PRNG - Pseudo Random Number Generator

[justjoolz]

PRNG - Pseudo Random Number Generator

Grant category

Please select one:

• Developer tools/services
• Educational material

Description

A fully on-chain pseudo-random number generator written in Cadence and an off-chain Javascript equivalent that uses the exact same seeding mechanism (blockHash mixed with resourceID) and hence replicates the same stream of random data.

Problem statement

Using randomness is a big part of many NFT drops (randomized traits) and it's usually always done off-chain. This means it's harder to achieve transparency (most projects don't even attempt to). Also, it's prone to manipulation as has happened to several of Dapper's products.

• Target audience

Developers + creators who value transparency.

• Evidence for the need

15 posts on the forum mentioning randomness: https://forum.onflow.org/search?q=random and plenty in discord too, a very common question with no solutions

Off-chain randomness exploits:

https://blog.nbatopshot.com/posts/elite-pack-distribution-audit
https://blog.nflallday.com/posts/update-rams-team-nft-drop
https://nftevening.com/dapper-labs-hand-out-free-nfts-after-their-ufc-drop-is-a-total-disaster/

Proposed solution

A resource-based PRNG that lives in its own contract and can supply a stream of randomness from a provided initial seed.

Including helper functions for picking numbers in more useful and dev-friendly ways than unsafeRandom provides.

ie.
pickFrom(["sandwich","noodles", [1,9] ) one in ten chance I get a sandwich, 9/10 noodles
range(10,15) returns a random number between 10 and 15

Impact

This will allow developers to use randomness in their contracts in a far safer and more versatile way than is currently offered.

Milestones and funding

Milestone	Deliverables	Timeline	Risks	USD proposal
1 - MVP	Implementation with detailed documentation in git repo including usage examples	1 month	-	5k
X - Expansion	Write a series of in-depth articles showcasing and detailing a variety of possible implementation patterns with their pros+cons	2 months	-	10k
X - Maintenance + Adoption	Resolving users' issues and providing hands-on support to developers who wish to safely and securely use randomization in their Dapps. At least 3 projects using PRNG on mainnet	3 months	-	10k

Total funding proposed: 25k

Team

Name	Role	Bio	Contact
Julian	Developer	Flow community representative + FlipFest winner	[email protected]

[chrisackermann]

Hi @justjoolz - thanks again for your proposal! We're reviewing and will follow up shortly.

[chrisackermann]

Hi @justjoolz - thanks for your patience! Just wanted to let you know that we've accepted this submission and will be following up directly with next steps. Thanks!

[justjoolz]

Hi @chrisackermann - thanks for the great news!

[Aliserag]

Hey Joolz, I have in my database that only the first milestone was completed, given that this was quite a long time ago and changes made with the randomness beacon, I don't think this is relevant anymore. I'm going to close this, please let me know if this is a mistake [email protected].