译文/Translated：
我们采访了BlockBase的CEO Ricardo Schiller，和他聊了区块链数据存储的未来和他们提供的解决方案，这个解决方案可以一键提供隐私和规模化。
能和我们聊聊BlockBase吗？
BlockBase是一个在区块链上存储数据库的平台。你可以理解成它是运行BlockBase代码的分布式节点网络提供的数据库存储云服务。
把数据存储在区块链上虽然听上去反常识，但其实很有道理。当你把所有数据库和与数据相关的操作都存储在区块链上的时候，你就能够准确地证明在当下这个时间点，这个数据库到底发生了什么。
这个证明非常有价值，因为数据不能被操纵、秘密修改、或永远丢失，这样就给利用区块链数据的企业和机构带来了完整性和透明度。
这种功能可以在现有的区块链实现，但是会缺少两个要素：规模化和隐私。BlockBase网络运行依靠EOSIO智能合约，但它并没有把很多数据储存在EOS公网上。
相反，它运行在EOS公网的侧链，在大多数数据存储的地方。这些都是正常的区块链，但是我们把它们称为侧链，因为它们的所有区块头都发布在EOS公链上。
我们的方法给侧链结构带来了完整性，因为每个人都可以在EOS公链上验证其区块头，然后把它们和侧链上的对比。
储存在BlockBase上的所有数据都默认加密，通过类似SQL的语言保留搜索能力。这样一来，如果一般的企业只想要接入一个规模化的系统，实现在区块链上安全和私密地储存数据，那么，这个方法就可以让企业简单过渡。
BlockBase怎么实现规模化呢？
BlockBase的基础架构中就包含了规模化。这来自我们的一个想法：需要区块链的每个人都应该用有量身定做的区块链，而不是被默认和其他人使用同样的区块链然后再被迫适应区块链的吞吐量、安全性和成本。
在BlockBase上，每个人都可以向网络发送请求获得新的侧链。每个供应商可以根据其自身配置独立决定是否参与提供这个侧链。
这个决定是一个经济决定，它取决于侧链的请求：需要多少供应商、区块的大小、区块间隔时间、每生产一个区块奖励的BBT（BlockBase代币）多少。它还包含的条件是如果不符合生产服务水平协议（SLAs）要求，参与的BBT提供商就算输。
如果请求的是一个经济上很有吸引力的侧链，服务提供商就会迫不及待要提供。提供商的数量有上限，我们就会进行随机选择，但随机选择也更偏向于质押更多BBT的一方。如果它们不能根据SLA未侧链提供服务，它们也会失去质押的这部分代币。
服务提供商要根据自己投入的资金相互竞争。最后，它们就围绕着网络资源构成了一个成规模的自由市场经济。
BlockBase是怎么存储和保障数据安全的？
BlockBase利用一个类似SQL的语言管理数据，会选择这个语言是因为公司有意减轻使用难度，因为很多开发者已经熟悉这个语言了。
所有的数据库和数据相关的操作都储存在侧链上，因此从一开始就可追溯、可回顾。每个网络节点都储存了它们正在构建的所有侧链。如果它们是完整节点，它们还会执行本地数据库服务器上侧链包含的所有操作。
这就意味着针对每个侧链，它们总有正在构建的数据库的最新的版本。此外，请求节点会把所有的数据储存在本地，所以服务的请求者可以例可访问和查询这些数据。
BlockBase平台的设计宗旨是要把数据库储存在区块链上，所以，数据隐私对我们来说是一个重要问题——数据进入网络之前我们都会对其加密。
从数据库名称、表名和列名、到记录的数据，它们都会被完全加密。加密总是默认启用的，但是用户也可以通过明确的指令选择关闭。这和数据一般的存储方式刚好相反。
我们做了很多研发工作来确定如何采用这个机制，因为完全加密的数据是搜不到的。我们最后采用了保序加密机制，这样，你就可以搜索到数据但又不会直接泄露数据。
我们还更进一步：在BlockBase设计数据库结构的时候，服务的请求者可以微调每个数据库每个表格每个数据列可以展示多少排序情况。
