How To Optimize My Blockchain? A Multi-Level Recommendation Approach

TL;DR

This paper introduces a comprehensive multi-level optimization recommendation system for blockchains, covering system, data, and user layers, to enhance performance and efficiency across diverse real-world scenarios.

Contribution

It proposes a novel holistic approach and an automated tool, BlockOptR, to identify and implement optimization opportunities across all blockchain layers.

Findings

20% improvement in transaction success rate

40% reduction in latency

Effective across multiple workloads and scenarios

Abstract

Aside from the conception of new blockchain architectures, existing blockchain optimizations in the literature primarily focus on system or data-oriented optimizations within prevailing blockchains. However, since blockchains handle multiple aspects ranging from organizational governance to smart contract design, a holistic approach that encompasses all the different layers of a given blockchain system is required to ensure that all optimization opportunities are taken into consideration. In this vein, we define a multi-level optimization recommendation approach that identifies optimization opportunities within a blockchain at the system, data, and user level. Multiple metrics and attributes are derived from a blockchain log and nine optimization recommendations are formalized. We implement an automated optimization recommendation tool, BlockOptR, based on these concepts. The system is extensively evaluated with a wide range of workloads covering multiple real-world scenarios. After implementing the recommended optimizations, we observe an average of 20% improvement in the success rate of transactions and an average of 40% improvement in latency.