What Is a Beacon Chain? (BNB, ETH, DOT, ICP, and More)

Blockchain networks face persistent challenges like scalability, security, and interoperability. To address these, some networks have adopted a beacon chain, a core component that manages validators, coordinates shard chains, and ensures the network’s overall stability and performance. As a central layer in Proof of Stake (PoS) systems, beacon chains provide scalability and decentralization without compromising security.
We are going to focus on the technical architecture of beacon chains, while also heavily discussing how you can work with beacon chains utilizing Tatum’s SDKs and APIs. There will be a lot of code!
You could call a beacon chain the backbone of specific blockchain architectures, such as those with Proof of Stake consensus mechanisms (however, not all PoS chains have it). Its primary purpose is coordinating network activities in sharded blockchains or multi-layer ecosystems. In theory, beacon chains could run on other than PoS chains, but in practice, they have been specifically designed to work with them.
[.c-wr-center][.button-black]Start Now for Free[.button-black][.c-wr-center]
Traditional blockchains process all transactions sequentially on a single chain. This monolithic design leads to scalability bottlenecks. Beacon chains overcome this by introducing sharding, where the network is divided into smaller units (shards) that process transactions in parallel. The beacon chain coordinates these shards to maintain a unified state.
By enabling advanced network capabilities, beacon chains solve fundamental design challenges of the blockchain industry.
As we already discussed, the support of shard chains is one of the most widely accepted scalability solutions. This parallel processing drastically increases transaction throughput compared to monolithic blockchains.
Beacon chains use cryptographic randomness to assign validators and prevent collusion. Some claim this increases security, while others argue it compromises it. The position depends on whether you believe PoS is more secure than PoW or not.
PoS-based beacon chains are significantly more energy-efficient than PoW systems. They eliminate the need for resource-intensive mining.
Beacon chains enable smooth communication between shards or subnets, which facilitates data and asset transfer across the network. This makes them ideal for multi-chain ecosystems.
Let us consider an example: Ethereum’s beacon chain reduces energy usage by 99.9% compared to PoW. It also lays the groundwork for shard chains that can scale to thousands of transactions per second.
[.c-box-wrapper][.c-box][.c-text-center]You might be interested in: What Are Blockchain Validiums, and How They Work[.c-text-center][.c-box][.c-box-wrapper]
Before we list the examples, there is an important note: Each listed chain has different uses for its beacon chain, even if some aspects might be similar.
Ethereum’s beacon chain manages its PoS consensus and coordinates validator assignments. It introduced significant architectural changes:
Polkadot’s Relay Chain serves a role similar to a beacon chain, connecting its parachains. It enables:
DFINITY’s beacon chain provides:
Harmony’s beacon chain work mainly revolves around the secure management of shards:
[.c-box-wrapper][.c-box][.c-text-center]You might be interested in: Understanding Mempool in Blockchain[.c-text-center][.c-box][.c-box-wrapper]
Near Protocol’s beacon chain-like architecture maintains shard synchronization through a specific mechanism called Nightshade:
Zilliqa was the first blockchain to implement sharding. Its Directory Service Committee acts as a beacon chain by:
Note: The Directory Service Committee is a technical and protocol-based system, not a group of individuals.
Elrond’s Metachain operates as a beacon chain by validating shard blocks and synchronizing the network:
Root Chain, QuarkChain’s beacon chain, coordinates its shards by:
Cosmos Hub acts as a beacon chain within its ecosystem:
Avalanche’s Primary Network oversees the coordination of subnets:
[.c-box-wrapper][.c-box][.c-text-center]You might be interested in: 15 Books for Blockchain Developers[.c-text-center][.c-box][.c-box-wrapper]
Tatum simplifies developer interaction with beacon chains by providing APIs and SDKs for querying network data, monitoring validators, and submitting transactions. Let’s dive deeper into it.
Integrating with a beacon chain can seem daunting, but Tatum simplifies the process. This is achieved through intuitive APIs and SDKs for a variety of use cases. This chapter will guide you through setting up your environment and using Tatum’s APIs to work with beacon chains.
First of all, you need to check if your environment is properly configured:
Visit Tatum’s website and create an account for free. Obtain your API key from the dashboard. Then, use it to set up the Tatum SDK. Alternatively, you can use REST API endpoints with tools like Postman or do it directly via HTTP requests.
To install the SDK using npm or yarn:
npm install @tatumio/tatum
Once you have your API key, the next step is to set up your environment to securely store and use it. The proper configuration safeguards smooth communication with the Tatum APIs.
Use environment variables to prevent exposing your API key directly in your code.
For example, create a .env file in your project directory and add your API key:
TATUM_API_KEY=your-api-key
Then, load the environment variable in your code using a library like dotenv (for Node.js):
require('dotenv').config();
const apiKey = process.env.TATUM_API_KEY;
Make sure you have the necessary dependencies installed for your project. For example:
npm install axios dotenv
Before proceeding, test that your API key is correctly configured by making a simple API call, such as fetching server status:
const axios = require('axios');
const testSetup = async () => {
const apiKey = process.env.TATUM_API_KEY;
try {
const response = await axios.get('https://api.tatum.io/v3/ethereum/status', {
headers: { 'x-api-key': apiKey },
});
console.log('Setup Successful:', response.data);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Setup Failed:', error.message);
}
};
testSetup();
With this, your environment is secure and functional. Choose and make direct API calls in the next step using this guide.
Once configured in your environment, you can make direct API calls to interact with a beacon chain. This approach lets you quickly test functionality using REST API endpoints without additional libraries or SDKs.
Below is an example of a basic API call to fetch active validators on a beacon chain. You can test this in Postman, curl, or directly in your code.
