Marlin

What is Marlin?

Marlin is an open protocol designed to foster collaboration between users possessing spare computational resources and application developers. The network supports the deployment of various services, including jobs and long-running backend processes, offering integrity protection through features such as enclaves, zk-based prover computations, event-based scheduling from the mempool, caching, and the transmission of blocks or transactions.

Empowering Web 3 with Marlin Oyster

Marlin Oyster extends the capabilities of enclaves to Web 3, enabling services that would traditionally be centrally hosted, such as relays, gateways, and APIs, to operate within a decentralized network of untrusted nodes. Notably, Marlin Oyster allows these services to be managed exclusively through smart contracts, eliminating the need for individual oversight or a team of devops engineers.

The GPU for Onchain Execution

Marlin facilitates the delegation of computations to offchain microservices, accompanied by proofs and attestations that are subsequently verified onchain. This approach not only saves gas by conducting onchain verification, which is more cost-effective than onchain computation, but also accelerates execution. Verifiable offchain execution eliminates the need for replicating the entire computation onchain, delivering results comparatively faster.

Key Features

One of the standout features of Marlin is its commitment to privacy. Data and logic from computations carried out offchain remain invisible both onchain and to the host, especially in the case of enclaves or ciphers. This emphasis on privacy addresses concerns related to data exposure and manipulation within decentralized networks.

Marlin operates as a permissionless protocol, supported by a network of validators providing GPUs and Trusted Execution Environments powered by Intel SGX, AMD SEV, or various cloud services for ZK proof computations and decentralized backend operations. The protocol embraces open-source contributions, fostering a collaborative ecosystem.

Marlin introduces Web3 Cache, a distributed event-driven caching system optimized for on-chain activity. Recognizing that a small portion of contracts and addresses drive the majority of on-chain interactions, this system enhances efficiency within the ecosystem.

Kalypso: The ZK Proof Marketplace

In addition to its core functionalities, Marlin introduces Kalypso, a marketplace for zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs. This innovative feature enables users to harness the power of ZK proofs without the need for specialized hardware. The marketplace promotes liveness by improving the reliability and probability of timely proof generation through redundancy, ensures censorship-resistance, and enhances resource efficiency by increasing utilization and reducing idle time.

Polygon MEV Relay and ZK Prover Marketplace

Marlin extends its reach with features like the Polygon MEV relay, which securely facilitates the transmission of Flashbots-compatible bundles or private transactions to Polygon validators. Additionally, the ZK Prover Marketplace allows users to outsource the generation of ZK proofs to optimized hardware providers, ensuring resource efficiency, cost reduction, and faster proof generation.

Marlin Team Background and Backers

Marlin, founded by experienced developers Siddhartha, Prateesh, and Roshan, boasts expertise in peer-to-peer networking. Siddhartha, known for his work on Zilliqa, has patents from Microsoft and Adobe. Prateesh, a MIT PhD candidate in Computer Networks, and Roshan, an open-source advocate, round out the skilled team.

Their project includes former Ethereum Foundation researchers, ICPC world medallists, and professionals from Facebook, Cisco, and Bosch. Notable advisors, including the former Bittorrent CEO and professors from MIT and Princeton, guide Marlin. Backed by Binance Labs, Electric Capital, and Michael Arrington, Marlin is set to make waves in the blockchain space.

Project Development

Marlin, in collaboration with Encode Club, is thrilled to sponsor educational bootcamps, offering an ideal opportunity to showcase its innovation, Marlin Oyster. Oyster introduces a paradigm shift, allowing dApps, DAOs, and developers in Web 3 to deploy server operations to decentralized operators within the Marlin network, facilitated by secure enclaves. This includes deploying bots, outsourcing Zero-Knowledge (ZK) proofs, and more, all executed through smart contract calls with crypto payments.

In the pursuit of decentralization, a crucial aspect often overlooked is the centralized maintenance of servers. Oyster emerges as a compelling alternative, promising to reshape the current landscape. As part of their outreach strategy, Marlin has partnered with Encode Club for their Q2 2023 bootcamps, commencing on April 24th. The bootcamps, including the ZK Bootcamp and various Solidity Bootcamps, offer participants the chance to delve into Marlin and Oyster, with dedicated workshops led by Marlin developers.