An Extended Pattern Collection for Blockchain-based Applications

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive collection of design patterns tailored for blockchain-based applications, addressing the unique challenges and features of blockchain technology in software architecture.

Contribution

It introduces a categorized pattern collection specifically designed for blockchain applications, combining new patterns and adaptations of existing ones.

Findings

Provides a structured pattern collection for blockchain applications

Categorizes patterns into five key areas including security and data management

Includes both novel patterns and variants of existing patterns for blockchain context

Abstract

Blockchain is an emerging technology that enables new forms of decentralized software architectures, where distributed components can reach agreements on shared system states without trusting a central integration point. Blockchain provides a shared infrastructure to execute programs, called smart contracts, and to store data. Since blockchain technologies are at an early stage, there is a lack of a systematically organized knowledge providing a holistic view on designing software systems that use blockchain. We view blockchain as a component of a bigger software system, which requires patterns for using blockchain in the design of the software architecture. In this paper, we collect a list of patterns for blockchain-based applications. The pattern collection is categorized into five categories, including interaction with external world patterns, data management patterns, security patterns, structural patterns of contracts, and user interaction patterns. Some patterns are designed considering the nature of blockchain and how blockchains can be specifically introduced within real-world applications. Others are variants of existing design patterns applied in the context of blockchain-based applications and smart contracts.