TON Sharding

TON (The Open Network) Sharding is an approach to managing TON blockchain by breaking it down into smaller, interconnected chains known as shards. Sharding exponentially increases the number of transactions carried out by the blockchain, overcoming limitations such as network congestion, scalability and fault tolerance issues often found in Layer 1 blockchains.

TON's Hybrid Blockchain Architecture

TON blockchain is a hybrid in nature, built primarily on two tiers of blockchains: the masterchain and the workchains. Within the workchains are Shardchains, which are further subdivided within each workchain. More specifically, the structure of TON blockchain includes

A masterchain: this is the central blockchain. It serves as the backbone of the network, storing important data like protocol details, validator stakes, and the status of workchains and shardchains.

Up to 2³² workchains: Each workchain with the capacity to work independently. Workchains compute the core blockchain transactions such as value transfers and smart contract operations.
Up to 2⁶⁰ subdivisions of shardchains per workchain. Splitting the workchain into shardchains allows these processes to be distributed, reducing congestion and increasing efficiency.

Sharding illustration

TON blockchain pushes the boundaries of solving the blockchain trilemma, which tries to sustain decentralisation by focusing on either security or scalability. The more nodes a blockchain network has, the more secure it is. The more a decentralised network expands while still maintaining transaction speed and volume, the more successful it is at scaling. Scaling upwards leads to the reduction of a decentralised network’s security. TON blockchain effectively balances all three aspects, achieving a speed of 104,715 transactions per second.

Innovative Technologies in TON

To strengthen performance and scalability, TON's pioneering Infinite Merging Paradigm splits a single blockchain into multiple shardchains. Each account or smart contract operates as a mini-chain within a specific shardchain, forming what is known as account chains (account shards), which happen to be virtual. These chains communicate by sending value-bearing messages which describe the state and changes of each account and contract in real time.

Ton blockchain also uses Instant Hypercube Routing as its unique inter-shardchain block communication feature that works regardless of the number of shardchains working together simultaneously in the system.

Dynamic sharding mechanism is another standout feature of TON. This system adjusts the number of active shards based on current transaction volumes. During periods of high activity, the network can autonomously increase the number of shards to accommodate the surge, ensuring performance remains robust. Conversely, when there’s low activity, it consolidates shards to conserve resources without sacrificing transaction speed or network security.

Historical Context and Goals

Transactions per second on the Ethereum blockchain in June 2024.

The primary objective of TON’s sharding implementation is to support the potential of global interaction on its blockchain. To achieve this, the network must efficiently accommodate many transactions while maintaining low transaction fees and remaining efficient. TON’s ambition mirrors similar scalability solutions explored by other blockchains to address their scalability challenges.

Comparative Insight

Comparative transaction speeds of popular money transfer and payment platforms. Source: ton.org

Ethereum, another major blockchain platform, grappled with scalability issues and proposed sharding as a long-term solution. Currently, Ethereum employs a rollup solution to enhance its transaction capacity, averaging 14.3 TPS. Bitcoin’s peak transaction speed is between 8 and 9 transactions per second. VISA is capable of over 2000 transactions per second with some sources claiming 65000 TPS.

Bolckchain.com image showing Bitcoin transaction rate over three months.

Zilliqa is capable of utilising 4 to 6 shards with 600 nodes each, pushing out 2828 transactions per second. Cardano also uses Sharding as a scalability solution. Lightning is a layer 2 solution that uses off-chain state channels to bypass Bitcoin’s limitations. Polkadot attempts to solve this problem by using parachains and relay chains to allow blockchains to interact with each other.

Integration with Social Media Platforms

Unique to TON is its potential for deep integration with social media platforms, particularly Telegram. This integration allows for seamless transaction capabilities within the Telegram app, transforming how users interact with blockchain technology. The ability to conduct transactions without leaving the app user interface offers a streamlined user experience and promotes wider adoption.

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