Motivation
The Problem
Client-side access to blockchain today primarily relies on Remote Procedure Call (RPC) endpoints. These RPCs act as unverified intermediaries between users and the chain. The resulting data path introduces a single point of failure and a single point of trust. A compromised or manipulated RPC can inject falsified execution results, inconsistent block data, or censored state queries without the client detecting it. This architectural dependency breaks verifiability and undermines decentralization.
Technical Goals
Colibri.stateless aims to eliminate unverified RPC dependencies by enabling clients to perform full on-device verification of blockchain state transitions. The design objectives are:
Consensus-layer verification: Validation of finalized checkpoints, sync committee signatures, and validator transitions.
Execution-layer verification: Verification of state data, storage proofs, and execution results using Merkle or Verkle proofs.
Stateless operation: No persistent chain state or continuous block synchronization.
Resource efficiency: Operability under strict CPU, RAM, and bandwidth limits typical of mobile, IoT, and web environments.
Proof composability: Consensus and execution proofs must be independently generatable, transferable, and recursively verifiable.
Design Constraints
Target environments impose the following hardware and network limitations:
Available memory: ≤ 50 MB
Limited processing power (≤ 2 cores, low clock speed)
Unreliable or intermittent connectivity
Startup time < 2 seconds for proof verification
These parameters exclude full or traditional light clients, which rely on continuous synchronization and large state databases. Colibri.stateless must reconstruct trust solely from cryptographic proofs.
Resulting Architecture
Colibri.stateless introduces a modular, proof-driven architecture:
Consensus Proofs represent validator set transitions derived from sync committee aggregates, including BLS signature verification. These proofs establish the trust anchor for the execution layer.
Execution Proofs provide verifiable inclusion of account, storage, or transaction data via Merkle or Verkle trees rooted in a verified block header.
Both proof systems can be composed recursively to verify arbitrary state or transaction results without network trust assumptions. The client acts as a fully verifying node in a stateless configuration.
Intended Scope
Initial implementation focuses on the Ethereum mainnet and EVM-compatible networks. The proof abstraction layer supports extending to heterogeneous chains that expose verifiable consensus and state transition proofs. Colibri.stateless thus defines a general framework for multi-chain verification and trustless cross-chain data access.
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