including implementing unit and interoperability testing.
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### Highlights
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* Matured Waku interoperability testing framework with coverage for all major protocols and features
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* Began collaboration with Nomos, contributing to unit and integration testing
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* Partnered with the [Status](https://status.app/) team to test message reliability under unstable network conditions
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### Looking forward
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* Extend collaboration with the Waku team on go-waku bindings and message reliability testing
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* Cement working relationship with the Nomos team through the building of an E2E testing framework for higher-level node validation
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* Work closely with Status’s QA team to enhance the functional testing framework
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* Expand collaboration to additional projects
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## RFC
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The RFC Service Unit takes on the responsibility of shepherding and editing specifications for IFT projects.
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The unit acts as a linchpin for ensuring standardised and interoperable protocols within the IFT ecosystem.
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The unit acts as a linchpin for ensuring standardized and interoperable protocols within the IFT ecosystem.
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### Highlights
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* Working to implement RFC culture across the IFT ecosystem
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* Began editorial work for several IFT portfolio projects: Status, Nomos, Waku, and Codex.
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* Reworked our standards with regard to writing RFCs to a consensus-oriented specification system
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### Looking forward
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* Continue to implement RFC culture across the IFT ecosystem
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* Broaden the number of RFCs produced – particularly for IFT portfolio projects nearing public releases
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* Broaden the number of RFCs produced
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– particularly for IFT portfolio projects nearing public releases
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* Include new projects with the [rfc-index](https://rfc.vac.dev/)
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* Encourage external projects requiring RFCs to establish relationships with the service unit
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## Applied Cryptography and ZK (ACZ)
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The ACZ Service Unit focuses on cryptographic solutions and zero-knowledge proofs, enhancing the security, privacy, and trustworthiness of IFT portfolio projects and contributing to the overall integrity and resilience of the decentralised web ecosystem.
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The ACZ Service Unit focuses on cryptographic solutions and zero-knowledge proofs,
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enhancing the security, privacy, and trustworthiness of IFT portfolio projects
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and contributing to the overall integrity and resilience of the decentralized web ecosystem.
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### Highlights
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* Researched a libp2p mix protocol and first proof-of-concept implementation (including ping and GossipSub over mix)
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* Reseached a decentralised version of MLS (message layer security) with a first proof of concept
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* Released Zerokit [v0.6.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/zerokit/releases/tag/v0.6.0) and [v0.5.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/zerokit/releases/tag/v0.5.0)
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* Researched a decentralized version of MLS (message layer security) with a first proof of concept
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* Released Zerokit [v0.6.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/zerokit/releases/tag/v0.6.0)
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and [v0.5.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/zerokit/releases/tag/v0.5.0)
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* Added [gnark RLN implementation](https://github.com/vacp2p/gnark-rln)
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* Released Stealth Address Kit [v0.3.1](https://github.com/vacp2p/stealth-address-kit/releases/tag/v0.3.1), [v0.2.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/stealth-address-kit/releases/tag/v0.2.0), and [v0.1.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/stealth-address-kit/releases/tag/v0.1.0)
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* Released Stealth Address Kit [v0.3.1](https://github.com/vacp2p/stealth-address-kit/releases/tag/v0.3.1),
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[v0.2.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/stealth-address-kit/releases/tag/v0.2.0),
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and [v0.1.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/stealth-address-kit/releases/tag/v0.1.0)
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* Published:
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* [Verifying RLN Proofs in Light Clients with Subtrees](https://vac.dev/rlog/rln-light-verifiers/)
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* [RLN-v3: Towards a Flexible and Cost-Efficient Implementation](https://vac.dev/rlog/rln-v3/)
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### Looking forward
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* Ensure libp2p mix protocol is production-ready and support with the publishing of a paper and blog posts
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* Ensure decentralised MLS is production-ready and support with the publishing of a paper and blog posts
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* Ensure libp2p mix protocol is production-ready
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and support with the publishing of a paper and blog posts
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* Ensure decentralized MLS is production-ready
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and support with the publishing of a paper and blog posts
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* Begin explorations of additional research topics
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* Release [Zerokit v0.7](https://github.com/vacp2p/zerokit/issues/271) and future versions
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## P2P
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The P2P Service Unit specialises in peer-to-peer technologies and develops nim-libp2p, improves the libp2p GossipSub protocol, and assists IFT portfolio projects with the integration of P2P network layers.
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The P2P Service Unit specializes in peer-to-peer technologies
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and develops nim-libp2p, improves the libp2p GossipSub protocol, and assists IFT portfolio projects with the integration of P2P network layers.
