CasperLabs Shows First ‘Provably Safe’ Ethereum PoS Protocol ‘Highway’

Ethereum development firm CasperLabs announced “Highway,” allegedly the first correct-by-construction Casper Proof of Stake (PoS) implementation that is provably live and safe.

Provably safe and live

According to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Nov. 1, a protocol is safe if it is consistent in its decision and live if it guarantees a decision. CasperLabs claims that both those features are part of Highway and that their presence is provable. The firm also released a full research paper concerning the project.

Casper is the name given to Ethereum’s PoS implementation and Highway — this particular version — has been released as open-source software. The first version of the protocol came out in May of last year.

Open source Casper implementation

Per the announcement, the firm announced the development at the San Francisco Blockchain Week on Oct. 31. The company noted:

“By releasing CasperLabs Highway to the public via an open source license, we hope to inspire further innovation for the benefit of all.”

During the event, CasperLabs lead software developer Michael Birch also reportedly led a developer’s workshop illustrating how to write smart contracts in Rust (a programming language) for use with CasperLabs.

As Cointelegraph reported in September, CasperLabs raised $14.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Terren Piezer, an international financier and chairman of Los Angeles-based investment company Acuitas Group Holdings.