Mirrored from filpgf.io — ProPGF Batch 3 (Karma program 1479, application 6a1f8eb2fa69b0bcbf8088e7, status: pending). Contact details redacted; canonical application lives on filpgf.io. 1.1 Project Name Venus Implementation Maintenance 1.2 Project Github https://github.com/filecoin-project/venus 1.3 Project Website https://venus.filecoin.io/ 1.4 Team Lead/Point of Contact Jimmy Zhang 1.5 Category [ "Core Infrastructure" ] 1.6 Open Source Status Fully Open Source 2.1 Project Summary The Venus Implementation Maintenance project strengthens the Filecoin ecosystem by maintaining and advancing the second-largest client implementation, mitigating single-point-of-failure risks and enhancing network resilience. This initiative delivers five core outcomes: 1.Zero-day compatible releases for all network upgrades with zero critical downtime incidents 2.Enhanced data transparency through upgraded Filscan dashboards 3.Accelerated protocol innovation by implementing 1–2 community-driven FIPs annually 4.Reduced operational barriers for Storage Providers through maintained infrastructure (VenusHub NaaS platform serving ~80% of Venus SPs) 5.Calibration network stability through operation of a 190 TiB QAP testnet node This work directly supports Storage Providers, developers, governance participants, and the broader Filecoin network by providing essential tooling, security stability, cost optimization, and a reliable testing environment. 2.2 Who does this work support? [ "Storage Providers", "Application Builders", "Application Users", "Network Infrastructure", "Network Governance" ] 2.3 Total Funding Requested (USD) $300,000 USD 2.4 Milestones & Budget [ { "title": "Milestone 1: Venus maintenance and support on Jan", "description": "Recurring Monthly Milestones\n1.Venus Codebase Maintenance — Deploy security patches and bug fixes for the SP stack (Sophon, Droplet, Damocles)\n2.Node-as-a-Service (NaaS) Platform — Maintain 99% platform uptime and support Storage Provider operations\n3.Filscan.io Block Explorer — Maintain 99% availability\n4.Calibration Network Operations — Operate miners with 175 TiB QAP\nOn-Demand Milestones\n1. Network Upgrade Compatibility\n* Analysis — Review FIP specifications and assess impact\n* Implementation — Develop code, conduct local and Calibration network testing, verify interoperability\n* Release — Deploy zero-day compatible releases and update Filscan\n* Support — Provide documentation, migration guides, and ongoing monitoring\n2. Community FIP Implementation (up to 2 per year)\n* Selection — Conduct feasibility analysis and community consultation\n* Development — Create technical design, implement, and test thoroughly\n* Deployment — Validate on Calibration network, deploy to production\n* Documentation — Publish technical specifications, user guides, and community education materials", "dueDate": "2027-01-31", "fundingRequested": "$25,000 USD", "completionCriteria": "1. Venus Codebase Maintenance\n* Security patches deployed within 48 hours\n* All bug fixes tested and merged\n\n2. Node-as-a-Service (NaaS) Platform\n* Monthly uptime ≥99% (verified by monitoring)\n* Support tickets resolved within 4-hour SLA (>95%)\n\n3. Filscan.io Block Explorer\n* Monthly uptime ≥99%\n* Root cause analysis and address for any issus\n\n4. Calibration Network Operations\n* Maintain active status\n* QAP capacity verified monthly (≥175 TiB)\n\nOn-Demand Milestones\n1. Network Upgrade Compatibility\nAnalysis: FIP review, impact assessment, timeline estimation\nImplementation: Code development, local testing, Calibration testing, code review approval\nRelease: Zero-day compatible release, Filscan update, announcement\nSupport: Migration guide, 4-hour SLA support, monitoring documentation\n\n2. Community FIP Implementation (up to 2/year)\nSelection: Feasibility analysis, community consultation, approval\nDevelopment: Technical design, implementation, code review, testing passing\nDeployment: Calibration validation, production deployment, monitoring in place\nDocumentation: Technical specs, user guides, community education" }, { "title": "Milestone 2 : Venus maintenance and support on Feb", "description": "Same as Milestone 1", "dueDate": "2027-02-28", "fundingRequested": "$25,000 USD", "completionCriteria": "Same as Milestone 1" }, { "title": "Milestone 3: Venus maintenance and support on Mar", "description": "Same as Milestone 1", "dueDate": "2027-03-31", "fundingRequested": "$25,000 USD", "completionCriteria": "Same as Miles …[truncated] 3.1 Impact pathway Venus contributes to ecosystem objectives through the following five pathways: Pathway 1: Network Upgrades Venus-compatible releases deployed → Zero critical downtime for Venus SPs → Maintained client diversity and reduced systemic risk Pathway 2: Protocol Innovation 1–2 FIPs implemented with comprehensive testing → Community gains actionable data and improved governance → Filecoin protocol evolves faster with improved developer retention Pathway 3: Operational Transparency Enhanced dashboards and real-time metrics → Storage Providers gain visibility into network conditions → Reduced operational surprises, faster incident response, and improved profitability Pathway 4: SP Infrastructure & Cost Reduction Maintained VenusHub with 99%+ uptime → Storage Providers reduce operational costs (~$17k/year) and lower entry barriers → Net growth in active SP count and sustainable infrastructure Pathway 5: Community Testing & Risk Mitigation 190 TiB QAP Calibration node operated → Safe protocol testing environment → Reduced mainnet incidents, faster feedback loops, and increased confidence in innovations 3.2 Verification metrics 1. Network Upgrade Compatibility: Zero Critical Incidents Metric: Up to 4 network upgrades completed per grant period with zero critical Venus-related incidents. Verification: * Review merged PRs and release tags in filecoin-project/venus for each network upgrade cycle * Collect testimonials from Venus Storage Providers via Venus slack channel confirming zero critical disruptions 2. FIP Implementation Progress: 1–2 Accepted Proposals Metric: 1–2 community-driven FIPs reach "Accepted" or "Final Call" status with completed Venus implementations. Verification: * Track proposal status changes in filecoin-project/FIPs GitHub repository * Document implementation progress via Venus GitHub Issues and Projects tab 3. Filscan Uptime: >99% Availability Metric: Filscan.io block explorer maintains >99% uptime (maximum 43.2 minutes downtime per month). Verification: * Third-party uptime monitoring services * User incident reports in Slack 4. VenusHub Reliability: 99%+ Uptime Metric: VenusHub Node-as-a-Service platform maintains 99%+ uptime (maximum 7.2 hours downtime per month). Verification: * Infrastructure service logs and metrics dashboards 5. Community Support Response Times: >95% Within 4 Business Hours Metric: >95% of support inquiries receive a response within 4 business hours (UTC+8). Verification: * #venus-support Slack channel: Timestamped inquiries and responses with searchable history * GitHub Issues & Discussions: Support requests logged with creation and response timestamps 6. Calibration Node Uptime: 99%+ Uptime Metric: Calibration network node operates at 99%+ uptime with 190 TiB QAP (maximum 3.6 hours downtime per month). Verification: * Block Reward History: Verify consistent block mining and proposal records without gaps 3.3 References @Phi-rjan @Michael Madoff - FF @Christian Taylor 4.1 Monthly Operating Burn [ "$10-$100K (small team)" ] 4.2 What % of total team monthly burn depends on this grant? 90% 4.3 If this grant is not awarded, what happens? **Network Upgrade Failures** Without this grant, Venus cannot deploy timely network upgrades, resulting in protocol incompatibility. Venus Storage Providers running outdated software will become unable to participate in the upgraded network. Their blocks will be rejected by upgraded nodes, causing them to fork off onto an incompatible chain. They will lose access to new features and competitive advantages, while unpatched security vulnerabilities expose them to risk. From the network perspective, this increases orphaned blocks, reduces network security through fragmented hashrate, and undermines consensus if a significant portion of miners remains on outdated versions. **SP Infrastructure Collapse** Without the VenusHub NaaS platform, Storage Providers must maintain dedicated resources independently, increasing operational costs and likely triggering SP churn. **Loss of Transparency & Governance** Filscan enhancements would not be completed, leaving Storage Providers and governance participants without real-time visibility into network conditions. This degraded visibility would impair decision-making quality and halt progress in on-chain data transparency. 4.4 Core Team Technical Program Manager — 5 years in Filecoin ecosystem; 3 years Venus leadership. Oversees project coordination, milestone tracking, and stakeholder communication with Filecoin Foundation and protocol developers. Architect — 5 years Filecoin protocol and Venus system design expertise. Leads technical strategy for network upgrades, FIP implementation, and platform scalability. Senior Software Engineer — 5 years Venus implementation with deep Go/Rust expertise. Primary developer for major upgrades (Sophon, Droplet, Damocles) and FIP implementation. Infrastructure Engineer — 4 years Venus deployment and cloud infrastructure (Alicloud, AWS); 3 years VenusHub management. Maintains 99%+ uptime, infrastructure upgrades, and 190 TiB Calibration node operations. QA & Support Engineer — 3 years Venus QA and community support. Manages test automation, upgrade testing, and community support with 4-hour SLA. 4.5 Has your team received a ProPGF grant or funding from PLFIF before? [ "Yes" ] 5.1 Key risks & dependencies Cloud Provider (Alicloud) — Infrastructure capacity constraints or pricing changes could impact VenusHub operational costs or uptime; Calibration node hosting may face challenges Key Person Dependency — Loss of senior engineer availability could delay FIP implementation or upgrade work Contributing to Core Infrastructure? Venus maintains the second-largest Filecoin client implementation, critical infrastructure that prevents network concentration and ensures ecosystem resilience. Our work enables Storage Providers to reduce operational costs, provides developers and governance participants with reliable tools and transparency dashboards, and delivers essential security infrastructure and testing capabilities across the ecosystem. Objective 1 Indirect Objective 2 Indirect Objective 3 Indirect