Description 

The objective of this project is to improve the interoperability of different blockchain networks by developing smart contract gateways that can interact with multiple networks. These gateways will automate, trace, and secure the process of submitting transactions to other blockchain networks.

To achieve this goal, the project will involve creating smart contract gateways for various blockchain networks, including those using the same platform, as well as gateways to submit transactions to heterogeneous networks. The initial focus will be on developing gateway smart contracts for connecting multiple separate Hyperledger Fabric networks, and the next step will be to create gateways to connect Hyperledger Fabric to other heterogeneous networks, such as Hyperledger Indy and Besu.

The project's primary objective is to evaluate system-level and large-scale integrations, which will be accomplished by setting up an extensive network of blockchains using Hyperledger Fabric as the source blockchain and other networks as destination networks.

Overall, the project aims to enhance the efficiency, security, and traceability of cross-blockchain transaction submissions, thereby improving the overall functionality of blockchain technology.

Additional Information

Wang, Gang, Qin Wang, and Shiping Chen. "Exploring Blockchains Interoperability: A Systematic Survey." ACM Computing Surveys (2023).

https://github.com/feknall/Hyperledger-FL

https://docs.axelar.dev/

https://www.hyperledger.org/use/cacti

Learning Objectives

• The mentee will be trained to work with various technologies such as blockchain, networking and network protocols, and containerization incorporated into Hyperledger Fabric and other blockchain platforms. 
• The mentee will gain well-rounded experience in developing blockchain interoperability techniques, contribute to the research work, and engage with the blockchain community.
• The mentee will also be introduced to the open-source culture and collaborative team working and engaging with the blockchain and, specifically, the Hyperledger community.
• The mentee will get hands-on experience with software development best practices, including code reviews, testing, and documentation.

Expected Outcome

• The open-source implementation of gateway smart contracts across multiple Hyperledger blockchain networks.

• Report on testing and evaluation results of the project across various Hyperledger blockchain networks to ensure the gateway smart contracts work seamlessly.
• Documentation by adding comprehensive guides and examples, making it easier for users to adopt and contribute to the project.
• Project demo video
• An academic paper that discusses system design, implementation, and evaluation details. Provide comparisons to other similar projects or implementations, highlighting the unique features and advantages of the proposed solution.

Relation to Hyperledger 

 Hyperledger Fabric, Hyperledger Indy, Hyperledger Besu, and Hyperledger Caliper. 

Mentee Skills

Proficiency in Hyperledger Fabric smart contract development and network development. Familiarity with other Hyperledger blockchain platforms, such as Hyperledger Indy and Hyperledger Besu, is a plus.

Future plans

• The future work will focus on expanding the gateway smart contracts to support connections to additional blockchain platforms beyond the initial focus on Hyperledger Fabric,  Indy, and Besu. This will involve researching and testing the interoperability of other blockchain networks and developing gateway smart contracts to facilitate transactions between them.
• Additionally, the project will leverage the existing gateway developed during the previous Hyperledger internship project, which involved connecting Hyperledger Fabric and Hyperledger Indy. This gateway will be utilized as a benchmark for evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of the new gateway smart contracts. The comparison will be made between the developed solution of the off-chain gateway and the on-chain gateway (smart contract gateways), focusing on factors such as transaction speed, security, and scalability.

Mentor(s) Names and Contact Info

Sara Rouhani, Assistant Professor, University of Manitoba, sara.rouhani@umanitoba.ca

Vahid Pourheidari, Solutions Architect Manager, ISM Canada vahid.pourheidari@gmail.com

Rui Pan, Engineering manager, Grain Discovery realruipan@gmail.com