On-chain escrow by Vitalik Buterin (Sep 2015). Two parties designate arbiters; majority vote releases funds. One of the earliest smart contract dispute systems.
Key Facts
Description
One of the earliest decentralized dispute resolution systems on Ethereum, deployed by Vitalik Buterin as part of an experimental arbitration dapp on September 28, 2015 (block 303,316).
Parties create escrow contracts by calling mk_contract() with two recipient addresses, an array of arbiters, and a fee. Funds are held in escrow until a majority of arbiters vote for a winner. The contract also allows either party to instantly transfer to the other by voting (voteForA=0 if you're recipientA, etc.).
Key features:
- mk_contract(): Create escrow with recipients, arbiters, arbiter fee, and description
- vote(id, voteForA): Cast an arbiter vote; >50% majority triggers payout
- ArbiterNotification events on creation
- On resolution: storage zeroed out to reduce blockchain bloat
- get_contract_value/recipients/arbiters/description: Read contract state
A second identical deployment exists at 0x7e2d0fe0ffdd78c264f8d40d19acb7d04390c6e8 (block 318,029, Oct 6 2015).
Bytecode verified as exact byte-for-byte match.
Source Verified
Exact byte-for-byte match (0 diffs). Source: dapp-bin 08fe3e5b (arbitration/arbitration.se) with one correction: ArbiterNotification log args were reversed in original deployment (arbiters[i], id) vs committed order (id, arbiters[i]). Compiler: Serpent e5a5f875. Runtime: 2544 bytes.
Heuristic Analysis
The following characteristics were detected through bytecode analysis and may not be accurate.
Frontier Era
The initial release of Ethereum. A bare-bones implementation for technical users.
Bytecode Overview
Verified Source Available
Source verified through compiler archaeology and exact bytecode matching.
View Verification ProofShow source code (Serpent)
data contracts[2**100](value, recipientA, recipientB, arbiters[10000], numArbiters, votedMask, votesForA, votesForB, arbiterFee, description[10])
data nextContractID
event NewContract(value:uint256, recipientA:address:indexed, recipientB:address:indexed, arbiters:address[], arbiterFee:uint256, id:uint256:indexed, description:str)
event ArbiterNotification(id:uint256:indexed, arbiter:address:indexed)
event Vote(id:uint256:indexed, addr:address:indexed, votingForA:bool)
event ContractClosed(id:uint256:indexed, recipient:address)
def mk_contract(recipientA:address, recipientB:address, arbiters:address[], arbiterFee:uint256, description:str):
# Make sure we have enough funds to pay arbiters
if msg.value < arbiterFee:
send(msg.sender, msg.value)
return(-1)
# Max description length 288 chars
# if len(description) > 288:
# send(msg.sender, msg.value)
# return(-2)
id = self.nextContractID
self.contracts[id].value = msg.value - arbiterFee
self.contracts[id].recipientA = recipientA
self.contracts[id].recipientB = recipientB
i = 0
while i < len(arbiters):
self.contracts[id].arbiters[i] = arbiters[i]
log(type=ArbiterNotification, arbiters[i], id)
i += 1
self.contracts[id].numArbiters = len(arbiters)
self.contracts[id].arbiterFee = arbiterFee
# Set description
self.contracts[id].description[0] = len(description)
i = 0
while i * 32 < len(description):
self.contracts[id].description[i + 1] = description[i]
i += 1
self.nextContractID = id + 1
log(type=NewContract, msg.value - arbiterFee, recipientA, recipientB, arbiters, arbiterFee, id, description)
return(id)
def const get_contract_value(id):
return self.contracts[id].value
def const get_contract_recipients(id):
return([self.contracts[id].recipientA, self.contracts[id].recipientB]:address[])
def const get_contract_arbiters(id):
o = alloc(200)
o[0] = self.contracts[id].numArbiters
i = 0
while i < o[0]:
o[i + 1] = self.contracts[id].arbiters[i]
i += 1
return(o + 32:address[])
def const get_contract_arbiterFee(id):
return(self.contracts[id].arbiterFee)
def const get_contract_description(id):
buffer = alloc(320)
i = 0
buffer[0] = self.contracts[id].description[0]
while i * 32 < buffer[0]:
buffer[i + 1] = self.contracts[id].description[i + 1]
i += 1
return(buffer + 32:str)
def const get_number_of_contracts():
return(self.nextContractID)
def vote(id, voteForA:bool):
myArbiterIndex = -1
# Check if I am one of the arbiters
i = 0
while i < self.contracts[id].numArbiters:
if self.contracts[id].arbiters[i] == msg.sender:
# If you already voted, you don't count. Note that
# this way of implementing the code has the neat
# property that if one arbitrator is listed N times.
# they can vote N times and those votes will have a
# total weight of N
myArbiterMask = 2**i
if myArbiterMask & self.contracts[id].votedMask == 0:
myArbiterIndex = i
i += 1
# Either participant in the escrow can vote to immediately transfer
# to the other party
if self.contracts[id].recipientA == msg.sender and voteForA == 0:
myArbiterIndex = 999
if self.contracts[id].recipientB == msg.sender and voteForA == 1:
myArbiterIndex = 999
# Not an arbiter for this contract
if myArbiterIndex == -1:
return(0:bool)
done = 0
# Add to the voted mask
self.contracts[id].votedMask = self.contracts[id].votedMask | myArbiterMask
log(type=Vote, id, msg.sender, voteForA)
if myArbiterIndex != 999:
# Are there enough votes for either A or B?
if voteForA:
self.contracts[id].votesForA += 1
if self.contracts[id].votesForA * 2 > self.contracts[id].numArbiters:
done = 1
else:
self.contracts[id].votesForB += 1
if self.contracts[id].votesForB * 2 > self.contracts[id].numArbiters:
done = 2
else:
# Short circuit if it's A or B that is agreeing to surrender
done = if(voteForA, 1, 2)
# If so, then pay out
if done:
# Pay out arbiters (note that if no arbiters voted, this does
# lead to a divide-by-zero scenario, but it does not matter
# since no one gets paid)
i = 0
arbitersVoted = self.contracts[id].votesForA + self.contracts[id].votesForB
fee = self.contracts[id].arbiterFee / arbitersVoted
while i < self.contracts[id].numArbiters:
if 2**i & self.contracts[id].votedMask:
send(self.contracts[id].arbiters[i], fee)
i += 1
recipient = if(done == 1, self.contracts[id].recipientA, self.contracts[id].recipientB)
send(recipient, self.contracts[id].value + self.contracts[id].arbiterFee * (arbitersVoted == 0))
log(type=ContractClosed, id, recipient)
# Some hygiene, to reduce blockchain bloat and save on gas fees
self.contracts[id].value = 0
self.contracts[id].recipientA = 0
self.contracts[id].recipientB = 0
i = 0
while i < self.contracts[id].numArbiters:
self.contracts[id].arbiters[i] = 0
i += 1
self.contracts[id].numArbiters = 0
self.contracts[id].votedMask = 0
self.contracts[id].votesForA = 0
self.contracts[id].votesForB = 0
self.contracts[id].arbiterFee = 0
i = 0
while i < 10:
if self.contracts[id].description[i] != 0:
self.contracts[id].description[i] = 0
i += 1
return(1:bool)