Domain: Supply Chain
Problem identification:
The “Nothing at Stake” problem of PoS consensus mechanisms.
Why Blockchain:
To improve the traceability of the supply network.
Functional Description
Blocks are organized in a tree structure. The tree is shaped by the blocks that successful miners choose to extend. The chain selection algorithm chooses the heaviest path as main chain, where a block’s weight depends on how dense its subtree is.
Consensus mechanism used
- Greedy Heaviest Observed Subtree (GHOST)
Current status
- Implemented in Ethereum 2.0
Focus point commentary indicating the value of the case study in relation with learning modules
Learning Modules Focus Points
Consensus Presents a use case of the GHOST consensus mechanism
Limitations:
- Limited ability to improve the network throughput
Alternative Approaches:
- IoTA Tangle
- Byteball
References
- V. Buterin and V. Griffith, “Casper the friendly finality gadget,” arXiv:1710.09437, 2017.
- Buterin, V., Reijsbergen, D., Leonardos, S., & Piliouras, G. (2019, May). Incentives in Ethereum’s hybrid casper protocol. In 2019 IEEE International Conference on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency (ICBC) (pp. 236-244). IEEE.
- Website: https://github.com/ethereum/eth2.0-specs