比特币区块链分叉研究

Overview on Blockchain Fork in Bitcoin

比特币是一种新型数字货币系统。它开创性地利用密码学元素和共识机制构建了一个安全的去中心化系统。区块链是比特币的核心,它利用点对点网络通信,将交易数据备份在系统中的每一个节点,从而构建成一个巨大的分布式公共账簿。由于网络的异步性和挖矿竞争的存在,比特币区块链有发生分叉的可能。分叉会破坏节点之间数据的一致性,影响系统的安全性和可用性,是非常重要的研究对象。首先介绍比特币中区块链分叉产生的原因以及比特币系统处理分叉的方法,其次分析影响分叉产生的各种因素和比特币是如何控制分叉产生的,最后列举一些基于分叉的攻击手段、改良方案以及应用场景。

Bitcoin, as a new digital currency system, pioneers the use of cryptographic elements and consensus mechanisms and builds up a secure decentralized system, while the blockchain, as the core of Bitcoin, uses peer-to-peer network communications and backs up transaction data in every node of the system, thus creating a huge distributed public book. Due to asychronousness of the network and the mining competition, the blockchain in Bitcoin may be forked. Fork would destroy the data consistency of between the nodes and affect the security and usability of the system, and thus is a very important research object. Firstly, the reason for production of blockchain’s fork and the method for solving forks in bitcoin system are explored. Then, the factors that affect forks and how Bitcoin controls bifurcation are analyzed. Finally, some fork-based attacks, modified solutions and application scenarios are listed.