What is the Hyperledger fabric blockchain? Maybe you are familiar with the Ethereum Blockchain, or Ripple which operates specifically on cryptocurrencies.
Hyperledger fabric blockchain is one of the top blockchains. HFS research split a group of the top five blockchains, the first being the Ethereum blockchain, Hyperledger Fabric, R3 Corda, Ripple, and Quorum.
But In this article, we will learn about the Hyperledger blockchain fabric hosted by the Linux Foundation.
Contents
- 1 What is Hyperledger fabric blockchain?
- 2 Hyperledger Fabric’s main feature
- 3 How does Hyperledger fabric work?
- 4 Who is the founder of Hyperledger fabric?
- 5 Is Hyperledger Fabric open source?
- 6 Does Hyperledger fabric have a coin?
- 7 What is Hyperledger Fabric used for?
- 8 Difference between Blockchain and Hyperledger
- 9 Hyperledger fabric architecture
- 10 Hyperledger fabric application example
- 11 Hyperledger fabric vs Ethereum
- 12 Final thought
What is Hyperledger fabric blockchain?
Hyperledger is an organization open-source in which there are several open-source projects. These projects are to build Blockchain technology.
Linux Foundation builds Hyperledger which also gets support from companies such as IBM, and Intel to SAP Ariba. Hyperledger has many frameworks and tools for building Blockchain networks.
Each of these frameworks and tools has a specific function, but they can also collaborate during the implementation process of creating a Blockchain network. The following is a list of frameworks and tools found in Hyperledger:
Framework
- 1. Hyperledger Fabric.
- 2. Hyperledger Sawtooth.
- 3. Hyperledger Burrow.
- 4. Hyperledger Indy.
- 5. Hyperledger Iroha.
Tool
- 1. Hyperledger Explorer.
- 2. Hyperledger Cello.
- 3. Hyperledger Avalon.
- 4. Hyperledger Cactus.
- 5. Hyperledger Caliper.
Frameworks and tools in Hyperledger both have functional differences. The framework is for the process of building a Blockchain network. While the tools themselves are supporting tools for the blockchain network.
So what Hyperledger Fabric are?
Hyperledger Fabric itself is one of the flagship frameworks from Hyperledger. This blockchain is widely used to build permissioned for private Blockchain.
Hyperledger Fabric fully supports the writing of smart contracts to the installation process of the smart contract into the Blockchain network. These features are the reason why Hyperledger Fabric is the most popular framework rather than other Hyperledger frameworks.
Compare to Hyperledger Borrow and Indy framework. Here developers cannot write and install smart contracts into the Blockchain network.
Whereas the Hyperledger Sawtooth framework can only write smart contracts. But cannot install the smart contracts into the Blockchain network. This is because only smart contracts that are already on the Blockchain can be changed.
Hyperledger Fabric’s main feature
Hyperledger Fabric blockchain offers modularity and wide use in the industry.
The architecture Hyperledger fabric accommodates diverse use cases through plug and plays components, such as consensus, privacy, and membership service.
Key features in Hyperledger Fabric have different functions.
- Private Data Features This feature allows users to store private data where the data cannot be accessed by other organizations. Hyperledger Fabric provides Private Data Collections (PDC) for this purpose.
- Channel Features. This allows users to create separate channels from the main ledger. They can create several group ledgers to maintain the privacy of each group ledger with the channel feature.
- Shared Ledger feature. This feature guarantees security and transparency in the network on the Permissioned Blockchain. The Hyperledger Fabric has a ledger subsystem consisting of the world state and transaction logs. Each participant in the blockchain network will receive a copy of the ledger every time a transaction is processed to their own Hyperledger Fabric network.
- Smart Contract Features. Smart contracts on Hyperledger Fabric are written in Chaincode which will be called by every application that will interact with the ledger. The Chaincode in Hyperledger Fabric is written using the Java, Go, and NodeJS programming languages.
- Policy feature. The Hyperledger feature is a mechanism used to manage infrastructure management. For example, how to create channels, smart contracts, to user accept/reject.
