Blockchain Consensus Algorithms

A special issue of Algorithms (ISSN 1999-4893). This special issue belongs to the section "Analysis of Algorithms and Complexity Theory".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 July 2023) | Viewed by 19348

Special Issue Editor

Department of Computer Science, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA 71272, USA
Interests: blockchain consensus algorithms; security threats; quantum computing; energy optimization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are living in a highly dynamic world where virtually everything is absorbed into the digital world full of promises and concerns. The rapidly growing blockchain technology will surely be one of the key leading mechanisms that we can rely on for the transparency and secrecy of our digital information. The consensus algorithm for a blockchain system is the essential engine that must ensure rigorous service, no matter what type of security threats that may be encountered. One yet-to-be-concretized issue that we may soon experience is the quantum-computing-era security threats that may severely endanger the conventional security mechanisms that many security schemes, including the current blockchain systems, heavily rely on. It is time-critical to maintain and update the underlying security mechanisms to keep blockchain systems secure and efficient in the post-quantum era.

We invite you to submit high-quality papers to this Special Issue on “Blockchain Consensus Algorithms”, with subjects covering the whole range from theory to applications. The following is a (non-exhaustive) list of topics of interest:

  • Analysis on performance metrics of blockchain consensus algorithms.
  • Blockchain consensus algorithm simulators.
  • Security threats and attacks on blockchain consensus algorithms.
  • Trusted-computing-based blockchain consensus algorithms.
  • Post-quantum blockchain consensus algorithms.
  • Analysis of incentive (or reward) mechanisms for blockchain consensus algorithms.
  • Blockchain consensus algorithms in wide-spectrum environments including Web 3.0, IoT devices, and decentralized data storage.
  • Efficient key management and data structure for blockchain consensus algorithms.

Energy optimization for blockchain consensus algorithms.

Dr. Manki Min
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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11 pages, 287 KiB  
Article
Nero: A Deterministic Leaderless Consensus Algorithm for DAG-Based Cryptocurrencies
by Rui Morais, Paul Crocker and Valderi Leithardt
Algorithms 2023, 16(1), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/a16010038 - 7 Jan 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2918
Abstract
This paper presents the research undertaken with the goal of designing a consensus algorithm for cryptocurrencies with less latency than the current state-of-the-art while maintaining a level of throughput and scalability sufficient for real-world payments. The result is Nero, a new deterministic leaderless [...] Read more.
This paper presents the research undertaken with the goal of designing a consensus algorithm for cryptocurrencies with less latency than the current state-of-the-art while maintaining a level of throughput and scalability sufficient for real-world payments. The result is Nero, a new deterministic leaderless byzantine consensus algorithm in the partially synchronous model that is especially suited for Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG)-based cryptocurrencies. In fact, Nero has a communication complexity of O(n3) and terminates in two message delays in the good case (when there is synchrony). The algorithm is shown to be correct, and we also show that it can provide eventual order. Finally, some performance results are given based on a proof of concept implementation in the Rust language. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Blockchain Consensus Algorithms)
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122 pages, 1505 KiB  
Systematic Review
Sybil in the Haystack: A Comprehensive Review of Blockchain Consensus Mechanisms in Search of Strong Sybil Attack Resistance
by Moritz Platt and Peter McBurney
Algorithms 2023, 16(1), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/a16010034 - 6 Jan 2023
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 15359
Abstract
Consensus algorithms are applied in the context of distributed computer systems to improve their fault tolerance. The explosive development of distributed ledger technology following the proposal of ‘Bitcoin’ led to a sharp increase in research activity in this area. Specifically, public and permissionless [...] Read more.
Consensus algorithms are applied in the context of distributed computer systems to improve their fault tolerance. The explosive development of distributed ledger technology following the proposal of ‘Bitcoin’ led to a sharp increase in research activity in this area. Specifically, public and permissionless networks require robust leader selection strategies resistant to Sybil attacks in which malicious attackers present bogus identities to induce byzantine faults. Our goal is to analyse the entire breadth of works in this area systematically, thereby uncovering trends and research directions regarding Sybil attack resistance in today’s blockchain systems to benefit the designs of the future. Through a systematic literature review, we condense an immense set of research records (N = 21,799) to a relevant subset (N = 483). We categorise these mechanisms by their Sybil attack resistance characteristics, leader selection methodology, and incentive scheme. Mechanisms with strong Sybil attack resistance commonly adopt the principles underlying ‘Proof-of-Work’ or ‘Proof-of-Stake’ while mechanisms with limited resistance often use reputation systems or physical world linking. We find that only a few fundamental paradigms exist that can resist Sybil attacks in a permissionless setting but discover numerous innovative mechanisms that can deliver weaker protection in system scenarios with smaller attack surfaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Blockchain Consensus Algorithms)
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