A Framework for Evaluating BFT

Abstract

We present a framework for evaluating the performance of Byzantine fault-tolerant (BFT) protocols theoretically. Our motivation is to identify protocols suitable for a particular power grid application. In this application, replicas are located in a LAN network where latency is the priority. To fully understand the performance of BFT, we provide a generic approach that quantifies the performance of BFT protocols based on the number of cryptographic operations under five different scenarios (in the presence of failures and without failures). We present the performance of three representative BFT protocols: PBFT, Prime, and SBFT. To validate our framework, we also evaluate the protocols experimentally in the CloudLab testbed. Our experimental results match the findings predicted by the framework. Although a variety of factors may affect the performance of the protocols, our framework can be used as a valuable reference to understand the performance of BFT.