Key-Value Store Blockchain State Change Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional key-value stores only keep the most recent state of data items without tracking changes, leading to loss of historical data and lack of immutable proof of state changes.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a blockchain within a key-value store to record state changes over time, allowing for conditional generation of new blocks based on changes in key-value pairs, using a tick operation and business rules to determine when to create new blocks, and storing data in a hash-linked chain without requiring a separate blockchain system or consensus protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a traditional key-value store is used to store only the most recent state of data items, then storage space is saved and access speed is improved, but historical data is lost and immutable proof of state changes is unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a key-value store with a blockchain structure into a hybrid system. The key-value store maintains current states for fast access, while the blockchain component immutably records state changes. This merging allows the system to simultaneously provide fast read access and permanent historical recording without requiring separate independent systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The blockchain structure is nested within the key-value store system. Each block in the blockchain contains hashes of key-value pairs from the database, creating a nested relationship where the blockchain verifies and preserves the history of the key-value store's state changes. This nested architecture allows historical tracking without duplicating the entire database.
2Reliability
If all state changes are recorded in a blockchain, then immutable proof of changes is provided, but storage space increases and write operations become slower
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential verification information (hashes of key-value pairs) into the blockchain, rather than storing complete state data. This extraction allows the system to maintain data integrity through cryptographic verification while keeping blockchain storage requirements minimal and write operations efficient.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs partial recording by only creating blockchain blocks when state changes occur, rather than recording every operation. The tick operation mechanism allows selective block creation based on whether actual state changes have been detected, reducing unnecessary blockchain writes while maintaining complete tracking of meaningful changes.
3Loss of information
If a separate blockchain system is implemented to track state changes, then immutable ledger is achieved, but system complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the blockchain functionality directly into the key-value store architecture. The same system that stores data also generates and validates blockchain blocks, eliminating the need for separate blockchain infrastructure, consensus mechanisms, and peer-to-peer networking layers required by traditional blockchain systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The key-value store system performs its own state change tracking and blockchain block generation without requiring external blockchain services. The tick operation mechanism allows the database to autonomously detect state changes and create corresponding blockchain records, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating dependencies on separate blockchain infrastructure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution extends blockchain capabilities to rudimentary storage systems, providing immutable proof of state changes and reducing redundant storage by only adding blocks when changes occur, while allowing for periodic recording of data values based on state, thus preserving historical data and improving data integrity.
Implementation Method 1
generate a data block that includes a changed state of the key-value pair and add the generated data block to a hash-linked chain of data blocks
Data Source
AI summary
An example operation may include one or more of receiving a request associated with a key-value pair stored in a database, determining whether a state of the key-value pair has changed since a most recently received request, and in response to a determination that the state of the key-value pair has changed, generating a data block that includes a changed state of the key-value pair and adding the generated data block to a hash-linked chain of data blocks.