A Comprehensive Survey of Blockchain Scalability: Shaping Inner-Chain and Inter-Chain Perspectives

TL;DR

This survey provides a comprehensive overview of blockchain scalability, analyzing physical and logical layers, as well as inner-chain and inter-chain perspectives, to guide future research in this critical area.

Contribution

It uniquely summarizes blockchain scalability across multiple layers and dimensions, integrating inner-chain and inter-chain viewpoints for a holistic understanding.

Findings

Detailed analysis of physical and logical layer components

Comparison of inner-chain and inter-chain scalability challenges

Guidelines for future blockchain scalability research

Abstract

Blockchain is widely applied in logistics, finance, and agriculture. As single blockchain users grow, scalability becomes crucial. However, existing works lack a comprehensive summary of blockchain scalability. They focus on single chains or cross-chain technologies. This survey summarizes scalability across the physical and logical layers, as well as inner-chain, inter-chain, and technology dimensions. The physical layer covers data and protocols, while the logical layer represents blockchain architecture. Each component is analyzed from inner-chain and inter-chain perspectives, considering technological factors. The aim is to enhance researchers' understanding of blockchain's architecture, data, and protocols to advance scalability research.