Gossip-Synced In-Memory Auctioneer for MEV-Boost Relays

This project implements a high-performance, Rust-based in-memory Auctioneer designed to replace Redis in the critical get_header path of PBS relays like Titan's Helix. It synchronizes bids across geo-distributed nodes using a CRDT-based gossip protocol, aiming to reduce latency, eliminate centralized coordination, and improve proposer and builder outcomes.

🚀 TL;DR

Gossip-Synced In-Memory Auctioneer

🦀 Rust-based replacement for Redis in Helix-style MEV-Boost relays 📡 CRDT + UDP gossip for bid propagation ⚡ Cuts get_header latency by 30–50% 🔐 Attestation-ready (TEE support planned)

✨ Goals

• Cut latency in the bid path by 30–50%
• Eliminate Redis dependency in the hot path
• Enable decentralized, fault-tolerant bid propagation
• Maintain convergence guarantees via gossip
• Align with SUAVE and enshrined PBS design principles

📦 Architecture Overview

graph TD
    subgraph Relay Node A
        A1[Builder Bid Submission] --> A2[In-Memory Auctioneer]
        A2 --> A3[Gossip Broadcast]
    end

    subgraph Relay Node B
        B1[Gossip Receive] --> B2[Bid Conflict Resolver]
        B2 --> B3[Best Bid Updated]
    end

    A3 --> B1
    B3 --> C[Proposer Get Header]

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🧠 Design Highlights

• Bid CRDT Structure with merge logic:

  struct Bid {
      value: U256,
      timestamp: u64, // monotonic clock
      builder_id: String,
      nonce: u32, // anti-replay
      signature: [u8; 64], // attestation-ready
  }

• UDP-based gossip with configurable fanout (e.g., 3 peers)

• Attestation scaffolding for future TEE integration

• Latency benchmarking tools

TEE integration plan

• Builder-side TEE: Ensures bundle execution / ordering is trusted
• Relay-side TEE: Ensures best bid selection is tamper-proof and fast
• Optional Proposer TEE: May be used to verify attestations or simulate payloads privately in the future

📁 Structure

inmemory-auctioneer/
├── Cargo.toml
├── README.md
├── docs/
│   ├── FRP.md          # Full research proposal
│   ├── workplan.md     # workplan
│   └── diagrams/
├── src/
│   ├── auctioneer.rs   # Core in-memory logic
│   ├── bid.rs          # Bid struct and merge logic
│   ├── config.rs       # Runtime parameters
│   ├── gossip.rs       # Gossip layer for syncing
│   ├── lib.rs          # Lib
│   └── main.rs         # Entry point and example
└── tests/
│   ├── auctioneer.rs   # test auctioneer
│   ├── bid.rs          # test bid
│   └── gossip.rs       # test gossip
└── benchmarks/
    └── gossip_latency.rs

🧪 Initial Targets (Phase 1)

• ✅ Bid struct + merge logic
• 🔲 UDP gossip skeleton
• 🔲 Multi-node local simulation
• 🔲 95% convergence in <100ms (local test)

🗺️ Future Extensions

• Remote attestation (Intel TDX or Fortanix SGX)
• Optional fallback to disk cache
• Peer scoring for bid trustworthiness

🤝 Collaboration

Inspired by Titan Builder, Flashbots, and Rorqual. Meant to plug directly into Helix or similar relays.

Contact: Stephan Thomas – stovole@gmail.com