How does Hyperledger fabric work?
AWS describes Hyperledger Fabric as a unique blockchain network made up of companies or organizations that can interact with each other on the network.
Hyperledger works as a private blockchain, for example, an organization in a network consisting of financial institutions from all companies that join the network. Each of these organizations has a Fabric certificate authority and one or more peer nodes.
Hyperledger Fabric acts as an intermediary in the ordering services shared by participants in the network, helping to process transactions for the network.
Organizations in the network are defined by root certificates specific to that organization built with the Hardware Security Module (HSM) for root certificate protection.
The role of this certificate is very important in the network to determine the permissions for each entity on the network. The root certificate for the organization is stored in a Fabric certificate authority (CA).
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Hyperledger fabric consensus
If we know the Proof of Work consensus in the Ethereum or Bitcoin blockchain. Hyperledger Fabric has a different consensus.
Hyperledger Fabric is a modular architecture with pluggable consensuses such as LDAP or OpenID Connect, key management protocols, or cryptographic libraries.
The Hyperledger Fabric blockchain platform has been designed to meet the diverse requirements of enterprise use cases.
The best answer describes the Hyperledger Fabric consensus in simple terms. This blockchain relies on a backend service, known as an ordering service to mediate messages from sender and receiver to reach a consensus.
Consensus will be achieved with the backend service that the recipient will see the messages in the same order. To achieve this consensus Hyperledger Fabric uses Crash Fault Tolerance (CFT) to withstand system failures, such as crashes, and network partitions. Read here to read a good explaining Hyperledger consensus.
Who is the founder of Hyperledger fabric?
According to Brainly, the founders of Hyperledger Fabric are Tama Blummer and Christopher Ferris. While Linux Foundation governs the blockchain. In its history, Hyperledger launch in 2016 which found 30 corporate members.
Initially, the Hyperledger Technical Steering Committee used blockchain frameworks: Hyperledger Fabric, and Hyperledger Sawtooth, developed in Intel’s incubation group. Over 70 open-source organizations launched by the Linux Foundation, Hyperledger is the fastest growing.
Is Hyperledger Fabric open source?
Hyperledger Fabric is an open-source blockchain host by the Linux Foundation. You can download open-source code free of charge. However, users need hardware on which they can install and run writing code.
Thus users only have to pay for hardware that is on-premises or in the cloud to enable running the blockchain network, as well as the application code you write to access the blockchain network.
Hyperledger fabric is a private blockchain
Hyperledger Fabric is a private blockchain and is permissioned. This is what distinguishes the public blockchain which is permissionless, where all unknowns can access the network after getting network validation.
To gain permission to enter the Hyperledger Fabric blockchain, members enroll through a trusted Membership Service Provider (MSP).
Does Hyperledger fabric have a coin?
The Hyperledger Fabric blockchain is not a blockchain for cryptocurrencies that have native tokens as Ethereum has Ether. The Hyperledger fabric blockchain has no coins. However, it allows users to create tokenized assets on their network with Fabtoken.
Fabtoken in Hyperledger Fabric is token management which is the governance for issuing, transferring, or redeeming in the Hyperledger Fabric network. Read more about Fabtoken on this link.
What is Hyperledger Fabric used for?
Linux foundation launched Hyperledger to support the development of a blockchain-based distributed ledger. To this goal, Hyperledger acts as a provider of the frameworks, standards, tools, and libraries needed to build blockchain and related applications.
There are several companies such as IBM and Intel, Samsung, Microsoft, Visa, and American Express, have collaborated with Hyperledger.
The Hyperledger Fabric blockchain is to support such collaboration. The use cases include banking, supply chain management, the internet of things (IoT), manufacturing, and production-based.
Difference between Blockchain and Hyperledger
In blockchain technology, we know the types of blockchain, public, private, and consortium blockchain.
The fundamental difference between blockchain and Hyperledger is that blockchain is an immutable technology that records cryptographically encrypted data in a block. While Hyperledger is an organization that allows users to create private blockchains.
