Communication Overhead

Definition ∞ Communication overhead refers to the additional resources, such as time, bandwidth, or computational power, required for different parts of a system to interact and exchange information. In blockchain networks, this can include the data transmitted for transaction propagation, consensus mechanisms, and inter-chain communication. High communication overhead can limit scalability and increase latency, affecting network performance. Efficient communication protocols are essential for maintaining the speed and responsiveness of decentralized applications.
Context ∞ Reducing communication overhead is a primary objective in the development of scalable blockchain solutions and cross-chain interoperability protocols. Current research focuses on sharding, layer-2 solutions, and more efficient data compression techniques to minimize the data exchange burden. The ongoing challenge involves balancing the need for robust network security and decentralization with the desire for high transaction throughput and low operational costs.