Dedicated page explaining validator lists

[mDuo13]

The validator list method kind of describes the format but there's no conceptual content on what recommended validator lists are and the role they play in consensus. Can maybe clarify the proper definition of "UNL", have a list of known list publishers (with keys & publishing URLs), and cover some of the roles and responsibilities of validator lists. Compare & contrast with with using manually configured UNLs (i.e. lists of individual validator keys) in the config file.

See this post for some of this information.

[mDuo13]

For Ripple-internal folks, there's a transcript in this issue where Nik summarizes some details of validator lists, manifests, etc. to a partner who had questions about how it works. That may be a useful background resource for this article.

[intelliot]

I think the page could also help address this question:

Q: Do we know the identity of the validators on XRPL? Is a Sybil attack a possibility?

A: With domain verification, many validators have cryptographically confirmed their identities: https://livenet.xrpl.org/network/validators

Domain verification proves that the validator operator also controls content served by the domain shown. Sybil resistance comes from the validator list or UNL that each node operator chooses.

The reason a validator list is sometimes called a Unique Node List (UNL) is that operators are expected to use nodes (validators) that are run by unique (different) organizations.