Distributed ledger for peer-to-peer cloud resource sharing

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory;

wherein the processing device is configured to implement a first ledger node of a first cloud having a first set of cloud resources;

the first ledger node of the first cloud being configured:

to communicate over one or more networks with a plurality of additional ledger nodes associated with respective additional clouds having respective additional sets of cloud resources, the first and additional clouds comprising respective separate processing platforms associated with respective unrelated enterprises;

to establish a cloud resource sharing transaction with at least one of the additional ledger nodes of the additional clouds; and

to generate two or more cryptographic blocks characterizing the cloud resource sharing transaction;

wherein the two or more cryptographic blocks are entered into a blockchain distributed ledger collectively maintained by the first and additional ledger nodes;

wherein the first and additional ledger nodes collectively maintain the blockchain distributed ledger on a peer-to-peer basis without utilizing a centralized transaction authority;

wherein the first and additional ledger nodes collectively implement a blockchain based distributed broker arrangement for designated cloud services that are provided at least in part utilizing the first and additional sets of cloud resources of the respective first and additional clouds;

wherein at least a given one of the two or more cryptographic blocks characterizes a given dual reputation score for said at least one additional cloud as a provider of cloud services and for the first cloud as a consumer of cloud services at a given stage of execution performed subsequent to commencement and prior to completion of the cloud resource sharing transaction, the given dual reputation score for the given stage of execution comprising partial results generated for the cloud resource sharing transaction based on real-time monitoring of in-process performance of the first cloud as the consumer of cloud services and said at least one additional cloud as the provider of cloud services.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least a subset of the first and additional clouds comprise respective hybrid clouds.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cloud resource sharing transaction allows a user of the first cloud to utilize cloud resources of a given one of the additional clouds.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cloud resource sharing transaction allows a user of a given one of the additional clouds to utilize cloud resources of the first cloud.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the blockchain distributed ledger provides a federation relationship among the first and additional clouds.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first and additional clouds are federated at a certification and resource definition level that includes for each of the clouds one or more of the following:

cloud quality and security certifications;

remote attestation; and

confirmed ability to provide at least a specified minimum level of cloud resources for use by other ones of the clouds.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the blockchain distributed ledger collectively maintained by the first and additional ledger nodes of the respective first and additional clouds provides a first ledger system that interfaces to one or more additional ledger systems each collectively maintained by a different group of clouds and having respective additional blockchain distributed ledgers.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein each of the first and additional ledger systems comprises an interledger gateway supporting communication between that ledger system and other ones of the ledger systems.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of the two or more cryptographic blocks characterizing the cloud resource sharing transaction is generated at least in part as a function of one or more smart contracts and associated data maintained by a smart contract engine of the first ledger node.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the smart contracts and associated data include a reputation gauge contract and associated data and at least one of:

a cryptocurrency contract and associated data; and

a cloud service contract and associated data.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein a given instance of the cryptocurrency contract specifies a type and amount of cryptocurrency to be received by one of the clouds for utilization of its cloud resources by another one of the clouds.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein a given instance of the cloud service contract specifies one or more service level agreements for provisioning and monitoring of shared cloud resources.

13. A method comprising:

implementing a first ledger node of a first cloud having a first set of cloud resources;

configuring the first ledger node to communicate over one or more networks with a plurality of additional ledger nodes associated with respective additional clouds having respective additional sets of cloud resources, the first and additional clouds comprising respective separate processing platforms associated with respective unrelated enterprises;

establishing in the first ledger node a cloud resource sharing transaction with at least one of the additional ledger nodes of the additional clouds; and

generating in the first ledger node two or more cryptographic blocks characterizing the cloud resource sharing transaction;

wherein the two or more cryptographic blocks are entered into a blockchain distributed ledger collectively maintained by the first and additional ledger nodes;

wherein the first and additional ledger nodes collectively maintain the blockchain distributed ledger on a peer-to-peer basis without utilizing a centralized transaction authority;

wherein the first and additional ledger nodes collectively implement a blockchain based distributed broker arrangement for designated cloud services that are provided at least in part utilizing the first and additional sets of cloud resources of the respective first and additional clouds;

wherein at least a given one of the two or more cryptographic blocks characterizes a given dual reputation score for said at least one additional cloud as a provider of cloud services and for the first cloud as a consumer of cloud services at a given stage of execution performed subsequent to commencement and prior to completion of the cloud resource sharing transaction, the given dual reputation score for the given stage of execution comprising partial results generated for the cloud resource sharing transaction based on real-time monitoring of in-process performance of the first cloud as the consumer of cloud services and said at least one additional cloud as the provider of cloud services;

the method being performed by at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the blockchain distributed ledger collectively maintained by the first and additional ledger nodes of the respective first and additional clouds provides a first ledger system that interfaces to one or more additional ledger systems each collectively maintained by a different group of clouds and having respective additional blockchain distributed ledgers.

15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored therein program code of one or more software programs, wherein the program code when executed by at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory causes the processing device:

to implement a first ledger node of a first cloud having a first set of cloud resources;

to configure the first ledger node to communicate over one or more networks with a plurality of additional ledger nodes associated with respective additional clouds having respective additional sets of cloud resources, the first and additional clouds comprising respective separate processing platforms associated with respective unrelated enterprises;

to establish in the first ledger node a cloud resource sharing transaction with at least one of the additional ledger nodes of the additional clouds; and

to generate in the first ledger node two or more cryptographic blocks characterizing the cloud resource sharing transaction;

wherein the two or more cryptographic blocks are entered into a blockchain distributed ledger collectively maintained by the first and additional ledger nodes;

wherein the first and additional ledger nodes collectively maintain the blockchain distributed ledger on a peer-to-peer basis without utilizing a centralized transaction authority;

wherein the first and additional ledger nodes collectively implement a blockchain based distributed broker arrangement for designated cloud services that are provided at least in part utilizing the first and additional sets of cloud resources of the respective first and additional clouds;

wherein at least a given one of the two or more cryptographic blocks characterizes a given dual reputation score for said at least one additional cloud as a provider of cloud services and for the first cloud as a consumer of cloud services at a given stage of execution performed subsequent to commencement and prior to completion of the cloud resource sharing transaction, the given dual reputation score for the given stage of execution comprising partial results generated for the cloud resource sharing transaction based on real-time monitoring of in-process performance of the first cloud as the consumer of cloud services and said at least one additional cloud as the provider of cloud services.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the blockchain distributed ledger provides a federation relationship among the first and additional clouds.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the first and additional clouds are federated at a certification and resource definition level that includes for each of the clouds one or more of the following:

cloud quality and security certifications;

remote attestation; and

confirmed ability to provide at least a specified minimum level of cloud resources for use by other ones of the clouds.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the blockchain distributed ledger collectively maintained by the first and additional ledger nodes of the respective first and additional clouds provides a first ledger system that interfaces to one or more additional ledger systems each collectively maintained by a different group of clouds and having respective additional blockchain distributed ledgers.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein each of the first and additional ledger systems comprises an interledger gateway supporting communication between that ledger system and other ones of the ledger systems.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein generating the two or more cryptographic blocks characterizing the cloud resource sharing transaction comprises:

generating at least one additional one of the two or more cryptographic blocks characterizing at least one additional dual reputation score for said at least one additional cloud as a provider of cloud services and for the first cloud as a consumer of cloud services, the at least one additional dual reputation score being generated subsequent to completion of the cloud resource sharing transaction.