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### Highlights
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* Analysis and work on libp2p GossipSub improvements
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* Published:
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* [Libp2p GossipSub IDONTWANT Message Performance Impact](https://vac.dev/rlog/gsub-idontwant-perf-eval/)
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* PR to libp2p specifications about specific lib2p GossipSub improvements we researched and tested https://github.com/libp2p/specs/pull/654
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### Looking forward
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* Add new features to nim-libp2p: QUIC transport, web transport
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* Update specifications for libp2p GossipSub, aiming to significantly improve its performance
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* Add new features to nim-libp2p:
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QUIC transport, web transport
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* Update specifications for libp2p GossipSub,
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aiming to significantly improve its performance
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## Distributed Systems Testing (DST)
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The DST Service Unit’s primary objective is to assist IFT portfolio projects in understanding the scaling behaviour of their nodes within larger networks.
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The DST Service Unit’s primary objective is to assist IFT portfolio projects in understanding the scaling behavior of their nodes within larger networks.
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By conducting thorough regression testing, the DST unit helps ensure the reliability and stability of projects.
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### Highlights
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* DST compute resources transitioned from a hosted environment to a dedicated Vac Lab, enabling better customisation of resources and adding significantly more compute power – enabled much higher and more stable simulations (several hundred nodes to several thousand) and enhanced environmental control.
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* Maintained monthly regression simulations for both Waku and Nim-libp2p, helping us to detect several issues and ensure that future versions do not introduce new ones.
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* DST compute resources transitioned from a hosted environment to a dedicated Vac Lab,
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enabling better customization of resources and adding significantly more compute power
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– enabled much higher and more stable simulations (several hundred nodes to several thousand) and enhanced environmental control.
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* Maintained monthly regression simulations for both Waku and Nim-libp2p,
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helping us to detect several issues and ensure that future versions do not introduce new ones.
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* Successfully simulated and obtained results for all Waku protocols, relaying feedback to the team.
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### Looking forward
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* More testing and simulations for Codex and Nomos
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* Develop useful tools for all IFT portfolio projects – e.g. a Log Parser tool and data dashboard
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## Nim
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Several IFT portfolio projects use the Nim ecosystem for its efficiency.
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The Nim Service Unit is responsible for the development and maintenance of Nim tooling.
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### Highlights
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* Released Nim-libp2p ([v1.7.1](https://github.com/vacp2p/nim-libp2p/releases/tag/v1.7.1), [v1.7.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/nim-libp2p/releases/tag/v1.7.0), [v1.6.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/nim-libp2p/releases/tag/v1.6.0), [v1.5.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/nim-libp2p/releases/tag/v1.5.0), [v1.4.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/nim-libp2p/releases/tag/v1.4.0), [v1.3.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/nim-libp2p/releases/tag/v1.3.0), [v1.2.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/nim-libp2p/releases/tag/v1.2.0))
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* Released Nim-libp2p ([v1.7.1](https://github.com/vacp2p/nim-libp2p/releases/tag/v1.7.1),
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[v1.7.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/nim-libp2p/releases/tag/v1.7.0),
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[v1.6.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/nim-libp2p/releases/tag/v1.6.0),
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[v1.5.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/nim-libp2p/releases/tag/v1.5.0),
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[v1.4.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/nim-libp2p/releases/tag/v1.4.0),
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[v1.3.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/nim-libp2p/releases/tag/v1.3.0),
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[v1.2.0](https://github.com/vacp2p/nim-libp2p/releases/tag/v1.2.0))
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* Introduced SAT solver to the Nimble package manager that significantly improves dependency resolution
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* Nim VSCode Extension
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* Stabilised Nim Language Server
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* Nim VSCode Extension
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* Stabilized Nim Language Server
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## Smart Contracts (SC)
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Vac's Smart Contracts Service Unit ensures the smart contracts deployed across the various IFT portfolio projects are secure, robust, and aligned with project requirements.
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* Engage in more learn-up sessions to promote org-wide knowledge sharing.
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## Heading into 2025
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This year has seen Vac involved with many research, development, and testing undertakings in support of IFT portfolio projects.
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The digital public goods that emerge from our efforts not only benefit the organisation itself but are open and free to use by any project that would benefit.
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The digital public goods that emerge from our efforts not only support the organization itself but are open and free to use by any project that would benefit.
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As we move into 2025, we aim to nurture a stronger RFC culture across the IFT to encourage greater collaboration and knowledge sharing among portfolio projects.
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Our goal is to serve as an internal conduit of expertise within the organisation, supported by a strong RFC culture, maintaining a repository of internal knowledge creation, and identifying and facilitating IFT project synergies.
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Such an approach should lead to greater efficiencies across the organisation.
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Our goal is to serve as an internal conduit of expertise within the organization, supported by a strong RFC culture, maintaining a repository of internal knowledge creation, and identifying and facilitating IFT project synergies.
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Such an approach should lead to greater efficiencies across the organization.
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We also aim to establish a diverse research community around Vac, and our efforts in this regard are already underway.
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In the final quarter of 2024, Vac stepped up its collaboration with the libp2p community and made a concerted effort to engage the community on the [Vac forum](https://forum.vac.dev/).
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