Sui Introduces Secure Native Randomness for Testnet Applications

Developers
on
the
Sui
Testnet
now
have
access
to
a
new
source
of
secure
randomness
generated
by
Sui
validators,
according
to

The
Sui
Blog.
This
essential
feature,
powered
by
the
sui::random
module,
opens
up
various
possibilities
for
developers
and
builders
on
the
platform.

Applications
of
Onchain
Randomness

Onchain
randomness
can
be
utilized
in
numerous
ways,
from
simulating
dice
rolls
to
ensuring
fair
ticket
allocations.
Key
use
cases
include:

• 
  Games
  of
  chance:
  Lotteries,
  card
  games,
  and
  casino
  games
  can
  leverage
  onchain
  randomness
  to
  ensure
  fairness
  and
  transparency,
  allowing
  anyone
  to
  verify
  the
  game’s
  integrity.
• 
  Random
  sampling:
  Useful
  in
  governance,
  dispute
  resolution,
  and
  randomized
  audits.
  It
  can
  also
  be
  employed
  in
  committee
  selections
  for
  oracles
  and
  DAOs.
• 
  NFTs:
  Randomness
  can
  create
  NFTs
  with
  varying
  rarity
  levels,
  adding
  uniqueness
  and
  creativity
  to
  crypto
  collectibles.
• 
  Contests
  and
  player
  matching:
  Random
  placement
  in
  tournament
  brackets,
  matching
  players
  for
  games,
  and
  determining
  the
  order
  of
  play
  in
  turn-based
  games.

Ensuring
Secure
Randomness

For
onchain
randomness
to
be
effective,
it
must
be
both
unpredictable
and
unbiasable.
Unpredictability
prevents
attackers
from
manipulating
outcomes,
while
unbiasability
ensures
no
single
party
can
influence
the
randomness
generation
process.
Existing
solutions
often
fall
short
due
to
predictability
and
bias
issues.

Mysten
Labs
has
developed
a
solution
leveraging
threshold
cryptography
and
Distributed
Key
Generation
(DKG)
to
achieve
these
qualities.
This
solution,
supported
by
the
validator
network,
allows
for
fast
and
secure
randomness
generation.
Validators
initiate
a
DKG
protocol
to
generate
secret
shares
of
a
distributed
key
at
the
start
of
each
epoch.
They
use
these
shares
to
produce
randomness
continuously
during
the
epoch.

Advantages
of
Sui’s
Native
Randomness

Sui’s
native
randomness
solution
is
faster
and
more
secure
than
existing
methods.
It
operates
parallel
to
the
consensus
mechanism,
providing
random
values
quickly
after
a
transaction
is
ordered
but
before
execution.
Additionally,
Sui’s
Move
programming
language
and
Programmable
Transaction
Blocks
(PTBs)
offer
powerful
compositions
while
preventing
potential
manipulation
through
built-in
restrictions
and
compiler
warnings.

Using
the
sui::random
Module

The
sui::random
module
provides
access
to
pseudorandomness
within
Sui,
enabling
various
applications.
For
instance,
developers
can
implement
a
Move
function
to
select
a
random
winner
for
a
raffle:

entry set_winner(game: &mut Raffle, rnd: &Random, ctx: &TxContext) { assert!(is_none(game.winner), EWinnerAlreadySet); // winner is of type Option<u32> let gen = new_generator(rnd, ctx); game.winner = Some(gen.generate_u32_in_range(1, game.num_of_tickets)); // num_of_tickets is u32 that represents the number of participants
}

This
function
ensures
that
a
winner
has
not
already
been
selected,
initializes
a
new
random
generator,
and
generates
a
random
number
within
the
range
of
ticket
numbers.
The
result
is
a
securely
and
unpredictably
chosen
winner,
thanks
to
Sui’s
robust
random
generation
guarantees.

Sui’s
introduction
of
secure
and
scalable
randomness
is
a
significant
advancement,
enabling
developers
to
build
more
robust
and
secure
applications.
The
feature
is
now
available
on
the
Sui
Testnet,
and
developers
are
encouraged
to
explore
its
capabilities
and
provide
feedback.
For
more
detailed
technical
information,
refer
to
the

Onchain
Randomness
documentation.

Image
source:
Shutterstock