Varieties of Blockchains

In this chapter, we address the manifold varieties of blockchains by presenting a design taxonomy that defines dimensions and categories for classifying blockchains and ways of using them in systems. Our taxonomy captures major architecturally relevant characteristics of blockchains and indicates their support for various quality attributes. This includes performance and quality attributes of blockchain-based applications, as well as core concerns of blockchains like decentralization and the data structure used.