English

FnF-BFT: Exploring Performance Limits of BFT Protocols

Distributed, Parallel, and Cluster Computing 2021-03-11 v2

Abstract

We introduce FnF-BFT, a parallel-leader byzantine fault-tolerant state-machine replication protocol for the partially synchronous model with theoretical performance bounds during synchrony. By allowing all replicas to act as leaders and propose requests independently, FnF-BFT parallelizes the execution of requests. Leader parallelization distributes the load over the entire network -- increasing throughput by overcoming the single-leader bottleneck. We further use historical data to ensure that well-performing replicas are in command. FnF-BFT's communication complexity is linear in the number of replicas during synchrony and thus competitive with state-of-the-art protocols. Finally, with FnF-BFT, we introduce a BFT protocol with performance guarantees in stable network conditions under truly byzantine attacks. A prototype implementation of \prot outperforms (state-of-the-art) HotStuff's throughput, especially as replicas increase, showcasing \prot's significantly improved scaling capabilities.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2009.02235,
  title  = {FnF-BFT: Exploring Performance Limits of BFT Protocols},
  author = {Zeta Avarikioti and Lioba Heimbach and Roland Schmid and Laurent Vanbever and Roger Wattenhofer and Patrick Wintermeyer},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2009.02235},
  year   = {2021}
}

Comments

31 pages, 25 figures (including algorithms)

R2 v1 2026-06-23T18:19:14.160Z