Blockchain Consensus Algorithms Research Articles

Post-Quantum Delegated Proof of Luck for Blockchain Consensus Algorithm

The advancements in quantum computing and the potential for polynomial-time solutions to traditional public key cryptography (i.e., Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) and elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC)) using Shor’s algorithm pose a serious threat to the security of pre-quantum blockchain technologies. This paper proposes an efficient quantum-safe blockchain that incorporates new quantum-safe consensus algorithms. We integrate post-quantum signature schemes into the blockchain’s transaction signing and verification processes to enhance resistance against quantum attacks. Specifically, we employ the Falcon signature scheme, which was selected during the NIST post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standardization process. Although the integration of the post-quantum signature scheme results in a reduction in the blockchain’s transactions per second (TPSs), we introduce efficient approaches to mitigate this performance degradation. Our proposed post-quantum delegated proof of luck (PQ-DPoL) combines a proof of luck (PoL) mechanism with a delegated approach, ensuring quantum resistance, energy efficiency, and fairness in block generation. Experimental results demonstrate that while post-quantum cryptographic algorithms like Falcon introduce larger signature sizes and slower processing times, the PQ-DPoL algorithm effectively balances security and performance, providing a viable solution for secure blockchain operations in a post-quantum era.

Blockchain-Based Spectrum Sharing Algorithm for UAV-Assisted Relay System

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are promising tools in mobile communication due to their flexibility. However, the rapid development of mobile communications further intensifies the challenge of spectrum scarcity, necessitating spectrum sharing with other systems. We suggest a Spectrum Sharing Algorithm for a UAV-Assisted Relay System. The utility function of secondary users (SUs) is defined by their communication rate, rewards from relay primary users (PUs), and spectrum leasing expenses. The utility function of PUs consists of their communication rate and revenue from spectrum leasing. We propose a joint optimization algorithm for the positioning and power allocation of UAVs, maximizing the frequency spectrum utilization rate of users. Spectrum trading between PUs and SUs is modeled as a Stackelberg game, and the problem is solved by using Lagrange multipliers and KKT conditions. To enhance the security of spectrum trading, a reputation-based spectrum sharing blockchain consensus algorithm is designed. We utilize Shamir’s secret sharing method to reduce computational complexity. Additionally, we design a smart contract to optimize the functionality of transaction transfers. The findings demonstrate that the proposed algorithm enhances the benefits for both participants in spectrum sharing, while safeguarding the security of spectrum transactions.

Zebra: A cluster-aware blockchain consensus algorithm

The Consensus algorithm is the core of the permissioned blockchain, it directly affects the performance and scalability of the system. Performance is limited by the computing power and network bandwidth of a single leader node. Most existing blockchain systems adopt mesh or star topology. Blockchain performance decreases rapidly as the number of nodes increases. To solve this problem, we first design the n-k cluster tree and corresponding generation algorithm, which supports rapid reconfiguration of nodes. Then we propose the Zebra consensus algorithm, which is a cluster tree-based consensus algorithm. Compared to the PBFT, it has higher throughput and supports more nodes under the same hardware conditions. However, the tree network topology enhances scalability while also increasing latency among nodes. To reduce transaction latency, we designed the Pipeline-Zebra consensus algorithm that further improves the performance of blockchain systems in a tree network topology through parallel message propagation and block validation. The message complexity of the algorithm is O(n). Experimental results show that the performance of the algorithm proposed in this paper can reach 2.25 times that of the PBFT algorithm, and it supports four times the number of nodes under the same hardware.

BSPM: Blockchain-based Security Protection Model for power load management terminals

Power load management terminals are essential components of the smart grid system. However, they encounter numerous security challenges owing to their widespread deployment across large areas. These nodes exist in uncontrollable physical environments and are vulnerable to malicious attacks. Researching security measures for these terminals is vital to enhancing the security of the smart grid. Blockchain technology, with its distributed storage and tamper-proof features, can effectively protect the data security of these terminals. This paper proposes a blockchain-based security protection model for power load management terminals. First, the architecture of the model is designed using blockchain technology. In addition, a dynamic trust evaluation method for terminals is established through the beta reputation system. The blockchain consensus algorithm for power load management terminals is designed based on the trust evaluation value and practical Byzantine fault tolerance. The effectiveness of the trust evaluation model is verified by simulating the terminal operating situation. The message complexity and storage requirements of the security protection model are analyzed by comparing them with results from related studies.

