Optimizing Energy Efficiency and Quality of Service in Fog Computing with a Decentralized Blockchain Framework

Abstract

This study introduces an innovative framework that combines edge computing with blockchain-based IoT systems. Unlike conventional IoT-blockchain models, which offer limited capabilities such as running multiple applications simultaneously and supporting cross-platform operations, the proposed approach provides a more comprehensive solution. However, they still rely heavily on cloud infrastructures for data storage and processing. This reliance forces resource-constrained IoT devices to handle raw data, resulting in increased management overhead, power consumption, and degraded Quality of Service (QoS) due to their centralized architecture. Furthermore, most existing frameworks address only a limited set of security concerns, leaving the ecosystem susceptible to various vulnerabilities. To overcome these limitations, we propose an QoS-Aware and Energy-Efficient Decentralized Blockchain (EEQA-DBC) designed for fog computing environments. EEQA-DBC eliminates the need for trusted intermediaries while resolving challenges linked to centralized systems. In addition, we introduce a novel security authentication mechanism that safeguards data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The framework we introduce significantly enhances the security of IoT-fog networks by defending against prevalent cyber threats such as eavesdropping, and denial-of-service (DoS) attempts, thereby improving the network's overall resilience.