IBM Blockchain’s Shift Toward Red Hat OpenShift Bodes Well for Enterprise Blockchain Community
IBM has been a dominant force in the blockchain space for industry and enterprises for some time. Whereas the Ethereum platform has gained an enthusiastic following with individuals, hobbyists, start-ups, and smaller firms, many companies searching for enterprise-grade blockchain solutions have steered toward platforms like Hyperledger Fabric. IBM is an original contributor of the Hyperledger Fabric framework, and its IBM blockchain platform builds on top of the enterprise-grade Hyperledger Fabric technology. After its acquisition of open-source giant Red Hat it was only a matter of time before flagship products from the two behemoths started merging to generate platforms and coding systems with greater flexibility and functionality for developers. The IBM blockchain platform is one such beneficiary.
Source: SoftwareReviews Blockchain Platforms Data Quadrant, Accessed May 14, 2020.
Our Take
Because blockchain technology exists in networks and is not isolated – it would defeat the purpose if it were – the advantages of containers become apparent when it comes to developing blockchain applications and decentralized apps (Dapps). Each Dapp can be thought of as a single entity of code fulfilling a specific purpose. Underlying the application are the features of distributed ledger technology. In an ideal environment, the Dapp will scale up or down depending on demand – and this is exactly what containers and microservices are designed to optimize. Hence, building out Dapps within a containerized architecture seems like a natural progression. Time will tell whether the blockchain community will latch on to these developments in addition to other trends such as blockchain-as-a-service.