Macroprogramming the Blockchain of Things

Abstract

Blockchain and smart contract technology provide a means of decentralised computational agreements that are trusted and automated. By integrating Internet of Things (IoT) devices with blockchain systems and smart contracts, agreements can not only be confined to in-blockchain manipulation of state, however can enable agreements to interact on the physical world. This integration is non-trivial due to the limited resources on IoT devices and the heterogeneity of such an architecture. Such blockchain connected IoT devices typically require programming of smart contracts, edge blockchain nodes and the IoT devices. IoT embedded systems require expertise in low level development. Similarly, smart contract programming requires expertise with an extensive attention to detail, as even minor bugs can have catastrophic consequences. In this paper, we propose a macroprogramming approach for developing the different system components required for blockchain connected IoT devices including smart contracts, edge nodes and IoT devices from a monolithic description. In this manner, one can use a higher level of abstraction to develop an application, while still being able to generate code automatically which can be deployed on different nodes.