A survey on scalable consensus algorithms for blockchain technology

The process of reaching an agreement on a value within a distributed network, known as a consensus problem, is a defining feature of blockchain. This consensus problem can be seen in various applications like load balancing, transaction validation in blockchain, and distributed computing. In recent years, many researchers have provided solutions to this problem. Hence we have presented a survey in which we delved into blockchain consensus algorithms and conducted a comparative analysis of all the consensus algorithms to provide information about each protocol’s advantages and drawbacks. This survey starts with the standard proof-of-work consensus protocol applied in bitcoin cryptocurrency and its limitations on the ground of the following parameters: throughput (transactions per second), latency, forks, fault tolerance, double spending attacks, and power consumption. The rest of the consensus algorithms in this paper have been systematically covered to address the limitations of proof-of-work. This paper also covered Raft and PBFT consensus algorithms suitable for permissioned networks. Although the PBFT consensus protocol has a high throughput and a low latency, it has limited node scalability. The PBFT has a low byzantine fault tolerant rate. This paper also covers PoEWAL for blockchain-based IoT applications and WBFT, which prevents corrupt nodes from taking part in consensus. A comparative analysis of the consensus algorithms provides an explicit knowledge of the present research, which also offers guidance for future study.

DTPBFT:A dynamic and highly trusted blockchain consensus algorithm for UAV swarm

With the continuous development of UAV technology, the application of UAV swarm in the military field is gradually becoming the focus of research around the world. Although it can bring a series of benefits in autonomous cooperation, the traditional UAV management technology is prone to hacker attacks due to many security issues such as a single point of failure brought by centralized management. Because of the advantages of distributed, tamper-proof, and traceability, blockchain is applied to UAV swarm to solve some of the security problems caused by centralized management. However, due to the limitations of its consensus algorithm Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT), its communication complexity will increase rapidly with the increase of the number of nodes, which also leads to the poor scalability of the algorithm and can only be applied to small-scale networks. To use the PBFT algorithm in large-scale networks such as UAV swarm, a dynamic and highly trusted PBFT (DTPBFT) algorithm is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a new consensus algorithm model including consensus layer and verification layer is designed. Then, a consensus node election scheme based on trust mechanism is proposed under this model. The trust degree of nodes in the blockchain network is comprehensively evaluated by selecting several representative indicators, and the weight factor of each indicator is calculated by entropy weight method. It not only reduces the communication complexity, but also ensures the reliability and dynamic update of consensus nodes. Experiments show that when the number of UAVs is 200, the consensus time of DTPBFT is 0.24 s, which indicates that this algorithm can support large-scale UAV swarm without causing communication congestion, so it has good scalability. In addition, experiments also show that DTPBFT can tolerate more than 13 malicious nodes, which improves the fault tolerance rate of PBFT.

Erdos: A Novel Blockchain Consensus Algorithm with Equitable Node Selection and Deterministic Block Finalization

Erdos: A Novel Blockchain Consensus Algorithm with Equitable Node Selection and Deterministic Block Finalization

A randomized blockchain consensus algorithm for enhancing security in health insurance

Health insurance fraud is a significant problem affecting insurance providers and policyholders. To address the rising problem of fraudulent activities in the health insurance sector, this paper proposes a pioneering blockchain-based system aimed at increasing transparency and security. Utilizing a hybrid Blockchain architecture, the system incorporates a consensus algorithm influenced by practical byzantine fault tolerance (PBFT) and proof of activity (PoA) to ensure reliability and efficiency in distributing mining power. Developed using Python, extensive testing confirms the system's performance and security metrics. Results show that a block size containing one transaction is 1.63 KB, with 1.2 KB for data and 0.43 KB for identification and hashing. Operational tests demonstrate that a single participant can upload 850 transactions to the transaction pool, with validation completed in just 7.49 seconds. Block appending time for these transactions is a swift 10 seconds. Notably, the system exhibits resilience against data tampering, detecting unauthorized changes within 881.3 milliseconds across 10,000 blocks and identifying irregularities in the transaction pool within 8.78 seconds. Additionally, to enhance data privacy, patient information is accessible only through a unique QR code, providing an extra layer of security; this research represents a significant advancement in combatting fraud and safeguarding data privacy.

