Welcome!

Overview

We propose the development of dash-go, a new, independent full-node client for the Dash network, implemented from the ground up in Go.

The primary objective of dash-go is to strengthen Dash’s long-term network resilience by reducing reliance on a single node implementation, while also improving operator experience, observability, and developer reuse.

This proposal focuses on building a production-grade alternative client that can run alongside Dash Core.

Why do we need another node client?

Today, Dash relies on a single full-node implementation. While mature and battle-tested, a single-client architecture introduces systemic risk:

• A critical bug, consensus issue, or security flaw affects the entire network simultaneously
  
• Network upgrades and experimentation are constrained by one codebase
  
• Node operators lack modern, built-in observability and deployment tooling
  
• Developers cannot easily reuse Dash internals without running a full node
  

Many resilient blockchain networks mitigate this risk by maintaining multiple independent client implementations. Dash currently does not.



Proposal

dash-go is an independent, alternative Dash full-node client written in Go, designed with a focus on the following pillars:

1. Network Resilience: dash-go provides a second, independently implemented client that reduces single-client risk. In the event of a critical issue in the primary client, the network retains an alternative implementation capable of maintaining continuity.
2. Modern Node Monitoring and Observability: dash-go includes native support for modern monitoring stacks such as Prometheus and Grafana. Masternode operators gain real-time visibility into node health, peer connectivity, sync status, and performance metrics without relying on external tooling.
3. Modular and Extensible Architecture: The client is built as a set of decoupled libraries. This enables developers to reuse Dash components such as networking, consensus logic, or indexing in other applications without operating a full node.
4. Easier Operator Onboarding: dash-go is designed for fast, reliable deployment through:

•   One-click cloud images for AWS, GCP, and Azure
•   Infrastructure-as-Code templates using Terraform and Helm
  
•   Secure defaults, automated bootstrap, and preconfigured monitoring
  

This significantly lowers the barrier for new operators while reducing operational errors.

Scope of Work

Read the full Technical Specification:
[color=#333333]https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vTsHCNuwF0NodA823Ujprij4XOUh5nVWu1Gjh4GWb2DfBZDKmfU5UL7cO2NEFPjDqgK19lxe-y9ATSS/pub
[/color]
To minimize risk and establish trust within the Dash community, the dash-go full-node specification is deliberately structured into two phases with multiple milestones.

• Phase 1 consists of four milestones and focuses exclusively on delivering a fully independent consensus node client.
  
• Phase 2 builds on this foundation by introducing Dash-specific services.
  

By the end of Phase 1, dash-go will be capable of independently validating the Dash blockchain and maintaining correct chain state.

Phase 1, Milestone 1:State and Block Import (4 Months)

Milestone 1 establishes the core consensus foundation of dash-go. The objective of this milestone is to enable deterministic block processing from genesis while maintaining byte-for-byte compatibility with Dash Core where consensus rules apply.

1. Core Types and Consensus Serialization: All core Dash data structures will be defined as native Go structs, including Block, BlockHeader, and standard Transaction types. Consensus-critical serialization and deserialization routines (MarshalBinary / UnmarshalBinary) will be implemented to exactly match dashd’s little-endian byte-level encodings. Data structures for Phase 2 Special Transactions defined in DIP-0002 will also be included to ensure correct parsing, even though their validation logic is intentionally deferred.
2. Transparent State Management (UTXO Set): The UtxoDB service will be implemented to manage the transparent Unspent Transaction Output (UTXO) set. This service will be built on a Go-native embedded key-value store such as PebbleDB and will define a deterministic database schema mapping transaction outputs to amounts and scriptPubKeys. Core state transition logic will handle verification, consumption, and creation of UTXOs during block processing.
3. Block Import and Chain Validation: A dedicated Chain Service will be developed to handle block import and validation. For Phase 1, this includes:

• Validating X11 Proof-of-Work on block headers
• Verifying all transparent transactions against the UTXO set
• Enforcing the 100-block coinbase maturity rule
• Atomically applying block state changes to the UtxoDB

This ensures correctness, determinism, and crash safety during chain synchronization.

4. Cryptography Integration and Verification: This includes integrating the official Dash BLS signatures Go bindings and validating the native Go X11 implementation against historical Dash block headers using an exhaustive test harness to ensure bit-for-bit identical Proof-of-Work validation compared to dashd.

Team and Budget

Chainscore Labs is a Web3 Research and Development firm founded in 2021. We specialize in delivering core, high-performance infrastructure for leading blockchain ecosystems. We have deep expertise in protocol engineering, cryptography, DeFi, and full-stack protocol development. We have worked with several L1s to develop node clients. More details in proposal spec. Website

To deliver Milestone 1, we are requesting a budget of $320,000, equivalent to $80,000 (~909 DASH) per month over 4 months. This funding will cover engineering costs for 6 FTE protocol engineers and a technical lead.
Closing
Dash has always prioritized reliability and real-world usability. Investing in an independent node client is a direct investment in the network’s long-term health.
We respectfully ask for your vote in support of dash-go. Thank you for your consideration.