Blockchain communications and ordering
The present disclosure provides a computer implemented method for maintaining a record of an order of messages appearing on one or more blockchains, the method comprising: identifying a plurality of messages, wherein each of the messages in the plurality of transactions is included on any of the one or more blockchains; and storing a record of the plurality of messages in a data store, wherein the record is indicative of the relative order of the plurality of transactions.
1 . A method implemented by blockchain communications layer to provide interoperability between an application and a plurality of different blockchains, wherein an application functional layer related to the application is operative to provide functional operations of the application that make use of at least a first blockchain and a second blockchain of the plurality of different blockchains and thereby decouple protocol requirements of the first blockchain and the second blockchain from the functional operations of the application, the method comprising the blockchain communications layer:
receiving, by the blockchain communications layer, a blockchain request from the application functional layer, wherein the blockchain request specifies a first blockchain operation to be performed on the first blockchain and a second blockchain operation to be performed on the second blockchain;
the blockchain communications layer communicating with the first blockchain, over a computer network interface, in accordance with protocols of the first blockchain to perform the first blockchain operation; and
the blockchain communications layer communicating with the second blockchain, over a computer network interface, in accordance with protocols of the second blockchain to perform the second blockchain operation:
wherein the blockchain request comprises a data identifier indicative of data to be read from the first blockchain;
wherein the first blockchain operation comprises a read operation to read the data to be read from the first blockchain; and
the blockchain communications layer communicating, over a computer network interface to the application functional layer, data obtained by the read operation on the first blockchain based on the data identifier.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second blockchain operation comprises at least one of: a read operation to read data on the second blockchain; a write operation to write data to the second blockchain.
3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
returning, to a sender of the blockchain request, a confirmation of successfully performing at least one of: the first blockchain operation; and the second blockchain operation.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the blockchain request comprises a request to perform a cross ledger transaction (XLT), between the first blockchain and the second blockchain.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the request to perform the XLT comprises an XLT data identifier indicative of the data on the first blockchain to be transferred to the second blockchain by the XLT.
6 . The method of claim 4 wherein interfacing with the first blockchain and the second blockchain comprises any one or more of:
writing a proposed XLT transaction to the first blockchain;
writing a ready XLT transaction to the second blockchain;
writing a commit XLT transaction to the first blockchain;
writing a commit XLT transaction to the second blockchain.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein interfacing with the first blockchain and the second blockchain comprises writing data to the first blockchain and the second blockchain.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the data written to the first blockchain and the second blockchain is based on, but different to, data forming part of the blockchain request.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein data written to the first blockchain is different to data written to the second blockchain.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the data written to the first blockchain is linked to the data written to the second blockchain.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second blockchain operation comprises a write operation to write data to the second blockchain.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the first blockchain operation comprises a write operation to write data to the first blockchain.
13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the blockchain request comprises the data to be written to the second blockchain.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein interfacing with the first blockchain operation comprises writing data to the first blockchain and interfacing with the second blockchain operation comprises writing data to the second blockchain, in order to perform the XLT.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein data written to at least one of the first blockchain and the second blockchain is based on, but different to, data that forms part of the request to perform the XLT.
16 . A system for providing interoperability between an application and a plurality of different blockchains, wherein an application functional layer related to the application is operative to provide functional operations of the application that make use of at least a first blockchain and a second blockchain of the plurality of different blockchains and thereby decouple protocol requirements of the first blockchain and the second blockchain from the functional operations of the application, system comprising:
one or more processors; and
a memory storing a software program, wherein the software program, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to:
receive a blockchain request from an application functional layer, wherein the blockchain request specifies a first blockchain operation to be performed on the first blockchain and a second blockchain operation to be performed on a the second blockchain;
interface with the first blockchain, over a computer network interface, in accordance with protocols of the first blockchain to perform the first blockchain operation;
interface with the second blockchain, over a computer network interface, in accordance with protocols of the second blockchain to perform the second blockchain operation;
wherein the blockchain request comprise a data identifier indicative of data to be read from the first blockchain;
wherein the first blockchain operation comprises a read operation to read the data to be read from the first blockchain; and
communicate over a computer network interface to the application functional layer, data obtained by the read operation on the first blockchain based on the data identifier.
17 . Non-transitory computer readable media having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by at least one computer processor, cause the at least one computer processor to provide interoperability between an application and a plurality of different blockchains, wherein the an application functional layer related to the application is operative to provide functional operations of the application that make use of at least a first blockchain and a second blockchain of the plurality of different blockchains and thereby decouple protocol requirements of the first blockchain and the second blockchain from the functional operations of the application, the method comprising the blockchain communications layer:
receive a blockchain request from an application functional layer, wherein the blockchain request specifies a first blockchain operation to be performed on the first blockchain and a second blockchain operation to be performed on the second blockchain;
interface with the first blockchain, over a computer network interface, in accordance with protocols of the first blockchain to perform the first blockchain operation; and
interface with the second blockchain, over a computer network interface in accordance with protocols of the second blockchain to perform the second blockchain operation,
wherein the blockchain request comprise a data identifier indicative of data to be read from the first blockchain;
wherein the first blockchain operation comprises a read operation to read the data to be read from the first blockchain;
the blockchain communications layer communicating, over a computer network interface to the application functional layer, data obtained by the read operation on the first blockchain based on the data identifier.