Q-oracle: A Universal SGX-Secured Pull-Based Oracle

[catena2w]

Quex Technologies

Project Description

During this grant period, we're going to implement Q-oracle - a pull-based oracle system capable of securely fetching and verifying data from any web source, including those requiring API keys or producing non-deterministic outputs, like OpenAI or Random.org. This capability allows for the integration of verifiable random functions and AI into smart contracts on Secret, enhancing their functionality and applicability.

The technological foundation of our proposal relies on the TEE approach, which we tested a few months ago at the Near hackathon (https://devpost.com/software/quex). While the Secret network already significantly relies on Intel SGX security assumptions, we will be able to enrich the network capabilities without introducing new security issues. While currently creating such verifiable off-chain programs poses significant complexity, our long-term vision includes the development of an abstract virtualization layer. This layer will simplify the process, enabling the execution of off-chain computations with on-chain verifications, and will open a way to create a marketplace of verifiable computations within the Secret Network.

Problem / Solution

The Secret Network, despite its advancements, faces a limitation in its current oracle infrastructure, as observed through ongoing discussions in community forums. Developers express concerns over the absence of certain price feeds and functionalities within the available oracles. This gap hinders the development of more diverse and sophisticated applications, particularly in areas like decentralized finance (DeFi), real-world asset (RWA) integration, and cross-chain protocols, where accurate and comprehensive data feeds are crucial.

To address this challenge, our proposal introduces Q-oracle, a versatile solution designed to certify arbitrary HTTP requests. By enabling the verification of a wide range of data sources, Q-oracle significantly expands the potential use cases on the Secret Network. This generic oracle framework is not just limited to augmenting the DeFi sector with a broader spectrum of price data but also opens up opportunities for integrating real-world data into RWAs and fetching other blockchain data for enhanced cross-chain functionality. Q-oracle's flexibility and capability to fetch and certify data from any web source promise to fill the existing gaps in the Secret Network's oracle services, thus fostering the development of more complex and varied decentralized applications.

Detailed product description

During the grant period, we’re going to implement the following components:

• Off-Chain Watchtower Service: Monitors blockchain transactions and forwards them to a certifier service, operating off-chain for efficiency and security.
• SGX-Based Prover Service: Executes HTTPS requests and signs responses using within the SGX enclave, ensuring data integrity through on-chain verifiable signatures.
• On-Chain Registry Contract: Manages the registration and verification of SGX-based provers, verifying certificate chains and signatures to maintain a trusted oracle network.
• Developer SDK: Facilitates easy integration of Q-oracle into smart contracts, simplifying the process for developers to include external, verifiable data.
• Example Contract: Demonstrates Q-oracle's capabilities, providing developers with a practical guide for leveraging the oracle in their own applications.

This will allow us to deliver ready-to-use oracle, and start demonstrating the possibilities of TEE-based verifiable computations.

Go-to-Market plan

To attract the community to Q-oracle, we plan to build a dedicated community of contract developers interested in off-chain computations, emphasizing the collaborative aspect of our project. By publishing articles, we aim to disseminate knowledge about our technology and its potential impact, broadening our reach. The development of an SDK and clear, comprehensive documentation will simplify the process of integrating Q-oracle, making it accessible to a wider range of developers. Additionally, by providing practical examples of our technology in use, we'll demonstrate its value and utility, encouraging adoption.

Value capture for Secret Network ecosystem

Introducing Q-oracle to the Secret Network captures value by:

• Unlocking New Use-Cases: It enables applications previously not possible on the Secret Network, expanding the ecosystem's potential for innovation.
• Q-oracle streamlines the creation of trending DApps, such as RWAs, cross-chain bridges, and AI-powered DAOs, making it easier for developers to integrate complex, external data.
• By leveraging TEE technology, Q-oracle highlights the Secret Network's unique security features, serving as a powerful promotional tool for the platform's technological capabilities.
• It introduces the capability for verifiable computations on Secret, attracting new developers excited by the prospect of building secure and innovative applications within the ecosystem.

Team members

The Quex team consists of six members:

1. Dmitry Meshkov
2. Vasily Kharin
3. Sofia Kostareva
4. Klavdia Potapova
5. William Belov
6. Nataly Sturza

Team Website

• https://quex.tech

Team's experience

Experience of core Quex team members:

1. Dmitry Meshkov. With a Ph.D. in physics and 15+ years in software development, Dmitry has presented his papers in physics, cryptography, distributed systems, and the economy at tier-1 conferences (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=IRXdin8AAAAJ&hl=ru&oi=sra). His extensive experience includes over nine years in the Web3 domain, including a researcher position at IOHK and co-founding positions at Ergo Platform and Circlegain.
2. Vasily Kharin. Also a Ph.D. in physics, Vasily has authored a lot of peer-reviewed papers in similar fields as Dmitry (https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Vasily-Kharin-2092634643) and brings experience as a senior software architect and technical advisor, with a background in both enterprise and Web3 startups.
3. Sofia Kostareva. She brings 3 years of experience in startup environments, ensuring project milestones are met efficiently.
4. Klavdia Potapova. Klavdia offers her expertise as a product director and advisor, enhancing product strategy and development.

Team Code Repos

• https://github.com/quex-tech

Team LinkedIn Profiles

Dmitry Meshkov https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmeshkov
Sofia Kostareva https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofia-kostareva/
Klavdia Potapova https://www.linkedin.com/in/klavapotapova/
William Belov https://www.linkedin.com/in/williambelov/

Development Milestones

Milestone - 1

Project kickoff & grant approval - $4,500

Milestone - 2

Q-oracle implementation in Secret - $12,000

• Deploying Quex Contracts that verify the full certificate chain for Intel SGX.
• Launching the off-chain component of Q-oracle for arbitrary, verifiable HTTP requests, including an SGX-based HTTP client and a watchtower to relay data to Secret contracts.
• Developing the Quex SDK to facilitate the integration of SGX-based verifiable computations into Secret contracts.
• Hosting community calls and creating detailed documentation for the Secret Network to aid developers in integrating Q-oracle into their DApps.
• Publishing blog posts to highlight the advantages of TEE-based computations and promote the technology beyond the Secret community.

Milestone - 3

Adoption - $13,500

• Two DApps within the Secret ecosystem integrating Q-oracle successfully go live: $4,000.
• Achieve 500 data requests made to Q-oracle: $4,500.
• Discover and implement an additional use-case for verifiable SGX-based computations on the Secret network: $5,000.

[ertemann]

hey @catena2w please send me an email to [email protected] or Telegram message to @ Ertemann to discuss the grant :)