Metrics Methodology
Optimum Gateway telemetry follows a two-layer design: gateways emit raw per-block and per-attestation events, and Bootstrap computes stable KPIs from those events.
Capture the Critical Path
The system sits in the hot path of validator rewards: blocks, attestations, and gossip messages passing between Ethereum CL clients and the Optimum network acceleration layer. We need visibility into three things:
- Throughput → Are we carrying the expected traffic volume?
- Latency → Are we delivering faster than vanilla libp2p?
- Reliability → Are we dropping or mangling messages?
Hence metrics are anchored at the ingress (CL → Gateway) and egress (Gateway → Optimum) points, and mirrored on the reverse path.
Two-Layer Architecture
Gateway (raw events)
Gateways report raw timestamps per block:
t_eth_seen_ms– First time this gateway saw the block via libp2pt_mum_seen_ms– First time this gateway saw the block via mump2pt_mum_published_ms– Time this gateway published the block into mump2p (if publisher)
And per attestation (new in RC12):
attestation_arrival_in_slot_mump2p_ms– Time into slot when attestation arrived via mump2pattestation_arrival_in_slot_libp2p_ms– Time into slot when attestation arrived via libp2pattestation_first_seen_mump2p_total/attestation_first_seen_libp2p_total– Race winner countersattestation_propagation_latency_ms– End-to-end from sender emit to receiver decode
Plus:
- Per-topic message counters (libp2p, mump2p)
- Peer connectivity gauges
- Block/attestation metadata (slot, proposer/attester index, size)
- Attestation subnet distribution counters
These are operational signals. Raw libp2p vs mump2p deltas are debug only—they are not stable KPIs for validator outcomes.
Bootstrap (computed KPIs)
Bootstrap aggregates raw events and computes stable baselines. It publishes histograms (p50/p95/p99) and coverage ratios.
Global first-seen: gap to best-in-population
For each block, Bootstrap defines:
t_any_seen(g)= earliest time gatewaygsaw the block (libp2p or mump2p)t_global_first_seen= earliest time any gateway saw the block- gap_to_best_ms(g) =
t_any_seen(g) - t_global_first_seen
Answers: How close is this gateway to best-in-population? Independent of proposer publish timing.
mump2p spread from first publisher (transport quality)
Once a block has entered mump2p, Bootstrap measures how fast other gateways see it:
t_mum_enter_first= time the first gateway published the block into mump2p- mum_spread_ms(g) =
t_mum_seen(g) - t_mum_enter_first(only when gateway received via mump2p)
Answers: After the block enters Optimum, how quickly do other gateways receive it?
Measure Each Layer Separately
Message Counters
Counters per topic (libp2p, mump2p) to isolate heavy topics.
Latency KPIs (Bootstrap)
- gap_to_best_ms – Delay vs best observed first-seen time in the gateway population (independent of proposer publish timing)
- mum_spread_ms – Delay from first mump2p publish to receiver (Optimum transport quality)
Attestation KPIs (New in RC12)
- Inclusion rate –
forwarded / evaluated— what fraction of CL attestations pass the router filter - First-seen race –
mump2p_first / (mump2p_first + libp2p_first)— how often mump2p wins - Arrival in slot – Histogram of when attestations arrive relative to slot start (target: < 8s)
Peer Connectivity
Gauges for peer counts, counters for connect/disconnect events (gateway-level).
Error Signals
Counters for bad messages (decode failures, failed publishes, pack errors).
Enable Operations & Research
Metrics support uptime dashboards, validator ROI analysis, and protocol research.
See Metrics Reference.

