Performance (internal)

Introduction

An overview of Venn’s latency characteristics, based on our latest benchmark data. This page outlines what we measure, how we measure it, and what to expect when using Venn in production.

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Latency Component Breakdown

1. User ↔ Venn Node:

   • Time for the user to send the transaction to the Venn node (Blockbeat).

2. Fetching the Trace:

   • Fetching the full transaction trace (internal calls, balances, logs) needed for inspection.

3. Security Validation:

   • Running the transaction through Venn detectors to decide if it’s malicious.

4. Consensus (Operator Network):

   • Back-and-forth communication among security operators to agree on the legitimacy of transactions.

5. Signing:

   • Operators sign off on the final decision and submit it on-chain.

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Benchmark Results

Step	Duration (ms) in L1	Duration (ms) in L2's
User ↔ Venn Node	200	100
Fetching the Trace	500	500
Security Validation	20	20
Consensus	200	100
Signing	50	25
Total	500 ms	250 ms

Note: Several of these steps (e.g., X and Y) occur in parallel, which helps reduce the overall end-to-end latency. Therefore, the total end-to-end latency is not the sum of each individual step.

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Factors Influencing Latency in Venn

• Chain Type:

  • L2 networks (e.g., Optimism, Arbitrum) typically finalize blocks more quickly than L1, which reduces end-to-end latency.

  • Native gas and block times on L1 (e.g., Ethereum Mainnet) create additional on-chain confirmation delays.

• Number of Nodes (Operators):

  • As you add more operator nodes, consensus can take longer (more validators contribute and validate).

• Security Model:

  • Default Security (Root Network): A standard configuration provides predictable performance.

  • Custom Security (Subnets): The more complex security models you run, the longer the “Security Validation” component takes.

• Transaction Complexity & Trace Size:

  • Transactions involving large call trees or significant internal activity require more time to fetch and analyze the complete trace.

• Network Conditions:

  • High congestion or rapidly increasing gas fees can hinder on-chain finalization for the firewall transaction.

• Geographic Location:

  • The distance between your client and the operator network affects latency.

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By understanding and optimizing these factors—chain choice, operator setup, security model complexity, and resource allocation—you can guarantee that Venn’s latency stays minimal while still providing robust, real-time protection.