Microsoft unveils Ethereum proof-of-authority on Azure
Microsoft has launched Ethereum proof-of-authority on Azure, making it suitable for permissioned networks where all consensus participants are known.
Cody Born, software engineer at Azure, says: “Without the need for mining, proof-of-authority is more efficient while still retaining Byzantine fault tolerance.”
Aside from the cloud potential, another future application is unleashed because the proof-of-authority deployment comes with a governance DApp. This means it can be used for voting and validator delegation.
The firm already supports Ethereum on Azure with its existing proof-of-work solution.
Born notes that proof-of-work “works great in anonymous, open networks where competition for cryptocurrency promotes security on the network”.
He adds: “However, in private/consortium networks the underlying ether has no value.”
This latest Ethereum ledger product means each consensus node on the network has its own Ethereum identity.
Born explains: “In the case that a node goes down, it’s important that the member doesn’t lose consensus participation. Ideally, each member would run redundant consensus nodes to ensure a highly available network presence.
“To accomplish this, we’ve built an abstraction which allows each consensus participant to delegate multiple nodes to run on their behalf. Each Azure proof-of-authority network comes with our identity leasing system that ensures that no two nodes carry the same identity.”
