Dynamic Consensus Framework
Whitepaper
Directed Cyclical Finality (DCF)
The Dynamic Consensus Framework (DCF) is Cerulea's validator coordination mechanism. It differs from conventional blockchain consensus in a fundamental way: validator participation is governed by explicit policies, not by token holdings or open entry. Under DCF, validators are admitted, rotated, and suspended according to a structured eight-pillar policy set.
The Eight Policy Pillars
- Approved Validator Registry, only nodes listed in the registry may participate in validation
- Identity-Verified Operators, validators must be verified entities: companies, institutions, or approved organisations
- Uptime + Performance, validators must meet defined thresholds for availability, sync health, and latency
- Reputation + Behaviour, missed blocks and misbehaviour are scored and factored into eligibility
- Policy-Based Rotation, validator slot allocation follows eligibility, fairness, and availability rules
- Governance-Permissioned Admission, admission, suspension, and reinstatement pass through on-chain governance
- Security Compliance, validators must demonstrate key management hygiene and system patching standards
- Infrastructure Requirements, hardware, network capacity, and node configuration must meet defined minimums
Public L1 vs Private Chain DCF
On the Public L1, the DCF policy set is fixed and community-governed. Policy changes require a governance proposal and quorum approval. On Cerulea Private, all eight policy pillars are fully configurable by the enterprise at deployment time and adjustable through internal governance thereafter. This gives regulated organisations direct control over every dimension of their validator environment.