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A number of researchers claim to have found a solution to the scalability of Bitcoin. The solution eliminates the consensus process to confirm and validate transactions and replace them with the "gossip" method.
Researchers from the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne in Switzerland describe how to validate crypto transactions that are different from the Bitcoin method. During this time, consensus in the system is considered important in order to solve the problem of double spending. Double spending can be prevented by involving majority consensus in the blockchain system.
However, the majority consensus actually consumes large amounts of resources and energy. In addition, this method takes a long time if there are transactions that accumulate in the blockchain or if consensus involves various parties from around the world.
Researchers claim the majority consensus is actually not obliged to validate every transaction. Transactions can be agreed based on random system sampling in the network.
Rachid Guerraoui, the lead researcher, stressed the algorithm proposed by his team was not a variation of existing consensus mechanisms, such as Proof of Work or Proof of Stake.
"The algorithm we recommend is to use the 'gossip protocol' to spread transaction information, similar to what Bitcoin uses to communicate different nonce or block headers. In the gossip protocol, the small group confirms the transaction and then continues the details of the transaction to another larger group that also continues it to another group, and so on, "said Guerraoui.
To complete this task, the system uses Contagion, a probabilistic algorithm that mimics the spread of infectious diseases in a population. There are three sub-protocols attached to them, namely Murmur, Sieve and Threshold. All three sub-protocols are responsible for ensuring the validity, totality and consistency of transactions and sending original samples to randomly selected systems in the network.
Guerraoui said the sample size should be logarithmic about the overall system size so that it is protected from hackers who want to enter. At the same time, the sample size is smaller than the majority consensus, and is only representative of the entire network.
In addition to reducing the time and resources to confirm transactions, the Contagion algorithm also minimizes energy use. The energy used to spread and validate transactions is the same as sending messages over the Internet, added Guerraoui.
The research team plans to make the protocol open source with funding from the European Union. The hope is that developers can use the protocol to build crypto assets that are economical to run.
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