GET https://api.tatum.io/v3/ethereum/validators
{
"x-api-key": "your-api-key"
}
curl -X GET "https://api.tatum.io/v3/ethereum/validators" \
-H "x-api-key: your-api-key"
You can query specific shard data directly using the API. This helps analyze state synchronization or transactions within a shard.
GET https://api.tatum.io/v3/ethereum/shard/{shardId}
curl -X GET "https://api.tatum.io/v3/ethereum/shard/1" \
-H "x-api-key: your-api-key"
Replace {shardId} with the ID of the shard you want to query.
To further simplify your workflow, you can switch between using direct API calls or Tatum's SDK based on your project needs:
Use environment variables to store your API key:
export TATUM_API_KEY=your-api-key
Retrieve details about active validators on a beacon chain.
const axios = require('axios');
const fetchValidators = async () => {
const apiKey = 'your-tatum-api-key';
const url = 'https://api.tatum.io/v3/ethereum/validators';
try {
const response = await axios.get(url, {
headers: { 'x-api-key': apiKey },
});
console.log('Validators:', response.data);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error fetching validators:', error);
}
};
fetchValidators();
Tatum's APIs allow you to track the health and performance of the beacon chain.
const getBeaconMetrics = async () => {
const apiKey = 'your-tatum-api-key';
const url = 'https://api.tatum.io/v3/ethereum/metrics';
try {
const response = await axios.get(url, {
headers: { 'x-api-key': apiKey },
});
console.log('Beacon Chain Metrics:', response.data);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error fetching metrics:', error);
}
};
getBeaconMetrics();
[.c-box-wrapper][.c-box][.c-text-center]You might be interested in: What Are Genesis Blocks in Blockchain Networks[.c-text-center][.c-box][.c-box-wrapper]
Developers can query specific shard chain data for insights into transactions or state synchronization.
const fetchShardData = async (shardId) => {
const apiKey = 'your-tatum-api-key';
const url = `https://api.tatum.io/v3/ethereum/shard/${shardId}`;
try {
const response = await axios.get(url, {
headers: { 'x-api-key': apiKey },
});
console.log(`Data for Shard ${shardId}:`, response.data);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error fetching shard data:', error);
}
};
fetchShardData(1); // Replace with the desired shard ID
You can send transactions using Tatum’s Ethereum API.
const Tatum = require('@tatumio/tatum');
const submitTransaction = async () => {
const payload = {
to: '0xRecipientAddress',
value: '0.1', // Amount in ETH
privateKey: 'your-private-key',
};
try {
const result = await Tatum.sendEthereumTransaction(payload);
console.log('Transaction Submitted:', result);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error submitting transaction:', error);
}
};
submitTransaction();
Easily generate a wallet that can interact with Ethereum or beacon-chain-enabled networks.
const Tatum = require('@tatumio/tatum');
const generateWallet = async () => {
try {
const wallet = await Tatum.generateWallet('ETH'); // Replace 'ETH' with the desired blockchain
console.log('Generated Wallet:', wallet);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error generating wallet:', error);
}
};
generateWallet();
Developers can fetch detailed information about blocks on the beacon chain.
const fetchBlockData = async (blockNumber) => {
const apiKey = 'your-tatum-api-key';
const url = `https://api.tatum.io/v3/ethereum/block/${blockNumber}`;
try {
const response = await axios.get(url, {
headers: { 'x-api-key': apiKey },
});
console.log(`Block ${blockNumber} Data:`, response.data);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error fetching block data:', error);
}
};
fetchBlockData(123456); // Replace with the desired block number
[.c-box-wrapper][.c-box][.c-text-center]You might be interested in: How Does Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) Work and Which Projects Use It[.c-text-center][.c-box][.c-box-wrapper]
You can estimate gas fees for transactions to ensure your operations are cost-efficient.
const estimateGas = async () => {
const apiKey = 'your-tatum-api-key';
const url = 'https://api.tatum.io/v3/ethereum/gas';
try {
const response = await axios.get(url, {
headers: { 'x-api-key': apiKey },
});
console.log('Gas Fee Estimate:', response.data);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error estimating gas fees:', error);
}
};
estimateGas();
If your application involves shard or subnet transfers, Tatum supports cross-chain operations.
const executeCrossChainTransfer = async () => {
const payload = {
from: '0xSenderAddress',
to: '0xRecipientAddress',
value: '0.5', // Amount in ETH or other currency
privateKey: 'your-private-key',
chain: 'shard1', // Specify the source chain or shard
};
try {
const result = await Tatum.sendTransaction(payload);
console.log('Cross-Chain Transfer Successful:', result);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error executing cross-chain transfer:', error);
}
};
executeCrossChainTransfer();
Retrieve the balance of an address on the beacon chain or shard chains.
const fetchBalance = async (address) => {
const apiKey = 'your-tatum-api-key';
const url = `https://api.tatum.io/v3/ethereum/account/balance/${address}`;
try {
const response = await axios.get(url, {
headers: { 'x-api-key': apiKey },
});
console.log(`Balance for ${address}:`, response.data);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error fetching balance:', error);
}
};
fetchBalance('0xYourWalletAddress');
Get detailed information about a specific transaction on the beacon chain.
const fetchTransactionDetails = async (transactionHash) => {
const apiKey = 'your-tatum-api-key';
const url = `https://api.tatum.io/v3/ethereum/transaction/${transactionHash}`;
try {
const response = await axios.get(url, {
headers: { 'x-api-key': apiKey },
});
console.log('Transaction Details:', response.data);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error fetching transaction details:', error);
}
};
fetchTransactionDetails('0xTransactionHash'); // Replace with your transaction hash
Would you like to discuss this with other developers? Join our Discord!
[.c-wr-center][.button-black]Get Started for Free[.button-black][.c-wr-center]
Build blockchain apps faster with a unified framework for 60+ blockchain protocols.