Smart Contract Library Packaging for Version Compatibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
In blockchain systems, the proliferation of different smart contract versions leads to compatibility issues and increased computational resources needed for testing, as services and microservices may integrate different versions, causing interactions and data processing failures.
Innovation Solution
Compiling smart contracts into bytecode and wrapping them into a library package that specifies version information, allowing programmatic invocation and deployment, ensuring consistency across services and microservices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple versions of smart contracts are deployed to support different services, then service diversity and functionality are improved, but version compatibility issues and interaction failures occur between services
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments smart contract versions into distinct library packages, where each package encapsulates a specific version. This segmentation allows services to selectively integrate only the versions they need, reducing version conflicts while maintaining service diversity. The library package structure divides the monolithic smart contract ecosystem into manageable, version-isolated units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces library packages as intermediary layers between services and smart contracts. These packages act as mediators that handle version compatibility by providing standardized interfaces and abstraction layers, allowing different services to interact with smart contracts without direct version conflicts. The intermediary layer translates between different version requirements and underlying smart contract implementations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If services integrate different versions of smart contracts, then customization and specific functionality are achieved, but computational resources for testing increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-compiling and pre-testing smart contract versions within library packages before deployment. Version compatibility and functionality are validated in advance during the library package creation process, eliminating the need for extensive runtime testing when services integrate these packages. This preliminary validation significantly reduces computational resources required for testing during service deployment and operation.
3Reliability
If version information is tracked and managed, then consistency across services is improved, but system complexity for version management increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying by embedding version information directly into the library package metadata and structure. Instead of maintaining separate complex version management systems, the version data is copied and stored within the package itself, making version tracking inherent to the package structure. This approach simplifies version management by integrating it into the existing package distribution mechanism rather than adding separate management infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for building libraries for invoking smart contracts on a blockchain. The method generally includes compiling first source code in a first programming language defining a smart contract comprising a set of operations to be executed on a blockchain into bytecode for the smart contract based on one or more of information about a compiler to be used to compile the first source code or dependencies specified in the first source code. The bytecode for the smart contract is wrapped in second source code in a second programming language. The second source code is compiled into a portion of a library package through which the smart contract can be programmatically invoked, wherein the portion of the library package specifies version information associated with the smart contract. The library package is deployed for use with the blockchain.