An Adaptive Trust Aware Consensus Framework for Resource Constrained Blockchain Networks: Performance Evaluation and Security Analysis

doi:10.23940/ijpe.26.09.p3.516524

Abstract

Abstract: The introduction of blockchain technology is thought to be among the finest methods for ensuring the security of distributed systems. However, conventional consensus mechanisms like Proof of Work (PoW), Proof of Stake (PoS), and Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) entail heavy energy, computational, and communication costs. Therefore, the implementation of such consensus mechanisms in resource-constrained environments including the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing environments poses certain challenges. In this regard, this paper proposes a novel consensus framework known as Adaptive Trust Aware Consensus Framework (ATCF). It dynamically selects validators based on trustworthiness as opposed to considering only the computational power or stake ownership. It evaluates the participating nodes using different trust metrics, which include success rate of transactions, resource availability, and reputation score. After computation of trust levels, a light validator selection method is employed to choose the nodes with high levels of trustworthiness. In order to prove its efficiency, the framework was evaluated using a Python-based blockchain simulation. From the experimental results, it is noted that ATCF performs significantly better compared to PoW, PoS, and PBFT mechanisms. Particularly, it increased blockchain performance with no security risk involved since it achieved a throughput of 3372.83 transactions per second compared to others. The framework reduced consensus delay to 509.69 ms. Additionally, energy consumption dropped by approximately 86.3%. Most importantly, the framework managed to achieve a malicious node detection rate of nearly 90%. This indicates high resilience to any adversarial activities. Therefore, the proposed trust aware consensus mechanism can easily be integrated in any blockchain technology without compromising performance and security.

Key words: blockchain, trust management, consensus mechanism, Internet of Things, resource-constrained network, energy efficiency

Vibha Mani and Shruti Jaiswal. An Adaptive Trust Aware Consensus Framework for Resource Constrained Blockchain Networks: Performance Evaluation and Security Analysis [J]. Int J Performability Eng, 2026, 22(9): 516-524.

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