Blockbench: a framework for analyzing private blockchains Dinh et al., SIGMOD’17

Here’s a paper which delivers way more than you might expect from the title alone. First we get a good discussion of private blockchains and why interest in them is growing rapidly. Then the authors analyse the core layers in a private blockchain, and show how existing systems make different trade-offs in each of these areas. Finally, using the Blockbench tool we get a whole new level of understanding of how well the systems work in practice and their various strengths and weaknesses. Based on their findings, the authors conclude with a set of recommendations for future private blockchain designs. Even the appendices are great! Especially if you’re interested in future applications of blockchain technology beyond cryptocurrencies, it’s well worth a read.

Introducing private blockchains

Interest from the industry has started to drive development of new blockchain platforms that…