A Master-Slave Chain Model for Multiple Blockchains

In recent years, blockchain has attracted great attention because of decentralization, tamper resistance and traceability. However, a single blockchain is less able to handle a large number of transactions. Besides, interoperability among different blockchains remains a continuing challenge. In this paper, we propose a master-slave chain model (MSCM) for multiple blockchains, which provides flexibility and scalability for the blockchain system. In the model, atomic cross-blockchain transactions are enabled by the proposed cross-blockchain protocol. We also introduce a blockchain router algorithm to optimize the communications among different blockchains. The experimental results support the usefulness of MSCM as a means of performance improvement.