Proof-of-Indicators: розробка та валідація адаптивного механізму консенсусу для блокчейн-мереж Інтернету речей

The object of this research is the consensus mechanism in blockchain networks for the Internet of Things (IoT). The expansion of IoT requires a decentralized approach, making blockchain a promising solution. The Proof of Authority (PoA) consensus protocol was identified as the most suitable base for heterogeneous IoT, however, it has limitations regarding fork occurrence, data duplication, and the signer selection process. The obtained results include the creation of the Proof of Indicators (PoI) consensus protocol that optimizes IoT network by reducing block size and prioritizing capable nodes for consensus tasks for devices with different performance and network conditions. PoI is based on Go-Ethereum's PoA Clique implementation; and a comparative performance analysis was conducted between PoI and Clique in a simulated IoT network. Testing shows that PoI reduces overall network traffic by 20.5% and decreases network forks by 80%. Under testing, PoI improves transaction throughput and decreases block propagation time, compared to Clique. These gains occur with a modest increase in resource consumption: an average rise of 6.5% in CPU usage and 5.4% in memory usage. A distinctive feature of this work is combining dynamic node selection with light block propagation within the blockchain consensus layer to address previously found limitations. The PoI system is a suitable solution for secure and purpose-specific blockchain application in IoT, where blockchain node can be hosted on low-powered devices, such as the Raspberry Pi, creating a fully decentralized cloud-independent infrastructure.