Load Balancing in Blockchain Networks: A Survey

Abstract

Load Balancing (LB) in networking attempts to minimize the under-utilization and over-utilization of network resources by distributing the network flows evenly in the communication network. Blockchain includes a string of joined blocks that are built into the preservation of the non-tampering nature and safeguarding the verifiability. According to our felt experience, we are the initiators to review on blockchain-driven LB, where we organize the blockchain-driven LB concept under 7 categories and interpret thoroughly their performance in relation to LB techniques, BC-driven variables, LB approach, network variables, and similar things. We accumulated an early sample of 76 paper citations by handpicking articles for eligibility requirements scrutinized from web repositories, deploying a thorough and continuous method. Relying on this assessment, blockchain has been deployed in network LB for protecting data fidelity, trustworthiness, confidentiality of data transfers, deploying blockchain consensus for LB, deploying smart contracts for LB, deploying with secure resource trading, access control, and as a coordinator in the system of LB. Moreover, LB involves balancing loads in the blockchain transactions themselves. Thorough interpretation depicts that from blockchaindriven LB schemes, 37.5% deploy blockchain transaction LB, 90% deploy conventional blockchain architecture, 30% deploy generic consensus, 97.5% deploy decentralized LB, 97.5% deploy dynamic LB, 52.5% deploy deterministic LB, and the majority target generic networks. Finally, we go over the potential and predicaments of the notion of blockchain-driven LB and then provision ideas to defeat them.