Skip to content

Commit 35d5abf

Browse files
committed
fix: feedback
1 parent b922639 commit 35d5abf

File tree

2 files changed

+32
-14
lines changed

2 files changed

+32
-14
lines changed

develop/toolkit/parachains/light-clients.md

Lines changed: 16 additions & 7 deletions
Original file line numberDiff line numberDiff line change
@@ -7,14 +7,23 @@ description: Learn about Polkadot light clients, their importance, usage, and ho
77

88
## Introduction
99

10-
Light clients provide a secure, trust-minimized, and efficient method of interacting with a blockchain. Alongside the commonly used JSON Remote Procedure Calls (RPC), they are one of the primary mechanisms for blockchain communication. Polkadot offers first-class support for light clients, which play a critical role in the development of decentralized applications.
10+
Light clients enable secure and efficient blockchain interaction without running a full node. They provide a trust-minimized alternative to JSON-RPC by verifying data through cryptographic proofs rather than blindly trusting remote nodes.
1111

12-
Light clients are applications that fetch the required data they need from a Polkadot node with an associated cryptographic proof to validate the data. This makes it possible to interact with the Polkadot network without running a full node or having to trust remote peers (for further references, check the [Polkadot Specification, Light Client Messages](https://spec.polkadot.network/sect-lightclient#sect-light-msg){target=\_blank} page).
12+
This guide covers:
13+
14+
- What light clients are and how they work
15+
- Their advantages compared to full nodes and JSON-RPC
16+
- Available implementations in the Polkadot ecosystem
17+
- How to use light clients in your applications
18+
19+
Light clients are particularly valuable for resource-constrained environments and applications requiring secure, decentralized blockchain access without the overhead of maintaining full nodes.
1320

1421
!!!info "Light node or light client?"
1522
The terms "light node" and "light client" are interchangeable. Both refer to a blockchain client that syncs without downloading the entire blockchain state. All nodes in a blockchain network are fundamentally clients, engaging in peer-to-peer communication.
1623

17-
Unlike JSON RPC interfaces, where an application must either maintain a list of providers or rely on a single node, light clients are not limited to nor dependent on a single node. They use cryptographic proofs to verify the blockchain's state, ensuring it is both up-to-date and accurate. By verifying only block headers, light clients avoid syncing the entire state, making them ideal for resource-constrained environments.
24+
## Light Clients Workflow
25+
26+
Unlike JSON-RPC interfaces, where an application must either maintain a list of providers or rely on a single node, light clients are not limited to nor dependent on a single node. They use cryptographic proofs to verify the blockchain's state, ensuring it is both up-to-date and accurate. By verifying only block headers, light clients avoid syncing the entire state, making them ideal for resource-constrained environments.
1827