A secure and highly efficient blockchain PBFT consensus algorithm for microgrid power trading

There are a series of challenges in microgrid transactions, and blockchain technology holds the promise of addressing these challenges. However, with the increasing number of users in microgrid transactions, existing blockchain systems may struggle to meet the growing demands for transactions. Therefore, this paper proposes an efficient and secure blockchain consensus algorithm designed to meet the demands of large-scale microgrid electricity transactions. The algorithm begins by utilizing a Spectral clustering algorithm to partition the blockchain network into different lower-level consensus set based on the transaction characteristics of nodes. Subsequently, a dual-layer consensus process is employed to enhance the efficiency of consensus. Additionally, we have designed a secure consensus set leader election strategy to promptly identify leaders with excellent performance. Finally, we have introduced an authentication method that combines zero-knowledge proofs and key sharing to further mitigate the risk of malicious nodes participating in the consensus. Theoretical analysis indicates that our proposed consensus algorithm, incorporating multiple layers of security measures, effectively withstands blockchain attacks such as denial of service. Simulation experiment results demonstrate that our algorithm outperforms similar blockchain algorithms significantly in terms of communication overhead, consensus latency, and throughput.

Efficient and Secure Blockchain Consensus Algorithm for Heterogeneous Industrial Internet of Things Nodes Based on Double-DAG

Efficient and Secure Blockchain Consensus Algorithm for Heterogeneous Industrial Internet of Things Nodes Based on Double-DAG

Comparison Analysis of Blockchain Consensus Algorithms in Decentralized Public Environment: A Review

The rapid evolution of blockchain technology has led to the development of various consensus algorithms (Ben-Sasson et al., 2014), each with distinct characteristics that influence the scalability, decentralization, energy efficiency, and transaction costs within decentralized public environments (Ampel et al., 2019). This study provides a comprehensive review of prominent consensus mechanisms (Block & Marcussen, 2019), including Proof of Work (PoW), Proof of Stake (PoS), Proof of Elapsed Time (PoET), and others, to elucidate their operational principles (Hu et al., 2021), strengths, and limitations (Al-Housni, 2019). Through a systematic comparison based on defined parameters, we dissect the transaction processes across different blockchains to understand their suitability for diverse applications. Our findings reveal significant trade-offs among the chosen algorithms, highlighting how they balance efficiency with security and decentralization. The analysis aims to offer insights into optimizing blockchain design for enhanced performance and sustainability, addressing the critical challenges faced by current and future decentralized systems. This paper not only serves as a guide for selecting appropriate consensus algorithms for specific needs but also sets the stage for further research into developing more robust and efficient blockchain frameworks.

Consensus algorithms based on collusion resistant publicly verifiable random number seeds

Publicly verifiable random number seeds are widely used in distributed systems and applications, especially in consensus algorithms. The purpose was to distribute the tasks and benefits among the participants fairly. A secure and efficient consensus algorithm is the foundation and guarantee of blockchain. We have been working on more concise, fair, and secure blockchain consensus algorithms. In this paper, we propose a new, more concise, efficient, and publicly verifiable random number seed generation scheme based on the existing secret sharing scheme and one-way function. We combined it with two blockchain consensus algorithms to improve the security and efficiency of the original scheme.

