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docs(yellowpaper): finish AVM Context definitions (AztecProtocol#3709)
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Finishing AVM Context definitions and initialization (just for
initial message calls - not nested ones).
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dbanks12 committed Dec 15, 2023
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86 changes: 84 additions & 2 deletions yellow-paper/docs/public-vm/avm.md
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Expand Up @@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ A contract's public bytecode is a series of execution instructions for the AVM.
Many terms and definitions here are borrowed from the [Ethereum Yellow Paper](https://ethereum.github.io/yellowpaper/paper.pdf).
:::

An "Execution Context" includes the information necessary to trigger AVM execution along with the state maintained by the AVM throughout execution:
An "Execution Context" includes the information necessary to initiate AVM execution along with the state maintained by the AVM throughout execution:
```
AVMContext {
environment: ExecutionEnvironment,
Expand All @@ -51,12 +51,13 @@ AVMContext {

The first two entries, "Execution Environment" and "Machine State", share the same lifecycle. They contain information pertaining to a single message call and are initialized prior to the start of a call's execution.

> When a nested message call is made, a new environment and machine state are initialized by the caller. In other words, a nested message call has its own environment and machine state, although their initialization will be partially derived from the caller's context.
> When a nested message call is made, a new environment and machine state are initialized by the caller. In other words, a nested message call has its own environment and machine state which are _partially_ derived from the caller's context.
The "Execution Environment" is fully specified by a message call's execution agent and remains constant throughout a call's execution.
```
ExecutionEnvironment {
address,
storageAddress,
origin,
l1GasPrice,
l2GasPrice,
Expand All @@ -68,6 +69,7 @@ ExecutionEnvironment {
globalVariables: PublicGlobalVariables,
messageCallDepth,
isStaticCall,
isDelegateCall,
}
```

Expand All @@ -77,6 +79,86 @@ MachineState {
l1GasLeft,
l2GasLeft,
pc,
memory: offset => value, // uninitialized at start
}
```

"World State" contains persistable VM state. If a message call succeeds, its world state updates are applied to the calling context (whether that be a parent call's context or the transaction context). If a message call fails, its world state updates are rejected by its caller. When a _transaction_ succeeds, its world state updates persist into future transactions.
```
WorldState {
publicStorage: (address, slot) => value, // read/write
noteHashes: (address, index) => noteHash, // read & append only
nullifiers: (address, index) => nullifier, // read & append only
l1l2messageHashes: (address, key) => messageHash, // read only
contracts: (address) => bytecode, // read only
}
```

> Note: the notation `key => value` describes a mapping from `key` to `value`.
> Note: each member of the world state is implemented as an independent merkle tree with different properties.
The "Accrued Substate", as coined in the [Ethereum Yellow Paper](https://ethereum.github.io/yellowpaper/paper), contains information that is accrued throughout transaction execution to be "acted upon immediately following the transaction." These are append-only arrays containing state that is not relevant to other calls or transactions. Similar to world state, if a message call succeeds, its substate is appended to its calling context, but if it fails its substate is dropped by its caller.
```
AccruedSubstate {
logs: [], // append-only
l2toL1Messages: [], // append-only
}
```

Finally, when a message call halts, it sets the context's "Message Call Results" to communicate results to the caller.
```
MessageCallResults {
reverted: boolean,
output: [] | undefined,
}
```

### Context initialization for initial call
This section outlines AVM context initialization specifically for a **public execution request's initial message call** (_i.e._ not a nested message call). Context initialization for nested message calls will be explained in a later section.

When AVM execution is initiated for a public execution request, the AVM context is initialized as follows:
```
context = AVMContext {
environment: INITIAL_EXECUTION_ENVIRONMENT,
machineState: INITIAL_MACHINE_STATE,
accruedSubstate: empty,
worldState: <latest world state>,
results: INITIAL_MESSAGE_CALL_RESULTS,
}
```
> Note: Since world state persists between transactions, the latest state is injected into a new AVM context.
Given a `PublicCallRequest` and its parent `TxRequest`, these above-listed "`INITIAL_*`" entries are defined as follows:
```
INITIAL_EXECUTION_ENVIRONMENT = ExecutionEnvironment {
address: PublicCallRequest.contractAddress,
storageAddress: PublicCallRequest.CallContext.storageContractAddress,
origin: TxRequest.origin,
l1GasPrice: TxRequest.l1GasPrice,
l2GasPrice: TxRequest.l2GasPrice,
calldata: PublicCallRequest.args,
sender: PublicCallRequest.CallContext.msgSender,
portal: PublicCallRequest.CallContext.portalContractAddress,
bytecode: worldState.contracts[PublicCallRequest.contractAddress],
blockHeader: <latest block header>,
globalVariables: <latest global variable values>
messageCallDepth: 0,
isStaticCall: PublicCallRequest.CallContext.isStaticCall,
isDelegateCall: PublicCallRequest.CallContext.isDelegateCall,
}
INITIAL_MACHINE_STATE = MachineState {
l1GasLeft: TxRequest.l1GasLimit,
l2GasLeft: TxRequest.l2GasLimit,
pc: 0,
memory: uninitialized,
}
INITIAL_MESSAGE_CALL_RESULTS = MessageCallResults {
reverted: false,
output: undefined,
}
```

> Note: unlike memory in the Ethereum Virtual Machine, uninitialized memory in the AVM is not readable! A memory cell must be written (and therefore [type-tagged](./state-model#types-and-tagged-memory)) before it can be read.

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