ComChain: An Efficient and Secure Reputation-Driven Blockchain for Collaborative Edge-End Computing with Sharding

Designing blockchains for collaborative edge-end computing systems in open environments is challenging, especially in balancing security and performance. While sharding enhances throughput and security, most methods overlook collaborative edge-end computing requirements, disregarding diverse IIoT device reputations. Additionally, many lack effective consensus mechanisms, undermining resource collaboration. Addressing these issues, this paper presents “ComChain,” an innovative blockchain architecture employing reputation-based sharding. It groups IIoT devices by reputation in their base station zones and implements a task-focused consensus mechanism, guaranteeing trustworthy computation outcomes and detailed IIoT behavior capture. Unique to ComChain is its dual-dimensional data recording, interlinking device transactions, and simplifying reputation evaluation. Experiments show ComChain outperforms other sharding-based blockchains in efficiency and security.

I. Introduction

Collaborative Edge-end Computing enables multiple edge devices to collaboratively execute computational tasks and optimizes resources. This shift allows IIoT devices to form a computational network, distributing tasks and data requests amongst themselves, thus enhancing data processing efficiency and offering real-time flexibility for IIoT applications. Yet, trust issues arise in such open environments, prompting the integration of blockchain technology. However, the marriage of IIoT with blockchain in edge computing, while promising, grapples with challenges: 1)

Efficiency: Integrating blockchain with Collaborative Edge-end Computing is complex due to IIoT devices' limited resources and their varying computational at-tributes.

2)

Threats: Blockchains designed for edge computing could be exposed to Sybil attacks, risking their operational integrity. Detecting such malicious nodes remains time-intensive.