Member Roles
Abstract
Membership provides various roles that differ in terms of authorisation and interaction possibilities. These are defined and described below.
Motivation
In order to be able to implement the structure in the consortium, different roles are required in order to be able to fulfil the authorisations and tasks that one receives as a member. The roles can be used to shape the decision-making process and thus enable targeted weighting. In addition, authorisations can also be granted for tasks.
Elaboration
The following roles are taken from the Hyperledger Fabrics glossary. These are generally defined and are suitable as an initial orientation for a permission blockchain network. The exact roles required depend on the application area of the respective blockchain. This list of roles is not exhaustive and should be adapted to the respective use case. These descriptions can also be adapted as desired for the respective purpose.
Roles
Chain Member
Entities that do not participate in the validation process of a blockchain network, but help to maintain the integrity of a network. Unlike Chain transactors, chain members maintain a local copy of the ledger.
Chain Transactor
Entities that have permission to create transactions and query network data.
Chain Validator
Entities that own a stake of a chain network. Each chain validator has a voice in deciding whether a transaction is valid, therefore chain validators can interrogate all transactions sent to their chain.
Chain Auditor
Entities with the permission to interrogate transactions.
Participants
Solution User
End users are agnostic about the details of chain networks, they typically initiate transactions on a chain network through applications made available by solutions providers. Roles: None
Solution Provider
Organizations that develop mobile and/or browser based applications for end (solution) users to access chain networks. Some application owners may also be network owners. Roles: Chain Transactor
Network Proprietor
Proprietor(s) setup and define the purpose of a chain network. They are the stakeholders of a network. Roles: Chain Transactor, Chain Validator
Network Owner
Owners are stakeholders of a network that can validate transactions. After a network is first launched, its proprietor (who then becomes an owner) will invite business partners to co-own the network (by assigning them validating nodes). Any new owner added to a network must be approved by its existing owners. Roles: Chain Transactor, Chain Validator
Network Member
Members are participants of a blockchain network that cannot validate transactions but has the right to add users to the network. Roles: Chain Transactor, Chain Member
Network Users
End users of a network are also solution users. Unlike network owners and members, users do not own nodes. They transact with the network through an entry point offered by a member or an owner node. Roles: Chain Transactor
Network Auditors
Individuals or organizations with the permission to interrogate transactions. Roles: Chain Auditor
Internal references and dependencies
Lists of internal references and dependencies
References to best practice, examples
List of references to best practice, examples
Bibliography of selected references
List of references and literature
RFC-0461
Contributing authors: David Maas
Status of this document: work in progress
Last day modified: 2021-06-08