BlockTree

BlockTree is a novel implementation of a blockchain that, rather than forming a linear chain of blocks, forms a tree of blocks, with each block having an arbitrary number of child blocks. This enables more flexible, creative, and participatory processes, as any block can be extended with new content.

Overview

Unlike traditional blockchain implementations, which require a consensus mechanism to determine the order of blocks, BlockTree uses a locally validated and passively synchronized model. Each block is identified by a unique UUID, ensuring that blocks can be correctly and uniquely identified, regardless of the order in which they are created or received.

Getting Started

To install BlockTree, clone the repository and install the dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/username/BlockTree.git
cd BlockTree
npm install

how to use

// Create a new BlockTree instance
const blockTree = new BlockTree([]);

// Create a new transaction for the first block
const newBlockData1Transaction = new Transaction(
  TransactionType.ADD,
  new TransactionPayload(0, undefined, "ok")
);

// Create data for the first block
const newBlockData1 = new BlockData(
  "add first block",
  [newBlockData1Transaction],
  "Laodeus"
);

// Add the first block to the BlockTree
blockTree.addBlock("", newBlockData1);

// Log the BlockTree
console.log(JSON.stringify(blockTree));

Interfaces

IBlock

| Property | Type | Description | | -------- | ---- | ----------- | | id | string | The UUID of the block in the tree. | | hash | string | The hash of the block. | | previousHash | string | The hash of the previous block in the chain. | | data | IBlockData | The data associated with the block. |

Methods

| Method | Returns | Description | | ------ | ------- | ----------- | | calculateHash() | string | Calculates the hash for the block. | | validate() | boolean | Validates the block. |

IBlockData

| Property | Type | Description | | -------- | ---- | ----------- | | title | string | The title of the block. | | transaction | ITransaction[] | An array of transactions associated with the block. | | author | string | The author of the block. | | timestamp | string | The timestamp when the block was created. |

IBlockTree

| Property | Type | Description | | -------- | ---- | ----------- | | genesisBlock | IBlock | The first block in the blocktree. | | blockList | IBlock[] | A list of all blocks in the blocktree. |

Methods

| Method | Parameters | Returns | Description | | ------ | ---------- | ------- | ----------- | | addBlock(parentId: string, blockData: IBlockData) | parentId: string, blockData: IBlockData | IBlock | Adds a block to the blocktree. | | getBlockById(id: string) | id: string | IBlock | null | Gets a specific block by its ID. | | verifyIntegrity() | none | boolean | Verifies the integrity of the blocktree. | | getBlockChainToGenesis(blockId: string) | blockId: string | IBlock[] | Gets the chain of blocks from a specified block to the genesis block. | | getAllKnownChildren(blockId: string) | blockId: string | IBlock[] | null | Gets all known children of a specified block. | | synchronize(otherBlockTrees: IBlockTree[]) | otherBlockTrees: IBlockTree[] | void | Synchronizes the blocktree with other blocktrees. | | getGenesis() | none | IBlock | Returns the genesis block. |

ITransaction

| Property | Type | Description | | -------- | ---- | ----------- | | type | TransactionType | The type of the transaction. | | payload | ITransactionPayload | The details of the transaction. |

ITransactionPayload

| Property | Type | Description | | -------- | ---- | ----------- | | startIndex | number | The start index for the transaction operation. | | length | number (optional) | The length of the section to be affected by the transaction. | | content | string (optional) | The content to be added by the transaction. |root │

File Structure

├── models
│   ├── Block.ts
│   ├── BlockData.ts
│   ├── BlockTree.ts
│   ├── Transaction.ts
│   ├── TransactionPayload.ts
│   ├── Interfaces
│   │   ├── IBlock.ts
│   │   ├── IBlockData.ts
│   │   ├── IBlockTree.ts
│   │   ├── ITransaction.ts
│   │   ├── ITransactionPayload.ts
│   │   └── index.ts
│   └── index.ts
└── index.ts