A Novel Reputation-based Sharding Blockchain System in Edge Sensor Networks

Edge computing enables widely distributed nodes with varying sensing, storage, and computing resources to collaborate effectively. For instance, sensor nodes gather data, store it in storage nodes, and allow computing nodes to access it as needed. However, the heterogeneity of edge computing poses a significant challenge in designing a mechanism to match the diverse and widely deployed devices. Additionally, the vast number of edge devices and their limited computing power make it impractical for a single device to maintain information for the entire network. This paper introduces a blockchain mechanism for large-scale data collection and management in edge networks. We propose a consensus mechanism for nodes in edge networks, enabling interactive clients to evaluate the quality of services provided by sensors. To alleviate the burden on edge devices in maintaining the blockchain, we employ sharding to divide the blockchain into multiple committees, thereby reducing the maintenance load. We also outline the design of the corresponding blockchain structure to adapt our proposed mechanism. Extensive simulation results demonstrate that our mechanism can save on-chain storage, improve data quality, and verify reputation.