I Played with 500,320 Numbers from Algorand VRF: Let’s See How Random They Really Are!

Imagine trying to roll a dice on a glass table, where every move is seen and anticipated. That’s how randomness feels in the blockchain world — quite the challenge, huh? First, let’s address the elephant in the room: Why is randomness on the blockchain such a head-scratcher? See, the beauty of most blockchains is that they’re transparent. Every action must be like a rehearsed Broadway performance; the same every time and anywhere, so everyone can agree. That’s super for security, but a bummer if you’re trying to get a spontaneous, unpredictable number. Kind of like asking an actor to ad-lib in the middle of “Hamilton”! Our computers can whip up random numbers based on the whims of the processor clock time, but here’s the twist: If every computer in the network did this, each would show up to the party with a different random number. Chaos! We’d never reach consensus. Algorand doesn’t just rely on standard tricks like pseudorandom mechanisms (which can be as shady as a rigged card game). And no, it doesn’t call upon mysterious external sources (oracles) to bring in data, which is like asking a stranger for a random card pull — trust issues, anyone? Instead, it uses a Verifiable Random Function (VRF). Without diving into the dizzying world of cryptography (hats off to Silvio Micali & team for that), let’s snoop around like the curious cats we are. <a href="https://vestigefi.medium.com/i-played-with-500-320-numbers-from-algorand-vrf-lets-see-how-random-they-really-are-e656691b0e6">Read More</a>