An architecture for upgradeability and changeability of smart contracts on the Ethereum platform

Preboj tehnologije veriženja blokov je omogočil oživitev in razvoj pametnih pogodb, ki omenjeni tehnologiji predstavljajo ključno dodano vrednost. Pametne pogodbe so trenutno v fazi zasnove koncepta in s tem sprožajo veliko zanimanje strokovne javnosti. Prav zaradi zgodnje faze v samem razvoju so izoblikovani vzorci dobrih praks razvoja pametnih pogodb in arhitektur decentraliziranih aplikacij, ki temeljijo na pametnih pogodbah, zelo okrnjeni. Ena od ključnih lastnosti tehnologije veriženja blokov je nespremenljivost, ki se odraža tudi na pametne pogodbe. Takšna lastnost lahko predstavlja izvedbene in varnostne težave, saj so pametne pogodbe nezamenljive in hkrati nespremenljive v trenutku, ko so nameščene v omrežje verig blokov. V magistrskem delu predlagamo arhitekturo ekosistema pametnih pogodb, ki bo učinkovito omogočala zamenljivost in nadgradljivost pametnih pogodb na platformi Ethereum. Uporabo predlagane arhitekture smo predstavili na primeru reševanja realnega izziva nadgradnje poslovnega procesa implementiranega s pomočjo pametnih pogodb.The breakthrough in blockchain technology has allowed the development of smart contracts, which also provides additional value to the technology. Smart contracts are currently in the conceptual phase, which raises the interest of the professional public. Because of the early stage, the patterns of good practice in the development of smart contracts and the architecture of decentralized applications are very limited. One of the key features of the blockchain technology is unchangeability, which is also reflected towards smart contracts. Such feature can present several problems, since smart contracts are irreplaceable and unchangeable after their deployment on the blockchain network. In the thesis, we propose an architecture for a smart contract ecosystem, which enables the changeability and scalability of smart contracts on the Ethereum platform. The use of the proposed architecture is presented on a real-life use case, thus solving a challenge of upgrading a business process implemented with smart contracts