Blockchains in IoT
Neeraj Kumar Gupta · 2024
The advancement in digital communication has made communiqué more affordable and accessible. The Internet of Things (IoT) has played a huge role in integrating cyber-physical systems. Billions of sensors accumulate gigabytes of raw data, which is processed to achieve the desired output. Almost every sector, ranging from industries to healthcare, transportation, education, and others, revolves around electronic ways and means to reach the masses. This data needs to be protected to ensure that desired actions are legitimate. Blockchains can enable the transaction recording, validation of transactions, and tracking of resources for tangible and intangible assets. Cryptocurrencies are one of the finest applications of blockchains that help attract the interest of academia and industry to adopt the technology. The fusion of blockchains and the IoT, popularly termed B-IoT, aims to solve many security-related problems concerning the data accumulated through devices deployed across various sectors. The current chapter identifies the architecture of B-IoT, security issues solved through the adaption of blockchains in IoT, different consensus algorithms, and other cases reported in the literature. The key benefits of adopting blockchains in IoT include scalability, enhanced security, interoperability between IoT systems, and ease of IoT infrastructure management. The first section of the chapter illustrates the recent trends in IoT and blockchains. The second and third sections preview the architecture and working of IoT and blockchains, respectively. The fourth section highlights the key benefits of incorporating blockchains in IoT. Section five is dedicated to various B-IoT platforms successfully deployed and used to carry out day-to-day operations. Section six illustrates multiple challenges that must be addressed to make the existing solutions more efficient. The seventh section outlines various research directions and pointers that would improve the effectiveness and capability of blockchains in various IoT applications.