A Blockchain Architecture for Industrial Applications
This work addresses the need for secure and efficient blockchain systems in industrial applications, though it appears incremental as it builds on existing Ethereum technology.
The authors tackled the challenge of applying blockchain technology to industrial settings by proposing a novel Ethereum-based solution that uses Proof-of-Authority consensus and validator nodes, achieving transparency and immutability comparable to public blockchains while mitigating their drawbacks.
The Blockchain and the programs running on it, called Smart Contracts, are more and more applied in all fields requiring trust and strong certifications. In this work we compare public and permissioned blockchains for industrial applications. We propose a complete, original solution based on Ethereum to implement a decentralized application. This solution is characterized by a set of validator nodes running the blockchain using Proof-of-Authority consensus, and including an Explorer enabling users to check blockchain state, and the source code of the Smart Contracts running on it. From time to time, the hash digest of the last mined block is written into a public blockchain to guarantee immutability. The right to send transactions is granted by validator nodes to users by endowing them with the local Ethers mined. Overall, the proposed approach has the same transparency and immutability of a public blockchain, without its drawbacks.