Using blockchain allows users to create public or private blockchains. While on Hyperledger only to create a private blockchain. This means that Hyperledger is only for blockchain data access only to predefined users, configurations, and programming.
Blockchain use of the internet on a public blockchain. This means that everyone has access to the data.
While Hyperledger is more to use on the intranet, within an organization. This means that only entities that have certificates can access the data.
Hyperledger fabric architecture
There are four key basic elements in Hyperledger Fabric v1 architecture, System architecture, basic workflow of transaction endorsement, endorsement policies, and Ledger checkpointing (pruning).
The system architecture contains many nodes to communicate with each other by using a chain code which is the central element in transactions in the network.
This architectural system uses called system chaincodes management which includes transactions, Blockchain data structures, and nodes.
Basic workflow endorsement infrastructure is where users create transactions, message formats, and message patterns. Also for simulating transactions and generating signatures.
Endorsement policies architecture is for policies to endorse a transaction, which aims to guarantee blockchain and security properties.
The fourth architecture is Ledger checkpointing, which consists of a Validated ledger (VLedger) and Checkpointing.
Major component Hyperledger Fabric
In Fabric transaction flow architecture has major components, Membership Service Provider (MSP), Client, Peer, and Orderer.
- Membership Service Provider (MSP). This component controls who can access the network.
- Clients. Uses the Fabric SDK to communicate with the network.
- Peers. There are 4 types of peers, Endorsing Peer, Committing Peer, Anchor Peer, and Leading peer.
- Orderer. Hyperledger Fabric recognizes three type orderers, SOLO, Kafka, and Simplified Byzantine Fault Tolerance (SBFT), but the latter is deprecated in Fabric v1.0.
Hyperledger fabric application example
If you’re an enthusiastic and programming savvy developer, you can find samples of using the Hyperledger fabric on GitHub.
In Hyperledger Fabric samples there are 154 contributors and 62 already in use. And the programming language Go 26.3%, JavaScript, 24.9%, Java 21.2%, TypeScript 14.7%, Shell, 12.6% dan Dockerfile 0.3%.
Hyperledger fabric vs Ethereum
Some of the differences between the Ethereum Blockchain and the Hyperledger fabric:
- Purposes. Ethereum uses EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine(EVM), and Hyperledger Fabric uses Distributed Ledger Technology(DLT).
- Confidentiality. Ethereum is more open, everyone who can access the internet can view transactions. The Hyperledger fabric is more confidential, only limited authorized persons can access transactions.
- Governance. Ethereum is governed by the Ethereum foundation developers. Hyperledger is governed by the Linux Foundation and IBM collaborating on contributions.
- Participant. Anyone’s Ethereum can participate in the network. Only Hyperledger Fabric with signature and certificate authority is eligible to become a participant in the network.
- Smart contracts. Ethereum uses smart contracts which are immutable once conditions are met. Hyperledger Fabric though also uses smart contracts to communicate called chaincode.
- Programming language. Ethereum uses JavaScript, Python, and Golang. Hyperledger Fabric uses Java and JavaScript.
- Consensus. Ethereum uses PoW (Proof of Work), but there is news that it will be transitioning to PoS (Proof of Stake). Hyperledger Fabric does not use PoW consensus and uses a consensus pluggable.
- Transaction speed. Ethereum with PoW can complete 20 transactions per second. Hyperledger Fabric is capable of 2000 transactions per second.
- Cryptocurrencies. Ethereum has a native coin Ether (ETH). Hyperledger Fabric has no coins.
Final thought
Although the Hyperledger fabric is not related to cryptocurrencies. But this blockchain use case is for enterprises which is a private blockchain.
It doesn’t have crypto tokens like Ethereum has Ether, Tron has TRON. Avalanche has AVA.
Main purposes Hyperledger Fabric for B2B, business to a business framework for corporations who want private blockchain.
Note: this article is for information only and is not investment advice or solicitation. Forex, crypto, and CFD are risky. Every investor is responsible for their investment.
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