A Novel Framework for Secure and Scalable Cloud Computing Through Blockchain-Powered Microservices

Cloud computing has transformed the IT industry by providing on-demand and pay-as-you-go computing resources. However, security and privacy concerns are hindering its widespread adoption. To address these issues, we present new architectural design principles by which we can leverage blockchain technology to secure cloud computing systems. We enhance the tamper-proof nature of blockchains by deploying decentralised applications which run consensus-governed microservices directly on a blockchain or at least their cryptographic hashes along with corresponding service access control mechanisms. Here, we leverage the fact that (i) microservices offer encapsulation, eliminating the need for tamper-proof maintenance of their internal state while ensuring full availability through replicated tamper-proof hash values; (ii) microservice compositions accommodate necessary functionalities and suggest deployability options; and (iii) existing cloud infrastructures already facilitate microservice deployments due to the architectures major cloud vendors use underneath.