Document management across departments in defense using blockchain technology
B S Anupama, N. R. Sunitha, Yadlapalli Ranganadh, Raguru Jaya Krishna, Raga Deepthi Juturu, Muralidhar, G. S. Thejas · 2025
Development of a centralized document management system was always deemed inappropriate due to the large number of participants involved; as a result, the entire process of sending and receiving documents and attachments across departments is still done by postal mail in physical form today. Transaction cost of the huge documents is more in the existing systems. So, we propose a system to reduce the transaction cost of huge documents shared across the departments in defense by using IPFS to store huge documents and hash of huge documents is stored on blockchain. The pilot application will use Interplanetary File System (IPFS) and Ethereum blockchain to store and distribute documents. IPFS Network is a Distributed File System (DFS) that enables secure and decentralized file sharing. Use of blockchain provides high level security and trust in system. All transactions in system will be recorded on blockchain, providing immutable and auditable record of all activities. This means that participants have confidence in the authenticity of the documents and their revisions. Furthermore, the system will maintain different versions of the documents, allowing participants to track changes over time. This feature is useful when dealing with documents in defense that require frequent revisions, such as contracts or legal agreements. By maintaining a history of all versions, the system provides transparency and accountability to the document management process in defense. To ensure that only authorized personnel have access to documents, system will implement access control mechanism. Editors will be able to modify and update the documents, while viewers will only be able to view them. This approach ensures that the documents in defense are protected from unauthorized access and tampering. Overall, the pilot application offers a secure, reliable, and efficient solution to document management challenges faced by the participating entities in defense. By leveraging blockchain technology, system provides a high level security and trust in Document Management (DM) process in defense, while also reducing costs and improving collaboration. The transaction cost of huge documents shared across the departments in the proposed system is less when compared to existing systems. Storing a 1MB file in Ethereum would cost approximately 6380 rupees or 0.04132 ETH in the existing systems. Whereas in the proposed system it costs 0.00000000000032 ETH or 0.00000004 rupees.