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Catalyst Network

The Catalyst network is Decentraland's decentralized content delivery infrastructure. Multiple independent operators run Catalyst nodes that store and serve content.

Overview

The Catalyst network operates as a fully-meshed distributed system where nodes communicate directly with each other to synchronize content and maintain network health.

Catalyst Network Topology

Catalyst Components

Each Catalyst node consists of:

Content Server

Purpose: Asset storage and retrieval

Stores and serves:

  • Scene definitions
  • 3D models and textures
  • Audio files
  • Scripts
  • Avatars and wearables

API Reference: Catalyst API

Lambdas

Purpose: Serverless query functions

Provides queryable endpoints:

  • Entity searches
  • Profile queries
  • Content metadata
  • Deployment history

Lambdas run as separate services that query the Content Server's database.

Nginx

Purpose: Reverse proxy and load balancing

Routes requests to appropriate services:

  • Content Server for uploads
  • Lambdas for queries
  • Static asset serving

Content Deployment

Deployment Flow

sequenceDiagram
    participant CLI
    participant Content as Content Server
    participant Queue as Deployments Queue
    participant Services as Backend Services
    
    CLI->>Content: POST /entities
    Content->>Content: Validate & store
    Content-->>CLI: Deployment accepted
    Content->>Queue: New deployment event
    Queue->>Services: Trigger processing

Deployment Steps

  1. Compile: CLI bundles scene using build-ecs
  2. Sign: Creator signs deployment with wallet
  3. Upload: CLI uploads to any Catalyst node
  4. Validate: Catalyst validates signatures and content
  5. Store: Content saved to storage
  6. Propagate: Event published to deployment queue
  7. Process: Backend services process new content

Content Validation

Catalyst validates:

  • Digital signatures (ownership proof)
  • Content hashes (integrity)
  • Parcel permissions (land ownership)
  • File size limits
  • Content policy compliance

Deployments Pipeline

When content is deployed, multiple systems react:

Asset Processing

flowchart LR
    Deploy[New Deployment]
    Queue[Deployments to SQS]
    AB[Asset Bundle Converter]
    Profile[Profile Images]
    Badges[Badges]
    
    Deploy --> Queue
    Queue -->|3D assets| AB
    Queue -->|Avatar changes| Profile
    Queue -->|Achievement check| Badges

Triggered Services:

  • Asset Bundle Converter - Creates optimized bundles
  • Profile Images Producer - Generates avatar thumbnails
  • Badges Processor - Checks deployment achievements

Listening Services

Services that monitor deployments:

  • Worlds - For world deployments
  • Comms Gatekeeper - For world voice config
  • Atlas Server - For map updates

Content Replication

Catalyst nodes replicate content to ensure availability:

Replication Strategy

  • Active Syncing: Nodes actively sync new deployments
  • Pull-based: Nodes fetch missing content on-demand
  • Gossip Protocol: Deployment announcements propagate

Content Addressing

All content is content-addressed:

  • Files identified by IPFS CID (Content Identifier)
  • Immutable once deployed
  • Deduplication automatic

Archipelago Workers (Comms)

Communications infrastructure runs alongside Catalyst:

Components

WebSocket Connector

  • Maintains client connections
  • Protocol handling
  • Connection authentication

API Reference: Archipelago Workers API

Archipelago Core

  • Island formation - Groups nearby players
  • Peer limits - Enforces max peers per island (typically 100)
  • Position updates - Broadcasts player positions
  • Message routing - Routes chat and emotes

Stats Service

  • Active user counts per scene
  • Connection statistics
  • Performance metrics

Blockchain Integration

Subgraph Indexer

Catalyst uses a dedicated indexer:

flowchart LR
    Blockchain[Ethereum/Polygon]
    Subgraph[Indexer]
    Catalyst[Catalyst]
    
    Blockchain -->|Events| Subgraph    
    Catalyst -->|Queries| Subgraph

The Indexer indexes:

  • Land ownership (LAND NFTs)
  • Wearable & Emotes collections
  • Name registrations
  • NFTs transfers

Next Steps