What Is Hyperledger Sawtooth?
Let me tell you about Hyperledger Sawtooth—it's an open-source project under the Hyperledger umbrella, functioning as an enterprise-level blockchain system for creating and operating distributed ledger applications and networks, especially tailored for business use.
Key Takeaways
You need to know that Hyperledger Sawtooth acts as an open-source enterprise blockchain-as-a-service platform where you can run customized smart contracts without diving into the core system's design.
Hyperledger itself is an umbrella group for blockchain development, backed by organizations like the Linux Foundation, IBM, Intel, and SAP.
It supports multiple consensus algorithms, such as Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) and Proof of Elapsed Time (PoET).
Understanding Hyperledger Sawtooth
Developed by the Linux Foundation alongside IBM, Intel, and SAP, Hyperledger Sawtooth's core design focuses on keeping ledgers truly distributed while making smart contracts secure enough for business environments—it's essentially a blockchain-as-a-service (BaaS) implementation.
In typical blockchain systems, the core and applications run on the same platform, which can cause performance bottlenecks and security risks.
Hyperledger Sawtooth changes that by separating the core ledger from the application environment, simplifying development while maintaining safety and security. As a developer, you can build applications in your chosen language and run them on the system's periphery without touching the core blockchain.
It supports languages like C++, Go, Java, JavaScript, Python, and Rust. Your Sawtooth application might center on core business logic or operate as a smart contract virtual machine that handles contract creation, notifications, and execution among blockchain participants.
The core system lets multiple applications coexist on the same blockchain, where you can choose transaction rules, permissioning mechanisms, and consensus algorithms to fit enterprise needs and finalize the digital ledger's operations.
How Hyperledger Sawtooth Works
Sawtooth allows selective permissions, meaning you can deploy clusters of nodes with varying permissions on the same blockchain easily—the ledger itself stores details on permissions, nodes, and identities.
Performance gets a boost through parallel transaction execution, which outperforms serial methods that often slow down high-volume transactions on popular cryptocurrency networks.
It uses the Proof of Elapsed Time (PoET) consensus mechanism, which provides low resource and energy use, ideal for permissioned networks to determine mining rights or block winners. (For more details, look into Proof of Elapsed Time.)
In practice, Sawtooth powers applications like Sawtooth Supply Chain for tracking asset logistics on the blockchain, Sawtooth Marketplace for trading digital assets in set quantities, and Sawtooth Private UTXO for creating and trading digital assets, including private off-ledger transactions.
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