Domenico Tortola , Andrea Lisi , Paolo Mori , Laura Ricci
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
A blockchain is a data structure consisting of a list of blocks containing transactions and maintained by a network of nodes in a decentralized manner. In permissionless blockchains, anyone can contribute to the decentralization and security of the transactions. With the advent of smart contracts, programs whose execution is replicated by all the nodes of the network, the blockchain can be deemed not only a reliable and auditable data repository, but also a secure and verifiable computational infrastructure. However, due to the aforementioned features, the throughput of most permissionless blockchains is low, and executing a smart contract can be expensive, depending on its computational complexity. To mitigate these issues, a popular research line studies the implementation of Layer 2 solutions, which consists of nodes that operate off-chain yet remaining tethered to the blockchain. Our literature analysis revealed that a majority of the research articles surveying Layer 2 technologies and solutions typically classify them on the basis of the Layer 2 operations they perform, as well as their ability to improve the processing capacity of the blockchain. In this paper, instead, we survey the methodologies that provide a secure binding between Layer 2 and the blockchain. We refer to these binding techniques as “proving schemes” which we classify as: data integrity proofs, validity proofs, and fraud proofs. For each proving scheme, we describe its intended purpose, the advantages it offers, the methodologies commonly used to connect the operations performed at Layer 2 with the blockchain, and the applications that benefit from such scheme. Finally, we discuss and compare them to give a general comprehension about how schemes can satisfy general requirements common to most Decentralized Applications.
期刊介绍：
Computer and Communications networks are key infrastructures of the information society with high socio-economic value as they contribute to the correct operations of many critical services (from healthcare to finance and transportation). Internet is the core of today''s computer-communication infrastructures. This has transformed the Internet, from a robust network for data transfer between computers, to a global, content-rich, communication and information system where contents are increasingly generated by the users, and distributed according to human social relations. Next-generation network technologies, architectures and protocols are therefore required to overcome the limitations of the legacy Internet and add new capabilities and services. The future Internet should be ubiquitous, secure, resilient, and closer to human communication paradigms.
Computer Communications is a peer-reviewed international journal that publishes high-quality scientific articles (both theory and practice) and survey papers covering all aspects of future computer communication networks (on all layers, except the physical layer), with a special attention to the evolution of the Internet architecture, protocols, services, and applications.
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