Global Sync and other sync technologies

Canton Network
1

Does the global synchronizer essentially eliminate the need to use other backends such as a permissioned blockchain, or distributed database for domain synchronization?

2

Yes it does. You can link a Participant node directly to the global synchronizer.

Some caveats:

  1. The global synchronizer works only for Daml 3.x, which is in early access at the moment.
  2. You need to run the Global Synchronizer’s “Validator” app via your Daml 3.x Participant node in order to ask the Super Validators to track a traffic balance for your node.
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3

I’ll add to Wayne’s answer that there are still reasons to use a private synchronizer (centralized or distributed). So the global synchronizer allows eliminates the need to user other backends, but not the option to use them.

4

Thanks for the follow-up. I was thinking there may be use-cases for a hybrid approach: using a combination of both a private shared domain and the global synchronizer. Nice to have the flexibility.

5

Yes, the system is designed with hybrid use cases as the priority.

6

For daml 2.X, if we have our own sync domain(s) running through canton, what is the purpose of using another backend? If all our nodes connect to the same domain, doesn’t that technically act as a 3.X global synchronizer? Or is the purpose of having another blockchain backend to then connect multiple sync domains together?

7

Or is the purpose of having another blockchain backend to then connect multiple sync domains together?

Correct. For those who already have a Daml app synchronizing transactions on a private synchronizer, the Global Synchronizer will be beneficial when you will want to compose your app with another Daml app that synchronizes transactions on another synchronizer. The composed workflow requires a common infrastructure, i.e. a synchronizer that all participant nodes validating the transaction are connected to. The Global Synchronizer provides such infrastructure. For more details and for illustration see the following video, which is a lesson from the Technical Solution Architect certification coursework.

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