CometBFT Launch - By Informal Systems
Shift from Tendermint to CometBFT with the forking of the code base.
Disclaimer - This is part of our outside perspective series. Curious Cosmonaut Research is not the author we are simply highlighting some good threads and perspectives on the Cosmos ecosystem with their permission. We also, therefore, do not guarantee their accuracy.
Author: Informal Systems Team
Source: Twitter
Date: February 1, 2023
Today we announce the launch of CometBFT, a state machine replication engine for the interchain! CometBFT is a fork and successor of Tendermint Core, stewarded by @informalinc and supported by @interchain_io on behalf of the wider @cosmos
Numerous teams in the interchain have been hard at work these past few weeks to prepare the launch of CometBFT. We decided to develop the flagship Cosmos consensus engine under this new name to mark multiple important changes sweeping across the @cosmos.
Following the archiving of the Tendermint Core repo (https://github.com/tendermint/tendermint/issues/9972…), CometBFT will build on the strong foundation laid by Tendermint Core, with a renewed focus on users, quality, and integration
tendermintUsers: We envision the CometBFT dev roadmap as a playground for users. We want to ensure a high degree of flexibility and allow for experimentation, as it is already done for example with the release of ABCI 2.0 (in release candidate stage)
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— Interchain Foundation (@interchain_io) September 23, 2022
The first (alpha) release for Tendermint’s game-changing ABCI++ update is now out.
Read on to see what’s in store for Tendermint, don’t forget to RT and like 👇 pic.twitter.com/Ek5nfgaVtY
Quality: Tighter user feedback loops & higher flexibility implies higher quality standards for CometBFT. A larger user base has more stringent reliability requirements, which is why we’re complementing existing QA regime with specifications and model-based testing practices.
Integration: CometBFT also symbolizes a shift towards acknowledging the remarkable growth of the interchain, thanks to IBC. We seek to continue working closely with the CosmosSDK, while facilitating adoption for the growing ecosystem of app devs building above ABCI & with IBC.
We are excited to enter this new phase of consensus engine development with you. Towards early Q2, we‘ll follow-up with a detailed 2023 roadmap plan for CometBFT.
Several important logistical details to keep up with Comet: We are developing CometBFT at https://github.com/cometbft/cometbft/…. In that Github organization we also plan to maintain related tools, documentation, as well as the database wrapper `cometbft-db`, among others.
The official documentation for CometBFT is still work-in-progress, to be released at https://docs.cometbft.com. At the moment, this website simply redirects to the official GitHub repository. On Twitter, the official handle for this product is @cometbft.
As immediate next steps, we are preparing the release of CometBFT v0.34 and working with the other teams to facilitate transition from Tendermint Core v0.34 to CometBFT v0.34. We recommend that all users do the same and we would be glad to assist you.
CosmosSDK is preparing new versions for the 0.45/0.46/0.47 lines where CometBFT v0.34 will replace tendermint v0.34. Upgrading your app will not require a coordinated upgrade as it's a minor version change. The SDK changelog will document the relevant impact for your app
Briefly, if your application builds on CosmosSDK, then upgrading to one of these new SDK versions will get you up and running on CometBFT smoothly.
If you are building directly on top of Tendermint Core: We recommend that you switch from Tendermint Core v0.34 to CometBFT v0.34. We will provide upgrading instructions once we cut our v0.34 release, which is ongoing.
If you are maintaining a fork of Tendermint Core: We recommend transitioning to CometBFT as soon as possible, e.g., by rebasing or cherry picking your relevant changes to a fork of CometBFT. We would be glad to assist in this process.1171,727
For general concerns and coordination, we have introduced a Telegram channel to allow for faster feedback and communication and handle this period of transition. Please join here:
If you are a developer on Discord, we also invite you to the Cosmos Network server where we will introduce a new channel name `#cometbft`
Lastly, launching CometBFT has been a multi-organizational decision, involving coordination and valuable input from many teams. It would be impossible to be exhaustive, but to mention a few:
We're grateful to teams like @cosmossdk, @interchain_io, @axelarcore, @anoma, @osmosiszone, @penumbrazone, @SeiNetwork, @SkipProtocol, @NumiaData, @sommfinance, @nomicbtc, @CelestiaOrg, @cronos_chain, @strangelovelabs, @notionaldao and more!
CometBFT will be a place of innovation & stability for the growing interchain. We greatly value the community's commitment & support, whether you're a contributor to the stack, operating nodes, integrating with other ecosystems, or finding your way around as a new user
PS: by a stroke of cosmic delight, the CometBFT launch coincides with an actual comet, C/2022 E3 (ZTF), making its closest approach to our planet! The comet’s brightness is set to peak today & to provide an unforgettable visual experience.
For a full announcement of the CometBFT launch, more historical details and CometBFT vision breakdown, see here: https://informal.systems/blog/cosmos-meet-cometbft… Follow us @informalinc and @cometbft for the latest information on CometBFT and the rest of the Cosmos ecosystem.
