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Concepts Overview

Understanding the core concepts behind StreamSync.

What is StreamSync?

StreamSync is a decentralized indexing network for Solana that delivers:

  • Sub-10ms query performance with economic guarantees
  • Market-driven pricing eliminating vendor lock-in
  • Multiple independent operators competing from day one
  • Specialized nodes optimized for different workloads

The Problem

Traditional Solana indexing solutions suffer from:

Problem Impact
Vendor Lock-in Single provider controls pricing and access
Arbitrary Pricing No market competition drives up costs
Single Points of Failure Provider outages affect all users
No Performance Guarantees Pay regardless of service quality
Centralized Control Provider can restrict access anytime

The Solution

StreamSync introduces economic decentralization:

graph TB
    subgraph "Traditional (Centralized)"
        U1[Users] --> P[Single Provider]
        P --> D1[Data]
    end

    subgraph "StreamSync (Decentralized)"
        U2[Users] --> R[Router]
        R --> N1[Operator A]
        R --> N2[Operator B]
        R --> N3[Operator C]
        R --> N4[Operator D]
        N1 --> D2[Data]
        N2 --> D2
        N3 --> D2
        N4 --> D2
    end

Key differences:

Aspect Centralized StreamSync
Operators Single company Multiple independent
Pricing Set by provider Market-driven
Performance Best effort Guaranteed (or free)
Access Can be restricted Protocol-level rights
Competition None Continuous

Core Concepts

1. Economic Decentralization

True decentralization isn't about server locations - it's about who controls pricing, availability, and access decisions.

:octicons-arrow-right-24: Learn more

2. Racing Competition

3-5 nodes race to answer each query. The fastest correct response wins 70% of the payment.

:octicons-arrow-right-24: Learn more

3. Node Specializations

Different nodes optimize for different workloads: speed, caching, archival, or ZK reconstruction.

:octicons-arrow-right-24: Learn more

4. Performance Guarantees

Miss the SLA? The customer doesn't pay. Economics enforce quality.

:octicons-arrow-right-24: Learn more

How It Works

Query Flow

sequenceDiagram
    participant C as Client
    participant R as Router
    participant N1 as Node 1 (5ms)
    participant N2 as Node 2 (7ms)
    participant N3 as Node 3 (12ms)
    participant V1 as Verifier 1
    participant V2 as Verifier 2

    C->>R: Query + Max 10ms

    par Racing
        R->>N1: Execute Query
        R->>N2: Execute Query
        R->>N3: Execute Query
    end

    N1-->>R: Result (5ms) ✓
    N2-->>R: Result (7ms)
    N3-->>R: Result (12ms)

    par Verification
        R->>V1: Verify Result
        R->>V2: Verify Result
    end

    V1-->>R: Confirmed ✓
    V2-->>R: Confirmed ✓

    R-->>C: Result + Proof

    Note over R: Distribute Rewards:<br/>N1: 70%, V1: 15%, V2: 15%

Economic Flow

graph LR
    C[Customer] -->|Pay Query Fee| P[Payment Pool]
    P -->|50%| N[Node Operators]
    P -->|20%| T[Treasury]
    P -->|20%| D[Data Providers]
    P -->|10%| G[Governance]

    N -->|70%| W[Race Winner]
    N -->|15%| V1[Verifier 1]
    N -->|15%| V2[Verifier 2]

Network Participants

Customers

  • Query Solana data with performance guarantees
  • Pay per query with STRM, SOL, or USDC
  • Get refunds when SLA is missed

Node Operators

  • Run specialized nodes serving queries
  • Earn STRM by winning races
  • Stake STRM as collateral (min 10,000)

Token Holders

  • Stake STRM to earn governance rewards (10% of fees)
  • Vote on protocol parameters
  • Delegate to operators

Data Providers

  • Provide Solana RPC access
  • Earn 20% of query fees
  • Enable network data access

Technology Stack

Component Technology
Language Rust
Database DuckDB (distributed)
Networking NNG (nanomsg)
Blockchain Solana
Smart Contracts Anchor
Consensus Gossip protocol (push-pull)

Next Steps