As a strong supporter of the crypto and blockchain ecosystem, AVADO has taken a new first-of-its-kind step in fighting for client diversity. AVADO is achieving this by integrating an Ethereum client known as Teku alongside its existing offerings. While this is an essential issue in the fight for a free and open blockchain landscape, many people are unclear about what client diversity entails. This article will provide insight into this development and explain why this is such an important move in the fight for a truly fair and decentralized landscape.

What are Ethereum clients?

In order to understand how AVADO is actively supporting client diversity, it’s important first to understand what an Ethereum client actually is. At their core, Ethereum clients serve as a way to support the network’s decentralization, and they are pieces of software tasked with verifying transactions within blocks whenever they are running. If you are looking to earn passive income from a cryptocurrency like Ethereum, one of the most popular ways to do so is by helping the network’s governance through running an Ethereum client on your device.

Since Ethereum clients all run through a set of standardized protocols, they are still able to communicate with one another. This means that people who use different Ethereum clients can freely interact on the same Ethereum network.

While the decision to use any Ethereum client typically boils down to a users’ personal preferences and the features that they are seeking from a client, some argue that having the ability to choose which client you use is a fundamental right in the cryptocurrency landscape. However, some cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin only support a single client. In addition, even though it is possible to use many different clients with Ethereum, this has been historically difficult for everyday users due to a lack of easy access or supporting infrastructure.

Why client diversity is crucial for decentral networks

Client diversity promotes healthy competition among client offerings and ensures that decentralized networks can stay healthy and fair. Understanding why they are so important relies on understanding when a decentralized network is truly decentralized.

Decentralized networks rely on the idea that no single entity is given authority over others within the ecosystem. They are built around the idea of peers being treated as equal and activity being dispersed throughout a peer-to-peer network. In order to stay secure, these systems benefit from having no single point of failure. Centralized systems, on the other hand, support the existence of authorities who decide on protocols and enforce central foundations through which all activities are conducted. This means that, within a centralized system, there are often a few key players who control the landscape; if they are corrupt or breached, users end up being significantly affected.

This is important to consider, as when one entity or group within a decentralized system has too much influence or control over a network, they actually begin to act in a way that is more reflective of central authorities. When it comes to clients for Proof-of-Work (PoW), especially Proof-of-Stake (PoS) networks, one client handling the lion share of a network’s activity means that they may act as both a single point of a failure and a central authority. Both of which can compromise the network’s integrity and security.

When the majority of users are running the same Ethereum client, any bug or intentional exploit within that client would have significantly more drastic consequences for users than in a scenario in which activity is dispersed throughout several clients.

While this may sound like a theoretical scenario, client diversity has actually saved the integrity of the Ethereum network in the past. The most notable example was back in 2016, during the Shanghai DevCon conference. There, malicious actors exploited vulnerabilities within a popular Ethereum client and disrupted the network’s operations. While developers worked to repair these vulnerabilities, they were left playing catchup as new exploits were found. Fortunately, the existence of other Ethereum clients allowed users to access alternatives that were safe from these exploits.

Thanks to client diversity, the result was that Ethereum users were able to continue conducting transactions on other clients while the vulnerable client was being repaired. If only one Ethereum client existed, the consequences of these events would have been far greater for the network as a whole.

How AVADO is supporting client diversity and creating a healthier blockchain ecosystem

One of the core issues standing in the way of client diversity is that everyday users are often not presented with simple or convenient ways to choose which client they’d like to use. Even on most blockchain devices, users are most often presented with only one client to use when setting out to earn passive income through a cryptocurrency like Ethereum.

AVADO is escaping this mold by becoming the first infrastructure product that actively supports client diversity. Unlike other offerings on the market today, anyone who uses a device from AVADO’s range of plug-and-play blockchain devices will have the option to use the Ethereum client of their choice. Through this offering, AVADO has finally made it easy for both experts and complete beginners to enjoy the benefits of a healthier blockchain ecosystem through client diversity.

As part of its passionate campaign to support a wide variety of Ethereum clients, AVADO has now integrated Teku as an Ethereum 2.0 client. Using this client on your device is just as easy as any other and can be done in just a few minutes by following the on-screen installation process that will be available to you as soon as you plug in your dedicated AVADO blockchain device. Teku benefits from having a smaller share of the market than other major clients while still being open source and transparent. In order to actively support client diversity, AVADO also plans to offer an even wider range of clients to all of its users.

To find out more about AVADO’s mission and find the best device for your specific needs, check out this comprehensive guide or visit AVADO’s website today.