research-article

GBT-CHAIN: A System Framework for Solving the General Trilemma in Permissioned Blockchains

Authors:

Shuo-Yen Robert LiAuthors Info & Claims

Distributed Ledger Technologies: Research and Practice, Volume 3, Issue 2

Article No.: 9, Pages 1 - 15

https://doi.org/10.1145/3615871

Published: 18 June 2024 Publication History

Abstract

As a subset of distributed systems, blockchain technology is equally bound by the CAP trilemma. Specifically, no distributed system can satisfy consistency, availability, and partition tolerance simultaneously. Informally, the innovative blockchain trilemma has been theorized to include security, scalability, and decentralization. While many software approaches on blockchains claim to solve the trilemma problem, almost all known approaches have been proven to involve tradeoffs and fail to reach the upper bounds, meaning they do not achieve the theoretical limit value in each term of a trilemma. In this article, we propose a general trilemma based on the above two trilemmas. For permissioned blockchains, we then describe a system framework called GBT-CHAIN to solve the General Blockchain Trilemma. In the proposed framework, the consensus and data layer, the network layer, and the physical layer work in cooperation. According to our theoretical proof and experimental analysis, the three properties of the trilemma consisting of consistency, scalability, and partition tolerance are perfectly satisfied without tradeoffs. Our results demonstrate that the general blockchain trilemma is resolved by combining consensus algorithms and physical topologies, in particular for permissioned blockchains.

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Cited By

Far SQazani MBamakan SRad AZareravasan A(2025)A novel Layer 2 framework for breaking the blockchain trilemma problem using MPC-in-the-HeadComputer Networks10.1016/j.comnet.2025.111148(111148)Online publication date: Feb-2025
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comnet.2025.111148
Li HWang H(2025)Fundamentals of BlockchainPrinciples and Applications of Blockchain Systems10.1002/9781394237258.ch1(1-29)Online publication date: 3-Jan-2025
https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394237258.ch1
Abdelhamid MSliman LBen Djemaa RPerboli G(2024)A Review on Blockchain Technology, Current Challenges, and AI-Driven SolutionsACM Computing Surveys10.1145/370064157:3(1-39)Online publication date: 22-Nov-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3700641
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GBT-CHAIN: A System Framework for Solving the General Trilemma in Permissioned Blockchains

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cover image Distributed Ledger Technologies: Research and Practice

Distributed Ledger Technologies: Research and Practice Volume 3, Issue 2

June 2024

163 pages

EISSN:2769-6480

DOI:10.1145/3613670

Editors:
Kim-Kwang Raymond Choo
University of Texas San Antonio, United States
,
Mohammad Hammoudeh
Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom

Issue’s Table of Contents

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 18 June 2024

Online AM: 23 August 2023

Accepted: 01 August 2023

Revised: 13 July 2023

Received: 17 January 2023

Published in DLT Volume 3, Issue 2

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National Keystone Research and Development Program of China
Foshan Innovation Team
Basic Research Enhancement Program of China
China Environment for Network Innovation
Guangdong Province Research and Development Key Program
Guangdong Province Basic Research
Shenzhen Research Programs
Shenzhen Fundamental Research Program
ZTE
Huawei

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Cited By

Far SQazani MBamakan SRad AZareravasan A(2025)A novel Layer 2 framework for breaking the blockchain trilemma problem using MPC-in-the-HeadComputer Networks10.1016/j.comnet.2025.111148(111148)Online publication date: Feb-2025
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comnet.2025.111148
Li HWang H(2025)Fundamentals of BlockchainPrinciples and Applications of Blockchain Systems10.1002/9781394237258.ch1(1-29)Online publication date: 3-Jan-2025
https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394237258.ch1
Abdelhamid MSliman LBen Djemaa RPerboli G(2024)A Review on Blockchain Technology, Current Challenges, and AI-Driven SolutionsACM Computing Surveys10.1145/370064157:3(1-39)Online publication date: 22-Nov-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3700641
Zeydan EBlanco LMangues-Bafalluy JArslan STurk YKumar Yadav ALiyanage M(2024)Blockchain-Based Self-Sovereign Identity: Taking Control of Identity in Federated LearningIEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society10.1109/OJCOMS.2024.34496925(5764-5781)Online publication date: 2024
https://doi.org/10.1109/OJCOMS.2024.3449692
Pei XLi HTan SHuang WZhang YWang H(2024)Matching-Gossip: Optimizing Blockchain Broadcast Performance to Address the CAP Trilemma2024 6th International Conference on Blockchain Computing and Applications (BCCA)10.1109/BCCA62388.2024.10844464(263-270)Online publication date: 26-Nov-2024
https://doi.org/10.1109/BCCA62388.2024.10844464
Nakai TSakurai AHironaka SShudo K(2024)A Formulation of the Trilemma in Proof of Work BlockchainIEEE Access10.1109/ACCESS.2024.341002512(80559-80578)Online publication date: 2024
https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3410025

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