CPU power and network bandwidth-aware optimal block size computation for blockchain-based applications using meta-heuristic algorithms.

Block size in a permissioned blockchain system plays a huge role in scalability and performance of system. A large number of blocks are continuously disseminated into the network and hence it becomes important to study the effect of block size in a decentralized peer-to-peer network. The scalability of the system is the biggest concern. Scalability is a metric that refers to the ability of the system to increase or balance its performance depending upon the load and the processing demands on the system. The success of any blockchain-based application is dependent on the size of block used. Block size governs the time required to transmit a block (block transmission time) and the rate at which the unconfirmed transactions are verified (transaction pool clearance time). Block size also acts as a factor in ordering the blocks in the chain and dictates the performance and security of the system. This paper presents simulation analysis of the influence of block size on blockchain and the role of network bandwidth-aware optimal block size on the performance of the blockchain system. Nature-inspired algorithms have been used to determine the link between block size and scalability and are used for finding the optimal block size for a Blockchain-based application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]