Rob Dawson: PegaSys – Enterprise-Grade Ethereum Protocol Engineering (#294)

We're joined by Rob Dawson, Head of Product at PegaSys. PegaSys is the protocol engineering spoke of ConsenSys, and the team building Pantheon, a Java implementation of the Ethereum client. The Pantheon client was built from the ground up as both a mainnet, and consortium chain client. Written in Java with an Apache 2.0 license, it benefits from being easily accessible to enterprises, who predominantly use that language. The PegaSys team has built additional features into the Pantheon client like privacy, permissioning, and the ability to deploy chains on IBFT, a consensus algorithm better suited for consortium networks of up to 40 validators. Working closely with other protocol teams (Geth and Parity), and being a founding member of the Ethereum Enterprise Alliance, PegaSys is also working towards Ethereum 2.0.

Topics discussed in this episode:
- Rob’s background as an enterprise Java developer and how he became involved in the blockchain space
- The role of PegaSys in the broader ConsenSys ecosystem
- The Pantheon client and why they chose to build a new Ethereum client
- The case for Java and why enterprise has a preference for this language
- Pantheon’s unique features of privacy, permissioning, and performance
- What is Istanbul BFT and how it differs from Parity POA and Tendermint BFT
- The types of applications which are better suited for IBFT
- The Ethereum Enterprise Alliance (EEA) and PegaSys’ work on standards
- PegaSys’ work on Ethereum 1.x and Ethereum 2.0
- The team's recently announced certification program

Links mentioned in this episode:
- PegaSys Website: http://bit.ly/2xoPVUi
- Introducing Pantheon, a Mainnet Java Client - Demo & Roadmap (Devcon4): http://bit.ly/2xsw5aI
- Another day, another consensus algorithm. Why IBFT 2.0?: http://bit.ly/322HY5t
- Scaling Consensus for Enterprise: Explaining the IBFT Algorithm: http://bit.ly/2RPrWqW
- Blog Posts and Webinars - Pantheon: http://bit.ly/2xrmKA1
- PegaSysEng/pantheon: An enterprise-grade Java-based, Apache 2.0
licensed Ethereum client: http://bit.ly/2xrfzbe
- PegaSysEng/artemis: Java Implementation of the Ethereum 2.0 Beacon
Chain: http://bit.ly/2JjoCjZ
- Komgo: http://bit.ly/2JhkQaS

Sponsors:
- Trail of Bits: Trust the team at the forefront of blockchain security research - https://trailofbits.com
- Azure: Deploy enterprise-ready consortium blockchain networks that scale in just a few clicks - http://aka.ms/epicenter

This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: https://epicenter.tv/294