What Is Chunk
In blockchain, a “chunk” is a transaction data partition designed to increase the block validator’s throughput, also known as sharding.
The shard and chunk definitions can be interchangeably used, although the latter is only used in the NEAR protocol context.
As shown above, sharding is a horizontal scalability solution that allows validator nodes to split the block validation with each other. Each block may include over 2,000 transactions and can’t be broadcasted until all have been processed.
Instead, protocols like NEAR may split this into ten validator groups and transaction ranges to verify all at once. The more the shards/chunks, the more scalable—but also more centralized if the network isn’t big enough.
The NEAR network has 6 shards per block and over 200 validators to achieve a block time of 1-2 seconds.
What Is The Role of Chunk on NEAR Protocol
Chunks are one of the scalability components of the NEAR sharding solution dubbed “Nightshade:”
Chunks affect two roles:
- Transaction execution: Chunks allow validators to process transactions in parallel while maintaining the history (failed and successful transactions)
- State storage: Chunks offer indexing and search features to easily review their state history
After all shards are validated, the NEAR protocol combines them into the next block while still maintaining cross-shard communication. This means that after blocks are reconstructed and published, users can still look up the history of each shard.
Conclusion
Chunks are scalability components of a unique sharding model designed by NEAR. Not only can it manage millions of transactions per second, but it also reduces the entry barrier for new validators and decentralizes the network.
To extend its utility, NEAR now supports the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) via Aurora.
Skidanov, A., & Polosukhin, I. (2019, July). Nightshade: Near protocol sharding design.
https://pages.near.org/downloads/Nightshade.pdf
Coinweb requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial process.
