In my opinion, the more types of specialized nodes you need, the greater the potential for failure. So even though Mina has a tiny blockchain, that might be negated by the fact that they need 3 types of nodes to keep the network running.
I think that a tiny blockchain is a great thought exercise and a step in the right direction. Implementing zk-Snarks is also a huge benefit.
A small blockchain has the potential to create tremendous decentralization because any device or even a browser can be a full node. But there is one element of the technical architecture of Mina that could make the small blockchain size a moot point.
As I looked through the technical whitepaper, these are the types of nodes that are needed to run this blockchain.
- Verifiers
- Block Producers
- Snarkers
What if there aren't enough Snarkers? What happens if there's a 51% attack on the Verifiers? I don't know the answers to these questions, but they should be considered. Show Less
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