Exchange Sentinel (DVPN)

Sentinel is a decentralized VPN project that aims to provide users with a secure and private way to access the internet. The project is built on blockchain technology, and it utilizes a native utility token called dVPN. Sentinel's network is designed to allow users to share their excess bandwidth and resources in exchange for dVPN tokens.

The project is open source, which means that its codebase is publicly accessible and can be reviewed by anyone interested in understanding how the system works.

Sentinel focuses on creating a decentralized network of nodes (computers) that can be used to route and encrypt internet traffic, providing users with a VPN service. Sentinel aims to be compatible with various blockchain platforms, allowing users to transact and interact with the network using different cryptocurrencies.

In the conventional landscape, VPN services were typically controlled by highly centralized and opaque entities, demanding a high level of development expertise. However, Sentinel's decentralized VPN transforms the conventional concept of a 'VPN.' It revolutionizes the user-service provider relationship and alters the accessibility to networking technology stacks, traditionally shrouded in complexity.

Sentinel's dVPN allows users to redefine their relationship with VPN services. Instead of relying on centralized contractors and clients, users, along with their trusted social network, can independently establish a private network using Sentinel's technology stack. This paradigm shift eliminates the need for external consultations and empowers users to create secure networks where trusted participants can share and receive bandwidth. This transformative approach is likened to historical revolutions such as the gunpowder revolution and is an extension of the CPU revolution, illustrating how access to robust technological stacks can naturally scale into the global social fabric, fostering networks of freedom.

Sentinel was launched with the support of Exidio, a development and infrastructure organization that has played a significant role in the launch and ongoing development of the Sentinel Network and the DVPN (decentralized VPN) protocol.

Exidio has been actively involved in building the technology and infrastructure necessary for the Sentinel Network, which includes the development of the Sentinel dVPN application. The dVPN application allows users to participate in the decentralized VPN network, share their excess bandwidth, and access VPN services securely using the Sentinel protocol.

Exidio's involvement in the project includes contributions to the development of the software, network architecture, and various components that make up the Sentinel ecosystem. The organization has been instrumental in advancing the goals of the Sentinel Network, such as creating a decentralized and privacy-focused VPN solution.

Initially Sentinel was launched on the Ethereum test network, but the project underwent a notable development in 2021 by transitioning to the Cosmos blockchain. Rather than existing as an independent blockchain, Sentinel integrated into the Cosmos ecosystem, capitalizing on the advantages it provides, including scalability and interoperability with other blockchains. This integration allows Sentinel's blockchain to communicate seamlessly with others within the Cosmos network.

This move has practical implications, such as the facilitation of decentralized trading of the DVPN token with other cryptocurrencies on various blockchains. A concrete example of this interoperability is demonstrated through platforms like Osmosis, a decentralized exchange (DEX) within the Cosmos ecosystem. Despite Osmosis having its blockchain, trading DVPN on this DEX is streamlined, eliminating the need for a bridge and exemplifying the ease with which Sentinel can engage in decentralized trading across different blockchains

Sentinel underwent a significant change in March 2021 by transitioning from the original token ticker SENT to DVPN. This shift aimed to underscore the idea that a dVPN transcends the conventional understanding of a VPN. The project envisions the term expanding to encompass broader functionalities as Sentinel evolves.

Sentinel operates on a Tendermint blockchain, leveraging the bPOS consensus system. This system allows blockchains to establish a finite number of validators, facilitating rapid consensus and ensuring network resilience against potential 'Byzantine attacks.'

The Sentinel network is designed to support a range of P2P communication and privacy solutions, incorporating revenue models based on high-volume, microtransactions. The choice of the Tendermint blockchain is strategic, as it enables the Sentinel network to achieve high transaction throughput (TPS). This is particularly advantageous when compared to Ethereum, which has a significantly lower capacity of '15 transactions per second.'

Sentinel dVPN employs the V2Ray camouflage technique to encapsulate traffic through firewalls using common HTTPS/TLS. This strategic approach significantly minimizes the risk of V2Ray nodes facing blocks or interference, ensuring a stable internet experience for users. It's important to note that V2Ray itself is not a standalone protocol or circumvention system. Instead, just as Sentinel dVPN forms an ecosystem for dVPN applications, V2Ray serves as an open-source framework enabling the operation of one or more proxies. V2Ray supports diverse layered proxy protocols, transports, and obfuscation methods within this framework.

In terms of user privacy, Sentinel adopts a strict no-logs policy concerning browsing or data history. The network employs a robust relay system with exit nodes, strategically distributing ownership across multiple participating nodes. This design prevents user identification, addressing concerns associated with traditional exit nodes that could be monitored for network traffic observation and potential user identification.

The DVPN coin operates as a governance token, empowering holders who stake their coins to influence the protocol's future, encompassing all implementation details. Its key roles include:

• Governance and Staking Token: DVPN coin endows holders with the authority to actively participate in decisions that shape the protocol's development and trajectory.
• Medium of Payment for dVPN Subscriptions: Users can employ DVPN coins to seamlessly access and subscribe to dVPN services, ensuring a secure and private internet connection.
• Medium of Payment for Advanced dVPN Services: DVPN coins serve as a means of transaction for premium dVPN features, enriching the user experience with enhanced services.
• Revenue Sharing.

The DVPN token has a total supply of 25,865,387,725 DVPN, and as of December 7, 2023, the circulating supply is 16,351,312,700 DVPN. 

The average fees on the Sentinel network 

Within the Sentinel dVPN framework, subscribing to dVPN services involves a pre-payment for unlimited usage across one or more devices. While the option to pay with Sentinel tokens is available, users are not confined to this cryptocurrency alone. The dVPN applications developed on the Sentinel framework offer flexibility by incorporating real-world fiat-based payment gateways or supporting other decentralized payment currencies.

Advanced services necessitate users to stake tokens within an escrow system, facilitating real-time payments governed by Sentinel's bandwidth provability protocol. This intrinsic structure is fundamental to the Sentinel Hub ecosystem, thereby confining transactions to the native token. 

The DVPN token wallets 

The DVPN tokens can be stored in numerous crypto wallets, including Sentinel Wallet, the official wallet of the project, Math Wallet, Trust Wallet, MetaMask, Binance Chain Wallet, Coin98, Crypto.com wallet, Guarda Wallet, iToken, etc.