Performance Testing

To configure your node for a testing event, visit node setup page.

Nym Mixnet has been running on mainnet for quite some time. There is still work to be done in order for the network to meet its full potential - mass adoption of privacy through fully distributed Mixnet.

Nym asks its decentralised community of operators to join a series of performance testing events in order to increase the overall quality of the Mixnet. The main takeaways of such event are:

  1. Understanding of the network behavior under full load
    • How many mixnet client users can all active set entry gateways handle simultaneously?
    • How much sustained IP traffic can a subset of mainnet nodes sustain?
  2. Needed improvements of Nym Node binaries to improve the throughput on mainnet
  3. Measurement of required machine specs
  4. Raw data record
  5. Increase quality of Nym Nodes
  6. Show each operator a way to monitor their nodes in a distributed fashion

Visit Fast and Furious web page and Nym Harbour Master Gateways monitoring page to read more about the performance testing and the results of it.

Performance Testing Work Flow

  • Nym runs a paralel network environment validator.performance.nymte.ch with a chain ID perf
  • Operators of Nym Nodes join by following easy steps on performance testing web page, including simplified node authentication signature (while keep running their nodes on the mainnet)
  • Once signed in, operators will be asked to swap their binary for the modified version with metrics endpoint to be able to connect their own monitoring system
  • Core node data will be fed to a unique mixnet contract for the perf side chain
  • Nym starts a new API and start packet transition in high load through these nodes in both settings
  • Nym tracks packet flow using Prometheus and Grafana
  • Nym creates a large number of clients to the performance validator network, intensifying the packet traffic
  • Observe and record the metrics - this will probably put more strain on mainnet as well as many nodes spec is minimal

More Information