- The introduction of the SWQOS feature in Solana’s latest testnet version signifies a targeted approach to prioritize transactions from high-quality validators.
- This feature aims to address the previous congestion issues by reserving 80% of network connections for staked validators classified as “good.”
A group of developers focusing on the Solana blockchain, known as Anza, has made progress toward reducing the network congestion that has affected Solana’s performance.
The new version of Solana, currently being tested in a testnet environment, introduces a feature called stake-weighted quality of service (SWQOS) that prioritizes transactions from high-quality validators.
Solana’s Efforts to Mitigate Congestion
Solana developers have been working diligently to address the congestion issues that previously hampered network operations. The Anza collective has unveiled a new version of Solana’s blockchain software, urging validators to update as soon as possible to assess the impact of the changes on the network.
The testnet version, v1.18.11, includes the SWQOS feature, a mechanism designed to tackle the congestion problem that had caused a significant proportion of transactions to fail. SWQOS prioritizes transactions from staked validators deemed “good.” While other connections will still be processed, the system reserves 80% of connections for SWQOS-linked validators.
Prioritization of High-Quality Validators
Tim Garcia, Lead of Validator Relations at the Solana Foundation, explained that the SWQOS feature prioritizes valuable connections during periods of high traffic. The idea is to incentivize staked validators to use connections efficiently for useful transactions, thereby increasing the likelihood of transactions from staked validators being processed.
This approach fosters a web of trust among participants in the Solana network. Users of trusted decentralized applications will benefit directly as RPC nodes adopt the SWQOS feature.
Despite improvements, at the time of reporting, nearly six out of ten non-voting transactions on Solana were still failing. Nonetheless, leading Solana ecosystem wallets such as Phantom have implemented solutions to improve transaction success rates and user experience.
Awaiting Further Results from Testnet
While these fixes represent a positive step forward, their effectiveness and potential side effects need to be thoroughly evaluated in the testnet. A specific date for full implementation has not yet been set, as developers continue to analyze the results and refine the SWQOS approach to optimize the Solana network’s performance.
Solana Advances in Overcoming Congestion Issues
Solana’s introduction of stake-weighted quality of service (SWQOS) and ongoing testnet evaluations represent key strides toward reducing network congestion and improving performance. As these measures continue to be assessed and refined, users can look forward to more efficient and reliable transactions within the Solana ecosystem.
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