Architecture

The Baseline Protocol provides a framework that allows Baseline Protocol Implementations (BPIs) to establish a common frame of reference, enabling confidential and complex business collaborations between enterprises without moving any data between traditional Systems of Record.

Presented below is a reference architecture that ensures two or more systems of record can synchronize their system state over a permissionless Consensus Controlled State Machine (CCSM) network when implemented.

Reference Architecture Layers

Figure 1: Detailed Baseline Reference Architecture Layers and Components

A Baseline Protocol Stack Reference Architecture as depicted above in Figure 1 is comprised of the following layers:

• Baseline Protocol Implementation (BPI) Abstraction Layer: Enables access to externally available BPI functions through APIs as defined in the Baseline Protocol API Specification.

• Middleware Layer: Manages all counterparties to an agreement and its associated workflows and worksteps with business rules and business data, as well as all counterparty delegates. It also manages all messaging between counterparties to an agreement and instantiation of processing layers based on newly created or updated agreements and their workflows, worksteps, business rules, and business data.

• Processing Layer: Manages, properly sequences, and deterministically processes and finalizes all state change requests from counterparties to all agreements represented in the BPI, in a privacy-preserving, cryptographically verifiable manner .

• CCSM Abstraction Layer: Enables access to all required BPI functions implemented on one or more CCSMs through APIs as defined in the Baseline Protocol API Specification.

• CCSM Layer: Manages, properly sequences, and deterministically processes all transactions from the Processing Layer, as well as either deterministically or probabilistically finalizes all CCSM state transitions based on said transactions on the CCSM.

Components of Each Layer

• BPI Abstraction layer

  • API Gateway: An API gateway that exposes all required functionality to the counterparties of an agreement and enforces all necessary authentication and authorization of API calls, as well as properly directs the API calls within the Baseline Protocol Stack.

  • Application: The application logic which manages the pre-processing and routing of all API requests, as well as the enforcement of authentication and authorization protocols and rules.

• Middleware Layer

  • Workflows: A Business Process Management engine that allows for the definition, management, and instantiation of workflows, worksteps, and associated business rules based on (commercial) agreements between counterparties.

  • Identity/Accounts/Workgroups: A capability that allows for the identification and management of counterparties and their delegates, as well as members of workflows and worksteps organized in workgroups that are derived from the counterparties to an agreement.

  • Messaging: A messaging capability that allows the exchange of secure and privacy-preserving messages between counterparties to an agreement to communicate and coordinate an agreement on proposed (commercial) state changes.

• Processing Layer

  • Transaction Pool: One or more transaction pools that holds, properly sequences, pre-processes and batches all requested state change transactions of a BPI, for processing by the Virtual State Machine.

  • Virtual State Machine: One or more Virtual State Machines which deterministically processes and finalizes all state change request transactions, in a privacy-preserving, cryptographically verifiable manner.

  • Storage: A storage system for the cryptographically linked current and historical state of all commercial agreements in a BPI.

• CCSM Abstraction Layer

  • API Gateway: An API gateway that enables accessing all required BPI functions implemented on one or more CCSMs, and properly directs the requests within the CCSM Abstraction layer to the proper CCSM API application logic.

  • Application: The CCSM API application logic manages the pre-processing, as well as the proper usage of the underlying CCSM and BPI authentication and authorization.

• CCSM Layer

  • Messaging: A messaging capability that allows the exchange of messages between CCSM nodes that comprise of either received transactions or a new proposed CCSM state.

  • Transaction Pool: A transaction pool holds, properly sequences, pre-processes, and batches all submitted CCSM transactions for processing by the CCSM Virtual State Machine.

  • Virtual State Machine: A Virtual State Machine deterministically processes all submitted transactions for CCSM state changes, in a cryptographically verifiable manner.

  • Storage: A storage system for the cryptographically linked current and historical state of all CCSM State Objects.

Glossary

Check out the Glossary for further clarification on terms.