IOTA Tangle: A Scalable and Feeless Distributed Ledger for IoT

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In the rapidly evolving world of distributed ledger technologies, IOTA stands out with its unique architecture designed for the Internet of Things (IoT). Unlike traditional blockchains, it utilizes a structure known as the Tangle—a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG). This innovative approach aims to eliminate scalability issues and high transaction fees, making it ideal for machine-to-machine communication and microtransactions.

Key Features of IOTA

IOTA's Tangle architecture provides several distinct advantages that cater to the needs of modern decentralized applications, especially within IoT ecosystems.

Scalability and Parallel Processing

The Tangle allows for parallel transaction validation. As more devices join the network and initiate transactions, the system becomes faster and more efficient. This scalability is a fundamental improvement over linear blockchain models.

Zero Transaction Fees

One of the most significant benefits is the absence of transaction fees. This feature makes IOTA exceptionally suitable for microtransactions, where even minimal costs would be prohibitive for IoT devices exchanging tiny amounts of data or value.

Decentralized Validation

In IOTA, there are no dedicated miners. Instead, each participant who issues a transaction must also validate two previous transactions. This mechanism promotes decentralization and security without relying on centralized validators.

Enhanced Security

The requirement for each transaction to approve two prior ones helps prevent double-spending and other fraudulent activities. The structure inherently strengthens network security as it grows.

IOTA's Role in System Architecture

IOTA serves as a core component for sharing critical information across entire systems. Its ability to handle vast amounts of data from numerous devices seamlessly integrates it into larger architectural plans, particularly those involving IoT networks and data integrity.

Getting Started with IOTA Tangle

Setting up a private Tangle within a Kubernetes (K8s) environment involves several clear steps. The necessary configuration files and deployment scripts are available in the aerOS GitLab repository.

Prerequisites

Before installation, ensure you have administrative access to your Kubernetes clusters. The bootstrap process must be executed only in the main cluster to generate essential configuration files. Run the run.sh script with admin privileges to initiate this setup.

Installation Process

Main Cluster Setup

After executing the bootstrap, confirm access to your desired K8s cluster. Use kubectl to apply the configuration files located in the initial-conf directory:

kubectl apply -f ./hornet/private_tangle/initial-conf/

Once completed, proceed to install the Hornet nodes. Deploy one node for each worker in your cluster:

kubectl apply -f ./private_tangle/kubernetes/domain-1/

Secondary Cluster Setup

For secondary clusters, the bootstrap and initial configuration steps are unnecessary. Simply install the contents from the hornet2 folder using:

kubectl apply -f ./private_tangle/kubernetes/domain-1/

Uploading Data to the Tangle

To send messages into the Tangle network, a custom script is provided. Retrieve the deployment configuration from the aerOS common-deployments with:

wget --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: TOKEN" "https://gitlab.aeros-project.eu/api/v4/projects/65/packages/generic/iota_custom_api/1.0.0/deployment.yaml"

Deploy it using:

kubectl apply -f ./deployment.yaml

Configuration and Developer Guide

After installation, verify all services are running correctly. Connect to port 8081 to test the deployment. The dashboard default credentials are admin/admin. The coordinator should send milestones every few seconds, indicating a healthy network.

Installed Components Overview

Sending Data via Custom API

Use the following curl command to upload a block to the Tangle:

curl --location 'http://API-IP:30635/upload?node=hornet-1' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data '{
 "tag": "your.custom.tag",
 "message": {
 "YourKey": "YourValue"
 }
}'

You can target any Hornet node by replacing hornet-1 in the URL with another node name (e.g., hornet-4) or its IP address. The message must be in JSON format with "tag" and "message" fields. 👉 Explore more data upload strategies

Licensing Information

IOTA components in this setup are released as free and unencumbered software into the public domain. Anyone may copy, modify, publish, or distribute the software in any form for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, without restrictions.

The software is provided "as is," without warranties of any kind. Authors are not liable for any damages resulting from its use.

Dependencies

There are no known dependencies for the components described in this deployment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes IOTA different from blockchain?
IOTA uses a Tangle structure instead of a linear blockchain. This allows for parallel transaction processing, feeless microtransactions, and greater scalability, making it ideal for IoT applications.

How does IOTA achieve zero transaction fees?
By eliminating miners and requiring users to validate previous transactions, IOTA removes the need for financial incentives, thus enabling feeless transactions.

Can I run a private Tangle for testing?
Yes, you can set up a private Tangle using Kubernetes and the Hornet node software as described in this guide. This is perfect for development and testing scenarios.

What is the role of the coordinator?
The coordinator in a private Tangle issues milestones to help bootstrap the network and ensure consensus until the network is sufficiently decentralized.

How secure is the IOTA Tangle?
Security is maintained through cryptographic principles and the requirement that each new transaction approves two previous ones, making tampering computationally impractical.

What kind of data can I send to the Tangle?
You can send any JSON-formatted data, making it flexible for various IoT use cases, from sensor readings to device commands. 👉 Get advanced deployment methods