Signature Aggregation
BLS signature aggregation is the killer feature enabling Ethereum’s proof-of-stake consensus with thousands of validators.Benefits
- Bandwidth: n signatures → 1 signature (48 bytes vs 48n bytes)
- Verification: 1 pairing check vs n checks
- Storage: Constant size regardless of validator count
- Non-interactive: No coordination required
Aggregation Strategies
Same Message Aggregation
All validators sign identical message (beacon block):Different Message Aggregation
Each validator signs different attestation:Ethereum Use Cases
Sync Committee (512 validators)
Attestation Aggregation
Optimizations
Incremental Aggregation
Add signatures one-by-one as they arrive:Precomputed Public Key Aggregates
Cache aggregated public keys for known validator sets:Security
Rogue Key Attacks
Prevention: Proof-of-possession required at validator depositAggregate Verification
Performance
Aggregation (100 signatures):- Time: ~1.5 ms (15 μs per addition)
- Result: Single 48-byte signature
- Individual: ~2ms × 100 = 200ms
- Aggregated (same msg): ~2ms
- Aggregated (diff msg): ~2ms + 23ms × 100 = ~2.3s

