GHOSTForge: A Scalable Consensus Mechanism for DAG-Based Blockchains

Blockchain scalability has long been a critical issue, and Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) offer a promising solution by enabling higher throughput. However, despite their scalability, achieving global convergence or consensus in heterogeneous DAG networks remains a significant challenge. This work,...

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Main Authors: Misbah Khan, Shabnam Kasra Kermanshahi, Jiankun Hu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2024-01-01
Series:IEEE Open Journal of the Computer Society
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10753055/
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author Misbah Khan
Shabnam Kasra Kermanshahi
Jiankun Hu
author_facet Misbah Khan
Shabnam Kasra Kermanshahi
Jiankun Hu
author_sort Misbah Khan
collection DOAJ
description Blockchain scalability has long been a critical issue, and Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) offer a promising solution by enabling higher throughput. However, despite their scalability, achieving global convergence or consensus in heterogeneous DAG networks remains a significant challenge. This work, introduces GHOSTForge, building on the Greedy Heaviest-Observed Sub-tree (GHOST) protocol to address these challenges. GHOSTForge incorporates unique coloring and scoring mechanisms alongside stability thresholds and order-locking processes. This protocol addresses the inefficiencies found in existing systems, such as PHANTOM, by offering a more proficient two-level coloring and scoring method that eliminates circular dependencies and enhances scalability. The use of stability thresholds enables the early locking of block orders, reducing computational overhead while maintaining robust security. GHOSTForge's design adapts dynamically to varying network conditions, ensuring quick block order convergence and strong resistance to attacks, such as double-spending. Our experimental results demonstrate that GHOSTForge excels in achieving both computational efficiency and rapid consensus, positioning it as a powerful and scalable solution for decentralized, heterogeneous DAG networks.
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publishDate 2024-01-01
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spelling doaj-art-cbc40d2a6cb449a983982a71aebbd9fd2025-08-20T02:48:51ZengIEEEIEEE Open Journal of the Computer Society2644-12682024-01-01573674710.1109/OJCS.2024.349789210753055GHOSTForge: A Scalable Consensus Mechanism for DAG-Based BlockchainsMisbah Khan0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2081-3063Shabnam Kasra Kermanshahi1Jiankun Hu2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0230-1432University of New South Wales Canberra at the Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra, AustraliaSchool of Systems and Computing, Canberra, AustraliaUniversity of New South Wales Canberra at the Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra, AustraliaBlockchain scalability has long been a critical issue, and Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) offer a promising solution by enabling higher throughput. However, despite their scalability, achieving global convergence or consensus in heterogeneous DAG networks remains a significant challenge. This work, introduces GHOSTForge, building on the Greedy Heaviest-Observed Sub-tree (GHOST) protocol to address these challenges. GHOSTForge incorporates unique coloring and scoring mechanisms alongside stability thresholds and order-locking processes. This protocol addresses the inefficiencies found in existing systems, such as PHANTOM, by offering a more proficient two-level coloring and scoring method that eliminates circular dependencies and enhances scalability. The use of stability thresholds enables the early locking of block orders, reducing computational overhead while maintaining robust security. GHOSTForge's design adapts dynamically to varying network conditions, ensuring quick block order convergence and strong resistance to attacks, such as double-spending. Our experimental results demonstrate that GHOSTForge excels in achieving both computational efficiency and rapid consensus, positioning it as a powerful and scalable solution for decentralized, heterogeneous DAG networks.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10753055/Blockchainsconsensusdirect acyclic graphsGHOSTscalabilitysecurity
spellingShingle Misbah Khan
Shabnam Kasra Kermanshahi
Jiankun Hu
GHOSTForge: A Scalable Consensus Mechanism for DAG-Based Blockchains
IEEE Open Journal of the Computer Society
Blockchains
consensus
direct acyclic graphs
GHOST
scalability
security
title GHOSTForge: A Scalable Consensus Mechanism for DAG-Based Blockchains
title_full GHOSTForge: A Scalable Consensus Mechanism for DAG-Based Blockchains
title_fullStr GHOSTForge: A Scalable Consensus Mechanism for DAG-Based Blockchains
title_full_unstemmed GHOSTForge: A Scalable Consensus Mechanism for DAG-Based Blockchains
title_short GHOSTForge: A Scalable Consensus Mechanism for DAG-Based Blockchains
title_sort ghostforge a scalable consensus mechanism for dag based blockchains
topic Blockchains
consensus
direct acyclic graphs
GHOST
scalability
security
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10753055/
work_keys_str_mv AT misbahkhan ghostforgeascalableconsensusmechanismfordagbasedblockchains
AT shabnamkasrakermanshahi ghostforgeascalableconsensusmechanismfordagbasedblockchains
AT jiankunhu ghostforgeascalableconsensusmechanismfordagbasedblockchains