What Blockchain Technology Powers Story Protocol?

Discussions around @StoryProtocol have grown significantly, largely influenced by Kaito. While most focus on topics like IP and AI, here’s a brief explanation of the blockchain technology underpinning Story Protocol:

- Consensus Layer
Story Protocol uses a Cosmos SDK-based client for its consensus, relying on the CometBFT (formerly Tendermint) consensus algorithm.

- Execution Layer
It employs a modified version of Geth, a widely used EVM execution client, for the execution layer.

- Block Time
On the testnet, the block time is approximately 3–4 seconds, with instant finality upon block creation due to the characteristics of CometBFT.

- Features and Insights

Cosmos SDK-Based Consensus :
Story Protocol inherits features typical of Cosmos-based blockchains, including staking, slashing, and governance voting, due to its Cosmos SDK-based consensus engine.

Initial Validator Setup :
While Cosmos-based chains typically have permissionless validators, in the early stages, staking power is expected to be largely controlled by the foundation, limiting validators to a select group.

EVM Compatibility :
Using Geth for the execution layer allows Story Protocol to support EVM-based smart contracts without modification.

Consensus-Execution Separation (CECS) :
This approach—leveraging a Cosmos SDK-based consensus layer and an EVM-compatible execution layer—was first popularized by chains like Polygon and has since been adopted by others, including Berachain.

- Interesting Note:
The GitHub repository includes a note of gratitude to Omni-network (@OmniFDN). It acknowledges that the initial codebase of Story Protocol for implementing Consensus Execution Client Separation (CECS)—the separation of consensus (CometBFT) and execution (EVM) layers—was based on Omni's codebase.