An Insight into the Consensus Protocols and Data Security in IoT applications Using Blockchain

Abstract

Blockchain and its numerous applications are widely explored in different fields for generating secure distributed systems. Blockchain includes an interconnection of multiple blocks which are maintained in a public ledger. The distributed ledger is immutable and transparent and can be publicly verified. The consensus protocols are used to improve the security of blockchain applications and to enhance trust in blockchain networks. Different algorithms have been proposed, and each one serves different purposes. Blockchain applications can be incorporated in numerous fields like the health care sector, Internet of Things applications, etc. in a productive way to reduce security concerns and to implement distributed control. Consensus protocols play an important role in deciding the computation cost and performance of the system. In this chapter different protocols are analyzed to choose the accurate one in terms of performance, fault tolerance, and computational cost. A framework for data security using blockchain for the scenario of IoT home automation is also described.