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Task Development Concepts

What is a Node?​

nodes and tasks

Nodes are a worldwide network of servers made up of people running tasks on their computers. You can pay them with KOII to run your tasks on their local machines.

What is a Task?​

what are tasks

A task is a piece of code that you want to run on someone else's computer. You design the task to be run on many different computers at once, receive back a response from the task runner and verify it, then distribute rewards to everyone who performed the task successfully, all within the task itself.

How Does a Task Run?​

To understand the details of how a task runs, please see runtime flow.

Where are my Tasks Stored and Run?​

For more information on the storage and running of tasks, pleas see runtime environment.

How is a Task Structured?​

The three main elements of a task are to execute the task, audit the results, and distribute rewards.

Execute task​

This is where you instruct nodes on which work they should do.

Execute Tasks

Audit results​

When a node completes a task, it will submit a result. This result will then be verified by other nodes during the audit process.

Audit Tasks

Distribute rewards​

Once the results have been verified, rewards are given out to anyone who submitted a valid result.

Distribute Rewards

What is a Timestamp and Slot?​

A timestamp is a way of representing time and is not specific to K2. In the context of K2, the slot can be used to record the time when data is sent or received, represented as a timestamp.

A slot is a unit of measurement used to track the current progress of K2. Each slot is approximately 400ms, which is the time taken by a leader to process transactions and produce a block. The fast pace of slots ensures high-speed and accurate verification. For the code, refer to Slot Docs.

How Timestamps are Used in REST APIs​

Timestamps are essential for ensuring accurate auditing in REST API operations:

  1. Request Received: A user receives a request from the server.
  2. Response Sent: The user sends back the result with the slot recorded as a timestamp.
  3. Verification: The server verifies the timestamp, calculates task completion time, and uses it for the next audit process.

What is a Round?​

A round represents the complete lifecycle of a Koii task within K2. It consists of:

  1. Submission Phase
  2. Audit Phase
  3. Distribution Phase

For more details, refer to the Runtime Flow Documentation.

For the code, refer to Round Docs.

What Tasks Need Auditing?​

Not all tasks require timestamp-based auditing. However, we recommend using timestamps in the following scenarios:

  • REST API Tasks: For tasks involving REST APIs, timestamps ensure accurate audits and help monitor API health.
  • Time-Sensitive Tasks: If your Koii task needs to execute at specific time points, using getSlot is a reliable option.

Ready to Get Started?​

Learn how to write and deploy your own task with our EZSandbox guide to task development.