From Traditional SLA Management to Blockchain-Enabled Smart Contracts: A Survey

Abstract

The rapid evolution of 5G and the growing complexity of digital services have increased the need for robust, transparent, and automated Service Level Agreement (SLA) management. Traditional management methods across different sectors like telecommunications and cloud computing frequently suffer from a lack of transparency and a heavy reliance on centralized third parties, which can lead to disputes and delayed enforcement. To address these challenges, smart contracts using blockchain technology offer a transformative solution, automating SLA execution and ensuring decentralized, tamper-proof enforcement. This paper provides a comprehensive survey and critical analysis of existing traditional SLA management systems and smart contract-based management. By studying and examining various frameworks across 5G, cloud computing, IoT, and telecommunications, we highlight common strategies, technical trade-offs, and existing gaps in current research. Through a structured classification and comparative analysis, this study offers an overview of blockchain-based SLA management current state while providing a strategic roadmap for the future of SLA representation and automated lifecycle management.