Robust Coordination in Permissionless Web3 Systems
R.M. Chotkan (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)
J.A. Pouwelse – Promotor (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)
D.G.J. Bongaerts – Promotor ( Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam)
Jérémie Decouchant – Copromotor (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
Web3 systems aim to provide open digital infrastructure: anyone can join, contribute resources, and consume services without relying on a single operator. Although this openness supports neutrality and robustness, it also creates significant operational challenges. Participants are potentially malicious, identities are cheap to create, and coordination must succeed over heterogeneous wide-area networks. As a result, Web3 infrastructure must withstand abuse, manipulation, and strategic behavior while still remaining scalable and deployable in practice.
This dissertation addresses that tension by developing and evaluating local, verifiable mechanisms that reduce dependence on costly global coordination and avoid centralized trust anchors. The central aim is to show that dependable Web3 infrastructure is achievable. This includes robustness under partial trust, resistance to manipulation, and practical scalability. These goals can be met by designing protocols whose critical decisions are enforceable at the system’s edges and verifiable by other participants....