Optimizing blockchain file storage: enhancing performance and reducing ledger size with adaptive compression and advanced data structures

Abstract Ensuring the digital preservation of files and data in an immutable environment is essential for maintaining security, integrity, and trust. The decentralized architecture, robust security, and reliability of blockchain position it as a leading solution for storage technologies requiring tamper-proof integrity. This work presents an enhanced version of a previously published framework, introducing a technique to optimize on-chain file storage efficiency. The proposed solution leverages a blockchain ledger for data storage through a client and smart contract framework, integrating an optimal file compression technique, Google Protocol Buffers architecture, file chunking, and a verification process to minimize ledger size growth and enhance retrieval performance. Experimental results demonstrate that the enhanced framework achieves greater ledger size reduction than its predecessor, leading to improved data storage and retrieval efficiency. These improvements make the framework better suited for applications requiring an immutable storage environment, such as medical records, digital certificates, the judicial sector, and other similar domains.