One of the main issues in consensus research is the many different variants of the problem that exist as well as the various ways the problem behaves when different setup, computational assumptions and network models are considered. In this work we perform a systematization of knowledge in the landscape of consensus research starting with the original formulation in the early 1980s up to the present blockchain-based new class of consensus protocols. Our work is a roadmap for studying the consensus problem under its many guises, classifying the way it operates in many settings and highlighting the exciting new applications that have emerged in the blockchain era.
Category / Keywords: cryptographic protocols / Consensus, Byzantine agreement, blockchain protocols, cryptographic protocols. Date: received 15 Aug 2018, last revised 9 Feb 2019 Contact author: juan a garay at gmail com Available format(s): PDF | BibTeX Citation Version: 20190210:052823 (All versions of this report) Short URL: ia.cr/2018/754