If you've been following the Ethereum blockchain space closely, you'll know that there's been a lot of controversy surrounding the so-called "Flashbots." These are block relayers that have been dominating the Ethereum validator ecosystem, and with them, censorship has been growing. In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at what Flashbots are and why they're causing such a stir.
Flashbots are a type of block relayer that uses flash transactions to propagate blocks across the network. This allows for faster block propagation and thus higher throughput on the network. However, the use of flash transactions comes at a cost: it increases the likelihood of forks and creates security risks. Additionally, because flash transactions are not included in blocks, they can be used to censor transactions that the Flashbot operators don't agree with. This has led to accusations that Flashbots are being used to centrally control the Ethereum network.
The contentiousness around Flashbots is not new; they've been causing problems since they were first introduced in 2017. However, the recent increase in censorship activity has brought the issue to a head. In particular, there have been two high-profile instances of transaction censorship involving Parity Technologies and Gnosis Safe. In both cases, Flashbots were used to censure transactions that did not conform to the wishes of the centralized entities running the show. This has led many in the Ethereum community to call for an end to the use of Flashbots.
The use of Flashbots on the Ethereum network is a controversial topic. On one hand, they offer benefits in terms of speed and throughput. On the other hand, they open up the door for censorship and centralization. The community is currently divided on whether or not to continue using them. What do you think? Sound off in the comments below!
Justin Stevenson
Juliette Twain: Jun 19, 2023 11:48:10 AM
