How Can We Get Blockchains to Talk to Each Other?
IEEE Spectrum
There's been a Cambrian explosion of blockchains in recent years, supporting everything from cryptocurrencies to logistics systems. But by and large, they have been developed in silos and it's hard to share information between them. Now researchers are trying to build new channels to help these networks speak to each other.
A blockchain is a way to keep records of transactions or exchanges of data without relying on a central authority. Multiple users maintain a copy of the ledger and must come to agreement on any new additions by following a protocol called a consensus mechanism, which makes it hard for anyone to make fraudulent changes. But beyond these basic ingredients, they often have little in common. The kind of data they share, consensus mechanisms, network designs, and a host of other characteristics vary wildly depending on what they're used for.