JABS: A Blockchain Simulator for Researching Consensus Algorithms

The consensus algorithm is fundamental to the decentralization property of blockchain technology. Developing blockchain networks and consensus algorithms necessitates the analysis of variables on large global-scale networks through experiments. However, conducting experiments on test networks is expensive due to the high cost of necessary infrastructure. In this paper, JABS (Just Another Blockchain Simulator), a simulator specifically designed for researching large-scale blockchain consensus algorithms, is introduced. Superior performance in simulating real-world scale blockchain networks compared to other frameworks is demonstrated in this paper. JABS is faster, more efficient, and produces accurate results that are comparable to measurements from Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchain networks. JABS' modularity, which allows for the easy substitution of components without changing others, is highlighted. Additionally, JABS aids in the design and evaluation of new consensus algorithms. Improving the CasperFFG consensus algorithm is proposed and its improved performance using JABS is demonstrated.

Hedera: A Permissionless and Scalable Hybrid Blockchain Consensus Algorithm in Multiaccess Edge Computing for IoT

Abstract-Multi-access edge computing network (MEC), as one of the key infrastructures of IoT, provides cloud computing capabilities at the edge of radio access network (RAN) by integrating telecommunication and IT services. Integrating blockchain into the MEC network can provide users with secure, private, and traceable edge computing services at the near end, thereby improving IoT security, privacy, and automated use of resources. Due to some characteristics of the MEC network, there are still some challenges to integrate blockchain and edge computing into one system, especially the consensus algorithm of blockchain. The resources of edge computing nodes are limited, and the scale of the network is constantly expanding. Therefore, the blockchain consensus algorithm for the MEC network should occupy as little computing resources as possible, be green, and be permissionless. This paper proposes a permissionless and scalable consensus algorithm "Hedera" for multi-access edge computing network, which has the advantages of permissionless, security, decentralization, scalability, and greenness. The Hedera consensus algorithm is a hybrid blockchain consensus algorithm that combines the permissionless proof-of-capacity algorithm and the permissioned asynchronous Byzantine algorithm. This paper tests the fairness, throughput, scalability, latency, and resource consumption of the algorithm by developing and deploying a prototype system. The experimental results show that the Hedera algorithm proposed in this paper is fair, the throughput reaches 13986.3TPS, and the resource consumption is much lower than the PoW consensus. By analyzing its security and liveness, it can resist Sybil attack, Nothing-at-stake attack, selfish mining attack, message hijacking attack, and has good liveness.

Quantifying the Environmental Impact: A Comparative Analysis of Consensus Algorithms in Blockchain for Carbon Footprint Reduction and Mitigating Climate Change

The rapid rise of blockchain has stirred up a lot of interest lately. It's not just about cryptocurrencies anymore; people are excited about how it could help with big global issues, like climate change. This scientific paper is like a detective story. It's diving deep into the inner workings of consensus algorithms in blockchain systems, the decision-makers of the digital world. To figure out how these algorithms affect the environment, especially their role in carbon footprint, and to see if they're actually doing a good job at helping us deal with climate change. We're focusing on the well-known ones like Proof of Work (PoW), where it's all about computational skills, Proof of Stake (PoS), which puts a spotlight on ownership, and Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS), a system where only a few get to make the calls. And the emerging consensus mechanisms.

RETRACTED: An enhanced consortium blockchain diversity mining technique for IoT metadata aggregation

Over the last two decades, Internet of Things (IoT) networks have grown exponentially. Although the devices have relatively low memory, resource, and processing capability, the trend is that nodes generate a large volume of data. That is where cloud technology comes into play to provide storage space. Because of its centralized nature and robustness, a large network operating with cloud assistance may be vulnerable. Due to rigid access control policies, the devices may be vulnerable to malicious activity. On the other hand, cloud technology provides a platform for such a security system to operate. A centralized secure architecture fails to consider mobile and edge devices within the context of these criteria. This raises numerous concerns about trusting third-party cloud intermediaries, which cause security and privacy leaks. The goal of this research is to look into the problem of blockchain consensus algorithms and their applicability in IoT with cloud-native infrastructure in the Ethereum and MultiChain variants. The significant challenge is scaling the core layer without sacrificing decentralization, security, or public verifiability. This type of testbed is used to investigate the impact of architectural design and consensus models in a lightweight IoT environment. Consensus in each IoT transaction remains the most important aspect of blockchain-enabled IoT networks. When the ledger is updated without privacy protection, transaction-oriented breaches can occur. Current practices for integrating finite IoT network resources into infrastructure-oriented blockchain implementations are flawed due to they are willing to sacrifice data security and integrity in order to save time and energy. This encourages researchers to investigate an improved lightweight block verification approach to the blockchain functional framework, that decreases processing needs, network latency, and network overhead substantially. As a result, the layer-3 consensus promotes blockchain to include the block with a 35% improvement in base layer block time efficiency and a 56% increase in throughput.

