Efficient Blockchain State Management with Quick Merkle Database (QMDB)

Efficient Blockchain State Management with Quick Merkle Database (QMDB)

Challenges in Blockchain State Management

Blockchain systems struggle with managing and updating state storage efficiently. This is due to high write amplification and extensive input/output operations. Traditional methods like Merkle Patricia Tries (MPT) cause frequent and costly disk interactions, leading to inefficiencies that limit throughput and scalability. These issues hinder decentralized applications that need high transaction rates and low infrastructure costs. Addressing these challenges is essential for the wider adoption of blockchain technology.

Limitations of Current Methods

Current state management methods, including MPT, AVL Trees, and NOMT, are not efficient enough for scalability and performance. MPTs can generate proofs quickly but have high write overhead and require a lot of DRAM. AVL Trees improve slightly but are resource-intensive and not suitable for real-time needs. NOMT enhances flash storage performance but still faces high write amplification issues. These limitations are significant roadblocks to achieving a balance between scalability, efficiency, and performance.

Introducing QMDB: A Revolutionary Solution

QMDB offers a groundbreaking method for managing blockchain state by combining key-value storage with Merkle tree functionality. This innovative design tackles the inefficiencies of previous systems with several new features:

  • Twig-based Subtree Compression: Reduces memory needs by compressing 2048 entries into one hash and bitmap, cutting DRAM usage by 99.9%.
  • In-memory Merkleization: Eliminates the need for disk I/O during state updates, optimizing performance even on consumer-grade hardware.
  • Append-only Architecture: Minimizes write amplification and allows for efficient state changes.
  • Historical Proof Capabilities: Facilitates quick verification and reconstruction of blockchain states for better transparency in decentralized applications.

High Performance and Scalability

QMDB utilizes a binary Merkle tree design with fixed-size twigs and a modular indexer optimized for large datasets. Its indexer requires only 2.3 bytes of DRAM per entry, enabling scalability to billions of entries while maximizing throughput. Techniques like sharding and a three-stage pipeline for processing enhance hardware resource utilization. QMDB supports CRUD operations with minimal SSD interaction, making it efficient across various hardware setups.

Outstanding Results

QMDB delivers exceptional improvements in blockchain state management, achieving up to 2.28 million updates per second and managing datasets with billions of entries. It outperforms existing systems, providing six times the throughput of RocksDB and eight times that of NOMT, even under heavy loads. QMDB is versatile, achieving 150,000 updates per second on affordable consumer setups while scaling up to 280 billion entries on enterprise servers. This capability significantly lowers the barriers to blockchain participation, ensuring remarkable scalability and throughput.

Transforming Blockchain Management

By addressing key inefficiencies in blockchain architectures, QMDB presents a robust solution for managing state updates and storage. Its innovative features like twig-based compression, in-memory Merkleization, and append-only updates redefine performance limits. These advancements lower hardware requirements and promote broader participation in decentralized networks, paving the way for advanced applications needing high transaction rates and efficient state management. QMDB sets new benchmarks for scalability and performance in blockchain state management.

Get Involved

Check out the Paper for more insights, and follow us on Twitter, join our Telegram Channel, and our LinkedIn Group. Don’t forget to join our 65k+ ML SubReddit.

Enhance Your Business with AI

To stay competitive, leverage Efficient Blockchain State Management with QMDB and explore how AI can transform your operations:

  • Identify Automation Opportunities: Find key customer interactions that can benefit from AI.
  • Define KPIs: Ensure measurable impacts from your AI initiatives.
  • Select an AI Solution: Choose tools that suit your needs and offer customization.
  • Implement Gradually: Start small, gather data, and expand AI usage wisely.

For AI KPI management advice, connect with us at hello@itinai.com. For ongoing insights into leveraging AI, follow us on our Telegram at t.me/itinainews or Twitter @itinaicom.

Discover how AI can enhance your sales processes and customer engagement at itinai.com.

List of Useful Links:

AI Products for Business or Try Custom Development

AI Sales Bot

Welcome AI Sales Bot, your 24/7 teammate! Engaging customers in natural language across all channels and learning from your materials, it’s a step towards efficient, enriched customer interactions and sales

AI Document Assistant

Unlock insights and drive decisions with our AI Insights Suite. Indexing your documents and data, it provides smart, AI-driven decision support, enhancing your productivity and decision-making.

AI Customer Support

Upgrade your support with our AI Assistant, reducing response times and personalizing interactions by analyzing documents and past engagements. Boost your team and customer satisfaction

AI Scrum Bot

Enhance agile management with our AI Scrum Bot, it helps to organize retrospectives. It answers queries and boosts collaboration and efficiency in your scrum processes.