1928
```mermaid
2029
flowchart LR
@@ -31,13 +40,13 @@ Light clients can quickly verify the blockchain's state, including [GRANDPA fina
3140
!!!info "What does it mean to be 'trust-minimized'?"
3241
"Trust-minimized" means that the light client does not need to fully trust the full node from which it retrieves state. This is achieved through the use of Merkle proofs, which allow the light client to verify the correctness of the state by checking the Merkle tree root.
3342

34-
## JSON RPC and Light Client Comparison
43+
## JSON-RPC and Light Client Comparison
3544

36-
Another common method of communication between a user interface (UI) and a node is through the JSON RPC protocol. Generally, the UI retrieves information from the node, fetches network or [pallet](/polkadot-protocol/glossary#pallet){target=\_blank} data, and interacts with the blockchain. This is typically done in one of two ways:
45+
Another common method of communication between a user interface (UI) and a node is through the JSON-RPC protocol. Generally, the UI retrieves information from the node, fetches network or [pallet](/polkadot-protocol/glossary#pallet){target=\_blank} data, and interacts with the blockchain. This is typically done in one of two ways:
3746

38-
1. **User-Controlled Nodes** - the UI connects to a node client installed on the user's machine
47+
- **User-Controlled Nodes** - the UI connects to a node client installed on the user's machine
3948
- These nodes are secure, but installation and maintenance can be inconvenient
40-
2. **Publicly Accessible Nodes** - the UI connects to a third-party-owned publicly accessible node client
49+
- **Publicly Accessible Nodes** - the UI connects to a third-party-owned publicly accessible node client
4150
- These nodes are convenient but centralized and less secure. Applications must maintain a list of backup nodes in case the primary node becomes unavailable
4251

4352
While light clients still communicate with [full nodes](/polkadot-protocol/glossary#full-node), they offer significant advantages for applications requiring a secure alternative to running a full node:

llms.txt

Lines changed: 16 additions & 7 deletions
Original file line numberDiff line numberDiff line change
@@ -10420,14 +10420,23 @@ description: Learn about Polkadot light clients, their importance, usage, and ho
1042010420

1042110421
## Introduction
1042210422

10423-
Light clients provide a secure, trust-minimized, and efficient method of interacting with a blockchain. Alongside the commonly used JSON Remote Procedure Calls (RPC), they are one of the primary mechanisms for blockchain communication. Polkadot offers first-class support for light clients, which play a critical role in the development of decentralized applications.
10423+
Light clients enable secure and efficient blockchain interaction without running a full node. They provide a trust-minimized alternative to JSON-RPC by verifying data through cryptographic proofs rather than blindly trusting remote nodes.
1042410424

10425-
Light clients are applications that fetch the required data they need from a Polkadot node with an associated cryptographic proof to validate the data. This makes it possible to interact with the Polkadot network without running a full node or having to trust remote peers (for further references, check the [Polkadot Specification, Light Client Messages](https://spec.polkadot.network/sect-lightclient#sect-light-msg){target=\_blank} page).
10425+
This guide covers:
10426+
10427+
- What light clients are and how they work
10428+
- Their advantages compared to full nodes and JSON-RPC
10429+
- Available implementations in the Polkadot ecosystem
10430+
- How to use light clients in your applications
10431+
10432+
Light clients are particularly valuable for resource-constrained environments and applications requiring secure, decentralized blockchain access without the overhead of maintaining full nodes.
1042610433

1042710434
!!!info "Light node or light client?"
1042810435
The terms "light node" and "light client" are interchangeable. Both refer to a blockchain client that syncs without downloading the entire blockchain state. All nodes in a blockchain network are fundamentally clients, engaging in peer-to-peer communication.
1042910436

10430-
Unlike JSON RPC interfaces, where an application must either maintain a list of providers or rely on a single node, light clients are not limited to nor dependent on a single node. They use cryptographic proofs to verify the blockchain's state, ensuring it is both up-to-date and accurate. By verifying only block headers, light clients avoid syncing the entire state, making them ideal for resource-constrained environments.
10437+
## Light Clients Workflow
10438+
10439+
Unlike JSON-RPC interfaces, where an application must either maintain a list of providers or rely on a single node, light clients are not limited to nor dependent on a single node. They use cryptographic proofs to verify the blockchain's state, ensuring it is both up-to-date and accurate. By verifying only block headers, light clients avoid syncing the entire state, making them ideal for resource-constrained environments.
1043110440

1043210441
```mermaid
1043310442
flowchart LR
@@ -10444,13 +10453,13 @@ Light clients can quickly verify the blockchain's state, including [GRANDPA fina
1044410453
!!!info "What does it mean to be 'trust-minimized'?"
1044510454
"Trust-minimized" means that the light client does not need to fully trust the full node from which it retrieves state. This is achieved through the use of Merkle proofs, which allow the light client to verify the correctness of the state by checking the Merkle tree root.
1044610455

10447-
## JSON RPC and Light Client Comparison
10456+
## JSON-RPC and Light Client Comparison
1044810457

10449-
Another common method of communication between a user interface (UI) and a node is through the JSON RPC protocol. Generally, the UI retrieves information from the node, fetches network or [pallet](/polkadot-protocol/glossary#pallet){target=\_blank} data, and interacts with the blockchain. This is typically done in one of two ways:
10458+
Another common method of communication between a user interface (UI) and a node is through the JSON-RPC protocol. Generally, the UI retrieves information from the node, fetches network or [pallet](/polkadot-protocol/glossary#pallet){target=\_blank} data, and interacts with the blockchain. This is typically done in one of two ways:
1045010459

10451-
1. **User-Controlled Nodes** - the UI connects to a node client installed on the user's machine
10460+
- **User-Controlled Nodes** - the UI connects to a node client installed on the user's machine
1045210461
- These nodes are secure, but installation and maintenance can be inconvenient
10453-
2. **Publicly Accessible Nodes** - the UI connects to a third-party-owned publicly accessible node client
10462+
- **Publicly Accessible Nodes** - the UI connects to a third-party-owned publicly accessible node client
1045410463
- These nodes are convenient but centralized and less secure. Applications must maintain a list of backup nodes in case the primary node becomes unavailable
1045510464

1045610465
While light clients still communicate with [full nodes](/polkadot-protocol/glossary#full-node), they offer significant advantages for applications requiring a secure alternative to running a full node:

0 commit comments

Comments
 (0)