Cypher Technical Update #3 - Infrastructure Optimization and Enhanced Testnet Reliability

This technical update provides an in-depth review of Cypher’s recent infrastructure preparations and testnet enhancements. Over the past week, the Cypher team focused on refining our infrastructure to optimize cost-efficiency, scalability, and service reliability. This report outlines the progress in real-time monitoring systems, deployment and integration of Key Management and Data Availability services, as well as detailed testnet improvements. These efforts have strengthened Cypher’s system foundation, enabling more efficient management, improved data flow, and enhanced security for our users and developers.

The following sections detail the specific milestones and objectives achieved, including optimized node management, enhanced gateway reliability, and the roll-out of critical encrypted transfer features. Through these updates, Cypher continues its commitment to delivering a secure, scalable, and developer-friendly environment in line with our long-term growth and service goals.

Infrastructure Preparations

1. Real-Time Visualization and Dashboard Setup

• Objective: To establish a comprehensive monitoring system that captures key usage metrics and logs in real-time.
• Progress: Created detailed dashboards, tracking metrics such as CPU and memory utilization, request latency, error rates, and network I/O. These dashboards are designed to give the team deep insights into system performance and resource utilization, aiding in faster troubleshooting and optimization.
• Outcome: Completion of these dashboards provided us with a baseline for system monitoring and allowed for more precise tracking of performance issues.

2. KMS and DAS Deployment in Stage Environment

• Objective: Integrate KMS (Key Management Service) and DAS (Data Availability Services) securely into the stage environment to test workflows before moving to production.
• Progress: Deployed KMS, establishing an environment for secure key handling operations. The DAS servers were also redeployed, marking progress toward full DAS setup. This integration with the main chain services prepares the environment for consistent and redundant data management.
• Challenges: During initial deployment, issues with service alignment required multiple reconfigurations, which the team resolved to ensure seamless operation across chain and DAS services.
• Next Steps: Finalizing DAS integration, focusing on secure multi-service communication and stability.

3. Cost Optimization and Node Management

• Objective: Reduce operational costs without compromising performance by downgrading nodes to cost-effective instances and transitioning to Kubernetes.
• Progress: The team implemented node downgrades, prioritizing instances that meet cost constraints while maintaining service performance. Additionally, we transitioned nodes to Kubernetes instances, allowing for containerized, cluster-based management.
• Outcome: To streamline node management, a custom Helm chart was created for one-click deployment within Kubernetes, simplifying node scaling and facilitating cost efficiency.
• Next Steps: Continue monitoring node performance to ensure cost-optimization benefits align with anticipated workloads.

4. Calculating Infrastructure Costs for Projected Load Increases

• Objective: Project future costs under increased request loads to support scalability and effective budget allocation.
• Progress: Simulated high-request scenarios, capturing data on CPU, memory, and bandwidth usage to evaluate budget impact with higher workloads. This cost analysis provides insights for adjusting resource allocation and scaling budgets as user demand increases.
• Outcome: Created a preliminary budget model to forecast infrastructure expenses under heavy traffic, aiding strategic planning and long-term sustainability.

5. Blockscout Instance and Stability Management

• Objective: Resolve recurring chain resets impacting Blockscout on the stage environment.
• Progress: Temporarily shut down Blockscout to address instability caused by chain resets. The team conducted a root cause analysis, identifying block synchronization and memory allocation as primary factors. Plans are in place to redeploy Blockscout with refined settings to mitigate these issues.
• Next Steps: Redeploy Blockscout on stage with adjustments to configuration for enhanced stability, reducing the risk of resets and improving uptime.

6. Assistance with Gateway and Node Bug Fixing

• Objective: Address various gateway and node issues, focusing on secure, reliable, and scalable gateway services.
• Progress: Collaborated on debugging sessions to isolate and resolve issues affecting the gateway, KMS, and node operations. These efforts enhanced data flow integrity across the gateway and reinforced secure handling of sensitive requests.
• Outcome: Verified fixes were successfully implemented, leading to smoother data interactions through the gateway and stronger data encryption in KMS.
• Next Steps: Complete final validation of gateway fixes and monitor performance in production.

Testnet Updates

1. Gateway Enhancements and Fixes

• Objective: Strengthen gateway reliability through performance optimizations and bug resolution in the testnet environment.
• Progress: Completed a series of bug fixes and optimizations to reduce latency, improve request handling, and ensure seamless communication between gateway nodes and backend systems.
• Testing: Rigorous testing in the dev/stage environments included stress tests to measure latency and failure tolerance. Gateway fixes were moved to production after all issues were resolved.
• Outcome: Enhanced the gateway’s ability to process large volumes of requests with reduced error rates, contributing to overall testnet reliability.
• Next Steps: Continuous monitoring in production to confirm stability under higher load scenarios.

2. Developer Portal Documentation Creation

• Objective: Provide developers with comprehensive guidance on setting up, configuring, and troubleshooting integrations on the testnet.
• Progress: Drafted several sections for the developer portal, focusing on configuration setup, API usage, error resolution, and best practices. This documentation supports developer onboarding and expedites troubleshooting.
• Outcome: Documentation quality improved, ensuring clarity in setup processes and enhancing developer ease of use.
• Next Steps: Finalize the documentation with additional content covering common developer workflows, troubleshooting tips, and version-specific API changes.

3. Encrypted Transfer Feature

• Objective: Implement a secure encrypted transfer mechanism, safeguarding data confidentiality and integrity across the testnet.
• Progress: Addressed issues related to encrypted transfers to ensure strong cryptographic standards. Detailed testing on dev/stage confirmed that the encrypted transfer protocol met security requirements and maintained data confidentiality throughout the transfer process.
• Outcome: The encrypted transfer functionality was validated for production use, bolstering secure data handling across the network.
• Next Steps: Deploy encrypted transfer updates to the production environment and continue monitoring for any issues in real-time transfers.

4. DAS Service Deployment

• Objective: Complete the deployment of DAS services to support data availability and reliability across the testnet.
• Progress: DAS services were partially deployed, enabling foundational data availability mechanisms. During integration, technical challenges were encountered, prompting us to contact Arbitrum support for assistance in resolving these issues.
• Outcome: Initial deployment established core DAS functionality, and further debugging will ensure that data redundancy and integrity meet production standards.
• Next Steps: Finalize DAS deployment and verify full functionality with the integrated chain services, ensuring seamless data availability for end-users.

5. Production Deployment of Gateway Fixes and Encrypted Transfer Updates

• Objective: Deploy refined gateway fixes and encrypted transfer protocols to production, supporting high-security data transactions.
• Progress: Finalized testing of gateway updates, which were successfully implemented in production to address identified issues. The encrypted transfer functionality also underwent thorough testing, confirming its robustness for production release.
• Outcome: These updates reinforce security and functionality, ensuring that data transfers are both reliable and protected within production environments.
• Next Steps: Monitor system performance to confirm stability and address any emerging issues with real-time fixes as needed.

We’ve been working hard to optimize our infrastructure, cut costs, and improve the reliability of Cypher’s testnet. With upgrades in real-time monitoring, secure data management, gateway stability, and encrypted transfers, we’re setting the stage for growth that can handle more users smoothly and securely. These changes mean a more seamless and safe experience for both developers and users as we expand.