💡 Evaluate and Integrate Ogmios as a Complementary Backend to DBSync in GovTool

[bosko-m]

Area

Proposal Pillar

Is there new design needed?

Yes

What?

Explore and implement Ogmios as a complementary data source to DBSync within the GovTool architecture.
Ogmios offers a lightweight, real-time interface to interact with a Cardano node using WebSocket and JSON-based protocols, and could complement or enhance GovTool's performance and reliability in critical areas.

Ogmios documentation: https://ogmios.dev/mini-protocols/

Why?

• DBSync, while powerful, is often heavy, delayed, and sometimes lacks real-time responsiveness.
• Ogmios provides low-latency, direct access to node data and supports essential protocols like:
  • Chain Synchronization – for real-time blockchain tracking
  • Transaction Submission – for submitting governance transactions
  • Ledger State Queries – for live state queries (e.g., delegation status, registered DReps, stake distribution)
• Combining Ogmios with DBSync can enable GovTool to:
  • Improve accuracy and speed of governance-related data
  • Provide fallback redundancy in case DBSync is slow or fails
  • Lay the groundwork for more wallet-native and real-time workflows in governance flows

How?

1. Evaluate Ogmios Capabilities:

   • Identify key GovTool features that could benefit from Ogmios integration (e.g., fetching live stake data, checking DRep registration status, transaction submission).
   • Determine what data can be sourced or confirmed via Ogmios versus what still relies on DBSync.

2. Integrate Ogmios Client:

   • Use Ogmios client libraries to set up WebSocket connections.
   • Implement a middleware layer that can selectively route queries to Ogmios or DBSync depending on context.

3. Fallback/Redundancy Logic:

   • For any critical real-time governance action (e.g., vote casting, DRep state checks), prefer Ogmios with fallback to DBSync.
   • Monitor discrepancies between Ogmios and DBSync for auditing and failover.

4. Performance and Load Testing:

   • Assess real-world responsiveness and reliability of Ogmios integration under realistic usage loads.

(Optional) User Story with acceptance criteria

As a developer maintaining GovTool:

I want to use Ogmios to fetch real-time stake and governance data,
so that the app is more responsive and less dependent on delayed DBSync data.

As a DRep using GovTool:

I want my delegation and voting status to reflect immediately after on-chain activity,
so I have full confidence my governance actions were correctly registered.

As a community member submitting proposals:

I want my transaction to be validated and submitted quickly using a direct node connection,
so I don’t rely on the lag of external syncs.

Acceptance Criteria

• Ogmios is set up and accessible in the target environments (dev/preview/preprod/staging).
• GovTool integrates Ogmios to retrieve real-time data (e.g., delegation status, slot info, etc.).
• Fallback logic is in place when Ogmios is unreachable or fails.
• Initial integration scoped to read-only endpoints, with transaction submission evaluated in later stages.
• Performance and integrity of Ogmios-based queries are benchmarked against DBSync equivalents.
• Technical documentation is updated to reflect this new data source.