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Hyperledger Fabric: A Distributed Operating System for Permissioned Blockchains

This paper presents the architecture of Hyperledger Fabric, a modular, enterprise-grade distributed ledger platform designed for permissioned blockchain network

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Abstract

This paper presents the architecture of Hyperledger Fabric, a modular, enterprise-grade distributed ledger platform designed for permissioned blockchain networks. Unlike public, permissionless systems, Fabric introduces a ‘design-for-purpose’ approach that separates the transaction execution phase from the ordering and validation phases. This architecture employs an ‘execute-order-validate’ paradigm, which allows for high throughput, scalability, and enhanced privacy through the use of channels. Peers in the network perform different roles, such as endorsing transactions, ordering blocks, and maintaining the ledger, allowing for a flexible consensus mechanism that can be tailored to specific enterprise requirements. Fabric supports chaincode written in general-purpose programming languages, enabling sophisticated business logic. By prioritizing modularity, such as pluggable consensus modules and identity management via Membership Service Providers (MSP), Hyperledger Fabric addresses critical enterprise concerns including privacy, performance, and regulatory compliance. It stands as a foundational document for understanding the implementation of distributed ledger technology (DLT) within corporate and consortium environments. Authors: Elli Androulaki, Artem Barger, Vitus Bortnikov, Christian Cachin, Konstantinos Christidis, Angelo De Caro, David Enyeart, Christopher Ferris, Gennady Laventman, Yacov Manevich, Srinivasan Muralidharan, Chet Murthy, Binh Nguyen, Manish Sethi, Gari Singh, Keith A. Smith, Alessandro Sorniotti, Chrysoula Stathakopoulou, Marko Vukolić, Sharon Weed Cocco, Jason Yellick Publication: arXiv preprint Publication date: 2018-01-01

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Key findings

  • Proposes an ‘execute-order-validate’ architecture to decouple transaction processing.
  • Implements modular, pluggable consensus mechanisms for enterprise flexibility.
  • Provides granular privacy control through channels and private data collections.
  • Supports general-purpose languages for smart contract (chaincode) development.

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Citation

Elli Androulaki, Artem Barger, Vitus Bortnikov, Christian Cachin, Konstantinos Christidis, Angelo De Caro, David Enyeart, Christopher Ferris, Gennady Laventman, Yacov Manevich, Srinivasan Muralidharan, Chet Murthy, Binh Nguyen, Manish Sethi, Gari Singh, Keith A. Smith, Alessandro Sorniotti, Chrysoula Stathakopoulou, Marko Vukolić, Sharon Weed Cocco, Jason Yellick (2018). Hyperledger Fabric: A Distributed Operating System for Permissioned Blockchains. arXiv preprint. https://arxiv.org/abs/1801.10228
Canonical knowledge ID: research:hyperledger-fabric-a-distributed-operating-system-for-permissioned-blockchains