An Uncertainty- and Collusion-Proof Voting Consensus Mechanism in Blockchain

Though voting-based consensus algorithms in blockchain outperform proof-based ones in energy-and transaction-efficiency, they are prone to incur wrong elections and bribery elections. The former originates from the uncertainties of candidates’ capability and availability, and the latter comes from the egoism of voters and candidates. Hence, in this paper, we propose an uncertainty-and collusion-proof voting consensus mechanism, including the selection pressure-based voting algorithm and the trustworthiness evaluation algorithm. The first algorithm can decrease the side effects of candidates’ uncertainties, lowering wrong elections while trading off the balance between efficiency and fairness in voting miners. The second algorithm adopts an incentive-compatible scoring rule to evaluate the trustworthiness of voting, motivating voters to report true beliefs on candidates by making egoism consistent with altruism so as to avoid bribery elections. A salient feature of our work is theoretically analyzing the proposed voting consensus mechanism by the large deviation theory. Our analysis provides not only the voting failure rate of a candidate but also its decay speed. The voting failure rate measures the incompetence of any candidate from a personal perspective by voting, based on which the concepts of <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">the effective selection valve</i> and <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">the effective expectation of merit</i> are introduced to help the system designer determine the optimal voting standard and guide a candidate to behave in an optimal way for lowering the voting failure rate.

Secure Internet of Vehicles (IoV) With Decentralized Consensus Blockchain Mechanism

The Internet of vehicles (IoV) is increasingly being used to realize the vision of intelligent transportation systems with the rapid development of computation and communication technologies. However, numerous IoV applications rely on a central unit for storing and processing information and mediators for wireless transmission. This can lead to the leakage of sensitive data and high costs and delays. To address these issues and improve the efficiency of data storage, processing, and sharing in the IoV, we propose a vehicle-based secure blockchain consensus (VBSBC) algorithm. Our VBSBC algorithm overcomes the limitations and drawbacks of state-of-the-art approaches by leveraging blockchain technology and a consensus algorithm to ensure secure communication between vehicles. In addition, the algorithm includes an authentication process and a key distributing and request process, illustrated during vehicles' movement between different zones. In simulation results, our proposed VBSBC algorithm demonstrated high performance compared to existing approaches in terms of authentication delay, key processing time, attack detection rate, throughput, and packet loss rate.

Comparative Study of Blockchain Consensus Algorithms in Cryptocurrency

Blockchain technology serves as a cornerstone for various cryptocurrencies, with current research primarily focusing on its security aspects due to its inherent qualities such as stability, immutability, security, and decentralization. Similar to other distributed systems, Blockchain relies on consensus algorithms to achieve agreement and safeguard its network. In recent years, diverse consensus algorithms have emerged within the Blockchain ecosystem, playing a pivotal role in upholding the security and integrity of distributed networks in blockchain technology. These algorithms are fundamental in maintaining trust within the blockchain technology realm. They can be categorized into two types: proof-based and voting-based. This paper presents some of the prominent consensus algorithms from these two categories while scrutinizing their respective strengths, weaknesses, and the specific types of blockchains to which these algorithms are applicable. Keywords—Blockchain, consensus algorithm, PoS, Pow, DPoS, PBFT

Retracted: Research on Resource Carbon Emission Allocation Efficiency Based on Blockchain Consensus Algorithm

Retracted: Research on Resource Carbon Emission Allocation Efficiency Based on Blockchain Consensus Algorithm