github.com/kchristidis/fabric@v1.0.4-0.20171028114726-837acd08cde1/docs/source/whyfabric.rst (about) 1 Why Hyperledger Fabric? 2 ======================= 3 4 Hyperledger Fabric is delivering a blockchain platform 5 designed to allow the exchange of an asset or the state of an asset to 6 be consented upon, maintained, and viewed by all parties in a 7 permissioned group. A key characteristic of Hyperledger Fabric is that 8 the asset is defined digitally, with all participants simply agreeing on 9 its representation/characterization. As such, Hyperledger Fabric can 10 support a broad range of asset types; ranging from the tangible (real 11 estate and hardware) to the intangible (contracts and intellectual 12 property). 13 14 The technology is based on a standard blockchain concept - a shared, 15 replicated ledger. However, Hyperledger Fabric is based on a 16 `permissioned network <glossary.md#permissioned-network>`__, meaning all 17 participants are required to be authenticated in order to participate 18 and transact on the blockchain. Moreover, these identities can be used 19 to govern certain levels of access control (e.g. this user can read the 20 ledger, but cannot exchange or transfer assets). This dependence on 21 identity is a great advantage in that varying consensus algorithms (e.g. 22 byzantine or crash fault tolerant) can be implemented in place of the 23 more compute-intensive Proof-of-Work and Proof-of-Stake varieties. As a 24 result, permissioned networks tend to provide higher transaction 25 throughput rates and performance. 26 27 Once an organization is granted access to the `blockchain 28 network <glossary.md#blockchain-network>`__, it then has the ability to 29 create and maintain a private `channel <glossary.md#channel>`__ with 30 other specified members. For example, let's assume there are four 31 organizations trading jewels. They may decide to use Hyperledger Fabric 32 because they trust each other, but not to an unconditional extent. They 33 can all agree on the business logic for trading the jewels, and can all 34 maintain a global ledger to view the current state of their jewel market 35 (call this the consortium channel). Additionally, two or more of these 36 organizations might decide to form an alternate private blockchain for a 37 certain exchange that they want to keep confidential (e.g. price X for 38 quantity Y of asset Z). They can perform this trade without affecting 39 their broader consortium channel, or, if desired, this private channel 40 can broadcast some level of reference data to their consortium channel. 41 42 This is powerful! This provides for great flexibility and potent 43 capabilities, along with the interoperability of multiple blockchain 44 ledgers within one consortium. This is the first of its kind and allows 45 organizations to curate Hyperledger Fabric to support the myriad use 46 cases for different businesses and industries. Hyperledger Fabric has 47 already been successfully implemented in the banking, finance, and 48 retail industries. 49 50 We welcome you to the Hyperledger Fabric community and are keen to learn 51 of your architectural and business requirements, and help determine how 52 Hyperledger Fabric can be leveraged to support your use cases. 53 54 .. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License 55 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 56