Have you ever worked with a device that does not have a backup? It can be a scary experience. Any mistake or malfunctioning ultimately leads to zero progress – all the work is gone. It’s better when the work has just begun, but it's a sad occurrence when it’s halfway done or close to finishing. Therefore, people look for means to back up their work. In project execution, there is always a plan A and B. Other times, an extra backup is still implemented to ensure a smooth run if the initial plans fall through. The essence of backups is to retain progress and steady projects. Thankfully, with the growth of technology comes various backup means for devices like, google cloud, iCloud, etc.

The cryptocurrency blockchain is established on a decentralized network of nodes to execute and confirm transactions and sustain the integrity of the blockchain. However, it is not inevitable that malfunctions occur in the system nodes, which could lead to errors and malfunctions in the network. A better explanation of this system connection can be illustrated as a relay race. Runners are lined up, from the start to the finish line waiting for the baton, halfway through the race, the runner in the middle falls and cannot continue to the next step, that is a malfunction. The nodes in the blockchain network are also interdependent in the same way the runners are interdependent on one another,

Can you imagine cryptocurrency, a digital finance market, without a backup? All assets and data have gone on a whim due to the malfunctioning of some nodes in the system. Such a scenario is impossible, don’t fret! The malfunctioning of the nodes in the system is called the Byzantine Fault. Meanwhile, there is also a backup to attack this fault if it ever occurs, so it does not affect the blockchain, this backup is called the Byzantine Faut Tolerance.

This problem in cryptocurrency is usually illustrated as the Byzantine General’s Problem, where a group of soldiers want to attack a city, meanwhile, some traitors among them would not deliver the right message to the next general, making the mission a failure. This is the best explanation for the occurrence of node malfunction in blockchain.

Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance in Decentralized Payment Systems

How Does Byzantine Fault Tolerance Work?

Byzantine Fault Tolerance(BFT) operates based on the type that is utilized in a crypto network. There are two types of BFT, they are;

Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT): PBFT is a BFT algorithm that is mostly used in the blockchain network. It can secure all nodes in the network by ensuring they can validate new blocks and transactions before they are included in the blockchain. That is, it doublechecks and ensures the functionality of nodes before relying on them to run the network. It is also designed to be effective and fast while adequately preventing Byzantine faults.

Importance and Drawbacks of PBFT

Although Practical Byzantine fault Tolerance is a fast-paced, strong, and reliable algorithm, it has some drawbacks. Majorly, it requires a high level of connection between nodes to ensure adequate communication. Furthermore, due to its mode of operation, it might not be suitable for networks with a high number of nodes.

Federated Byzantine Agreement (FBA): FBA is a consensus algorithm, designed to be more effective than PBFT. FBA works in a unitary format. The nodes are arranged in units of networks, and they communicate within themselves to reach a consensus. Afterward, each unit of the network can now inter-relay the information on what the nodes in the other unit have agreed upon, based on this message, a general agreement can be reached. Nodes in FBA can be in one or more network units, depending on their requirements. FBA is more flexible than PBFT.

Importance and Drawbacks of FBA

Federated Byzantine Tolerance is a new model, and there are still doubts about its operation in a highly congested network or large networks. Also, due to the units in the network, it is a complex algorithm. However, it is designed to be more efficient and achievable than PBFT.

Conclusion

Byzantine Fault Tolerance is a key factor in maintaining a smooth run of operation, and backup. There are two major types of BFTs, each with its drawbacks, however, the choice of which one to adopt should be made based on the type of blockchain network to protect. Generally, BFT must be installed to enable a secure network.