Block RTC
The Block RTC is a decentralized, topic-based publish-subscribe system. Each stream or pub-sub topic has its own peer-to-peer overlay network that is built and maintained by a set of BitTorrent-like trackers. Development is still in progress, with Tatum as the current milestone.
The Block RTC is still under active development, with Tatum as the current major milestone.
Network overview
Applications publishing or subscribing to data streams interact with the network via Blockstream nodes, which run natively inside JS-based applications, including the browser. Apps can also interface with nodes using simple standard protocols like MQTT, HTTP, and WebSockets, making integration easy from any programming language.
Network overview
To allow applications to interact with a stream, the node joins it by connecting to a number of other nodes that have already joined the stream. Each node that has joined a stream relays messages to other connected nodes under the rules of the protocol. This means that every node that receives particular data also helps distribute it onwards, making the network scale extremely well.
Network overview
Messages that are not intended to be public are end-to-end encrypted, and can only be decrypted by a set of recipients controlled by the publisher. Each published message is also signed with the publisher’s private key, making tampering of the data impossible.
Network overview
The Block RTC works alongside the Ethereum blockchain and uses its identity system. Users are represented by Ethereum addresses and authenticated by private keys. Ethereum smart contracts are used to maintain and secure the registry of permissions associated with streams, and the DATA token is used to to pay Blockstream nodes for securing and scaling streams on the network.
Use cases
The Blockstream network opens up a world of innovation by connecting unstoppable pub/sub real-time data transport to the ecosystem of decentralized applications
Data Monetisation
Buy and sell access to ethically sourced data streams with Data Products and Data Unions
DevOps
Gather metrics from decentralized systems such as blockchain networks
Gaming
Capable of being the real-time networking layer of massive multiplayer games
IoT messaging
Publish and broadcast messages from any kind of internet-connected device
Networking middleware
Transfer metadata for VoIP or WebRTC signalling
Blockchain networking
DDoS resistant block transfer or broadcast signed transactions with low and predictable latency
Explore the Network
The Network Explorer app allows you to dig into what is happening moment-to-moment on the Block RTC. View and search for nodes, streams and connections, with live and historical metrics.
Get started with the Block RTC
Truly decentralised innovation with real-time data applications is enabled by Blockstream's P2P network and companion blockchain settlement layer.
Connect your app
to the Network
Applications always access the Block RTC via a node. JS-based applications, including the browser will run a node inside your application. Non-JS based environments interface with Blockstream nodes with standard protocols.
Blockstream SDK
By using the Blockstream SDK, a Blockstream node will run natively inside your application, but this approach can only be used in JS-based environments at the moment. This library is distributed as an npm package.
Blockstream node
If your application is written in other programming languages, run a Blockstream node as a separate process, and your application will interact with it over MQTT, HTTP or WebSocket. The Blockstream node is distributed as a Docker image or as an npm package.
Mine DATA tokens
You can earn DATA by becoming an Operator and running Blockstream nodes. By doing so, you help secure and scale the Network, and contribute your bandwidth and computing resources to the Network.
Mine DATA tokens
While the full token economics will only go live in the 1.0 milestone in late 2023, Blockstream nodes can earn token rewards in the Brubeck milestone too.
Mine DATA tokens
The Blockstream node runs well on commodity hardware, including ordinary computers, mini-computers such as Raspberry Pi—almost anything that can run Docker or node.js.
Mine DATA tokens
The node consumes bandwidth and CPU depending on your application workloads or mining settings, which determine how much data traffic flows through the node. For mining, high uptime and a stable connection will maximize rewards, and at least 8 GB of available RAM is recommended.
Governance
Blockstream is using a lightweight governance system of community voting on Blockstream Improvement Proposals (SIPs) via the Snapshot app. All token holders are eligible to vote and you can browse current and past proposals.
Tokenomics
The Network can operate as a free and open data network, but it also provides incentives for users to run sponsored nodes to provide a higher quality of service, and allows token holders to earn by staking on Operators that share revenue.
Networks compared
Understanding how the Blockstream network differs from other solutions can help to clarify the strengths of a truly decentralised real-time data network.
| Â |
Blockstream
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PubNub
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Google Firebase
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Matrix
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Architecture
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Decentralised
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Distributed
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Distributed
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Federated
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Message Ordering
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Message completeness
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Message signing
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E2E Encryption
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Data monetisation
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Storage
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License
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Open source
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Proprietary
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Proprietary
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Apache V2
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Governance
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DAO
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Company
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N/A
|
Foundation
|
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Identity
|
Ethereum public key
Eth public key
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Email
|
Email
|
Email + phone number
Email + phone
|
| Â | Blockstream | PubNub |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Decentralised | Distributed |
| Message Ordering |
|
|
| Message completeness |
|
|
| Message signing |
|
|
| E2E Encryption |
|
|
| Data monetisation |
|
|
| Storage |
|
|
| License | Open source | Proprietary |
| Governance | DAO | Company |
| Identity |
Ethereum public key
Eth public key
|
| Â | Blockstream | Google Firebase |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Decentralised | Distributed |
| Message Ordering |
|
|
| Message completeness |
|
|
| Message signing |
|
|
| E2E Encryption |
|
|
| Data monetisation |
|
|
| Storage |
|
|
| License | Open source | Proprietary |
| Governance | DAO | N/A |
| Identity |
Ethereum public key
Eth public key
|
| Â | Blockstream | Matrix |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Decentralised | Federated |
| Message Ordering |
|
|
| Message completeness |
|
|
| Message signing |
|
|
| E2E Encryption |
|
|
| Data monetisation |
|
|
| Storage |
|
|
| License | Open source | Apache V2 |
| Governance | DAO | Foundation |
| Identity |
Ethereum public key
Eth public key
|
Email + phone number
Email + phone
|
Design principles
Explore some of the design principles that guide network development or grab the whitepaper for more details.
- Scalable
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Provide acceptable quality of service
no matter how many nodes are added - Decentralized
- Avoid hotspots or central points of failure
- Low and predictable latency
-
Subscribers should
receive each event without unnecessary delays - Optimized for small payloads per message
- Works best with large numbers of smaller messages
- Efficient
-
The number of unnecessary messages
transmitted in the network should be low - Message complete
-
Nodes should receive all the
messages of subscribed streams with high probability - Churn tolerant
-
Offer good quality of service even
if nodes join and leave the network at a rapid pace - Resilient
- Should provide resilience to all known attacks
- Simple
-
Should be reliable in real-life use,
simple and easy to debug
