Distributed Ledger Ephemeral Nodes for Blockchain Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing blockchain systems face challenges in balancing security and complexity, with increased security measures often leading to overly complex implementations that compromise ease of use, development, and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A distributed ledger system that enables a network of computing devices with ephemeral user nodes to participate in blockchain transactions, allowing for secure and efficient blockchain management with simplified system architecture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple operational nodes are created to enhance security, then security is improved, but system complexity increases and ease of use decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements ephemeral nodes that are temporary and disposable rather than persistent. These nodes are created on-demand, perform their function (validating and relaying transactions), and then terminate. This eliminates the need for long-term node maintenance, reduces security risks associated with persistent nodes, and allows the system to scale security dynamically without permanently increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the number and distribution of operational nodes based on real-time network conditions and transaction loads. Rather than maintaining a fixed set of nodes, the system creates ephemeral nodes as needed and terminates them when no longer required. This dynamic approach optimizes security at each moment without requiring a permanently complex infrastructure.
2Reliability
If multiple operational nodes are created to enhance security, then security is improved, but ease of operation and maintenance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Ephemeral nodes eliminate the operational burden of maintaining persistent nodes. Since these nodes are temporary and automatically terminate after their function is complete, there is no long-term maintenance required. Users and operators simply need to initiate node creation when needed, rather than continuously managing complex node lifecycles.
Solution Approach 2:
Ephemeral nodes are self-managed throughout their lifecycle. They automatically initialize, perform their validation and relay functions, and then self-terminate without requiring external intervention for maintenance, updates, or shutdown. This self-service characteristic dramatically simplifies operation compared to manually managed persistent nodes.
3Reliability
If security measures are increased, then security is improved, but development and maintenance complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ephemeral node architecture provides security through quantity and distribution rather than through complex individual node configurations. Each node uses standardized, simple code, but the collective security emerges from having many nodes distributed across the network. This approach achieves high security without requiring complex development or maintenance of individual nodes.
Data Source
AI summary
A distributed ledger system configured to create, update and maintain at least one blockchain indicative of transactions performed by a network of users of the system, the system comprising a network of computing devices including a network of user nodes in communication with one another to participate in transactions and subsequently write the transactions to an associated blockchain, each node being associated with at least one processor and at least one computer-readable medium having recorded thereon instructions to be executed by the processor(s) to carry out one or more blockchain-related tasks for creating, updating and/or maintaining at least one associated blockchain of the system based on the transactions; and wherein the network of computing devices is operable to enable at least one ephemeral user node to join the network of computing devices to carry out the blockchain-related tasks in association with at least one blockchain during an active session of the ephemeral user node.