Epidemic Consensus Protocol Scales Decentralized Blockchains for Large Networks ∞ Research

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Briefing

Traditional blockchain consensus mechanisms face inherent limitations in scalability, resource efficiency, and fault tolerance when deployed in large-scale, dynamic decentralized environments. The Blockchain Epidemic Consensus Protocol (BECP) introduces a fully decentralized, leaderless consensus model that leverages epidemic information dissemination and data aggregation. This new theory enables robust, high-throughput agreement across vast node networks, fundamentally advancing the architecture of future scalable and resilient blockchain systems.

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Context

Before the advent of BECP, blockchain consensus was largely dominated by classical leader-based protocols such as Paxos, Raft, and PBFT, which struggled with bottlenecks and suitability for open networks. Proof-based systems, including Proof-of-Work and Proof-of-Stake, presented significant energy consumption, centralization risks, or “nothing-at-stake” vulnerabilities. Emerging epidemic protocols like Avalanche and Snowman offered decentralization but suffered from high communication overhead, presenting a persistent challenge to achieving truly scalable and efficient decentralized consensus.

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Analysis

BECP’s core mechanism integrates three protocols ∞ the System Size Estimation Protocol (SSEP) for real-time node count, the Node Cache Protocol (NCP) for scalable peer sampling, and a refined Phase Transition Protocol (PTP) for block agreement. This protocol fundamentally differs from previous approaches by achieving consensus through lightweight, local interactions with randomly selected neighbors, eliminating the need for a central leader or extensive global communication. A key innovation is its modified duplicate block resolution, which introduces a “preferred block” concept, allowing concurrent block generation while maintaining accurate chain references and significantly improving throughput without sacrificing consistency.

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Parameters

Core Concept ∞ Blockchain Epidemic Consensus Protocol (BECP)
Consensus Model ∞ Leaderless, Decentralized, Probabilistic
Key Components ∞ System Size Estimation Protocol (SSEP), Node Cache Protocol (NCP), Phase Transition Protocol (PTP)
Evaluation Platform ∞ JABS (Just Another Blockchain Simulator)
Maximum Nodes Tested ∞ 10,000
Key Authors ∞ Siamak Abdi, Giuseppe Di Fatta, Atta Badii, Giancarlo Fortino

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Outlook

The BECP research opens avenues for developing next-generation blockchain architectures capable of supporting unprecedented network scales and transaction volumes. Its principles could be applied to enhance the underlying consensus layers of public blockchains, enabling more efficient decentralized applications and potentially new forms of governance that rely on massive participant engagement. Future work involves extending BECP to incorporate node failure detection and recovery, further bolstering its resilience for real-world deployment.

BECP represents a pivotal theoretical advancement, establishing a scalable, leaderless consensus paradigm crucial for the future of truly decentralized, high-performance blockchain systems.

Signal Acquired from ∞ arxiv.org