Harmonica: A Framework for Semi-automated Design and Implementation of Blockchain Applications
This addresses the problem of inefficient blockchain application development for software architects, but it is incremental as it builds on existing software engineering concepts adapted to blockchain.
The paper tackles the tedious task of designing blockchain-based applications by introducing Harmonica, a framework that semi-automates the process, resulting in a tool that recommends blockchain technologies and patterns, and generates code stubs and configuration files based on requirements.
Designing blockchain-based applications is a tedious task. Compared to traditional software engineering, software architects cannot rely on previous experiences or proven practices, often formalized as software patterns. Also, the selection of an adequate blockchain technology is difficult without deep knowledge of the technology. This paper introduces Harmonica, a framework for the design and implementation of a blockchain-based application. This framework is divided in three parts: a decision-making engine to recommend a blockchain technology and blockchain-based software patterns relying on requirements, a configurator to generate code stubs and configuration files, and a knowledge base to support those tools.