你可能想避免完全透露数据顺序，毕竟非常厉害的黑客可以从中推断一些属性，所以说，我们用的这个方法是在隐私和可搜索性之间取得的最佳平衡。
这项技术最好的地方是你知道要搜索的内容的数据点越多，你需要显示的序列就越少，同时还能继续保留搜索性能。
你怎么想到要做BlockBase的？
大概在2016-17左右，智能合约创新激增。很明显，智能合约是一个强大的想法，而在区块链上存储通用数据是一个很好的功能。
这个想法主要源于直觉，而我们也确实没有找到任何一个提供数据存储解决方案的项目。我们找到了市场上的一块空白。
但是在我们开始之前，我们也认真研究了数据安全的现状，看看我们做的是不是有意义。我们很快发现现在的数据安全简直就是一堆技术和做法混杂在一起，根本没办法正常发挥作用。
行业面临的所有当代安全问题都可以证实我们的发现，而这些问题中，只有少部分会在新闻中报道出来。
从这里开始，我们就决定要申请先进研发项目的欧盟独家资助计划。我们最终获得了资助，这也证明我们在正确的道路上。
为什么会选择区块链技术，尤其是为什么会用EOSIO技术呢？
2018年中，我们的资金获批。我们知道区块链技术是我们想要构建的核心。
我们充实了所有主要技术概念，我们还要选择搭载BlockBase的主要区块链网络。这个决定非常重要，因为我们要在这个网络上呆很久。
我们对比了技术栈、社区、生态、多个支持智能合约的区块链的潜在发展水平，客观地做出决定。
之后，选择EOS公网区块链和EOSIO技术就是一个简单的决定了。EOSIO是构建我们项目的最好的生态。
BlockBase现在到了哪个阶段了？
BlockBase从2020年5月底开始在EOS公链上运行。我们发起了一个项目，让团队以服务提供方的身份运行BlockBase节点软件，并赚取BBT。
5月之后我们都在做软件，它在不断提高。到了9月，BlockBase网络已经实现了稳定水平。
现在我们主要关注改进网络性能、给它增加新的功能。BlockBse平台总算实现了两年前我们开始构建时的愿景。
您要克服哪些挑战，您是怎么做的呢？
首先，除非重要的数据能够先被加密，否则不会有人认真考虑要把这些数据储存在公共区块链上。
其次，传统的区块链还可能面临规模化问题，因此可能很难处理大型数据库。
这些是我们要克服的两大问题。于是我们才想到要对所有储存在区块链上的数据加密同时还要保证其可搜索性，也让我们想到了侧链，即把所有区块头发布在主链上的类区块链结构。
我们意识到隐私和可规模化对这样的通用数据库存储系统至关重要。
这两个概念就是BlockBase对社区的主要贡献，它们和计算机安全的核心概念捆绑在一起：机密、完整、可用。区块链提供了完整性；我们增加了加密程度和可用性。
用户要怎么开始用BlockBase呢？
- 他们可以从GitHub 下载BlockBase节点代码，按照安装步骤安装
- 他们从用户界面请求侧链
- 开始像用数据库服务其一样使用它
就是这么简单！
如果你想为网络做贡献，而不是请求侧链，你只要作为服务提供方运行节点就可以。这么做也非常简单，因为这是非常自动化的过程。系统会自动寻找最适合你配置成本/收益模型的侧链，并让你接入这些侧链。
你参加了EOSIO社区哪些项目，社区对BlockBase有怎样的反应呢？
我们进行了七个月的空投，把大约30%的BBT供应分配给EOS账户。
现在我们还在通过不同的方法分配BBT。现在，我们请求向主网提供侧链，并给20个不同的服务提供方分配代币。
我们还计划在未来扩展这个项目——引导一个由服务提供方节点组成的大规模网络。届时，每个人都可以作为服务请求方使用网络，马上就可以获得侧链并运行侧链。顺便说一下，这已经实现了，只不过规模还比较小。
能和我们介绍下您的团队以及团队的特殊之处吗？
BlockBase集合了很多团队成员的大量的努力和辛苦的工作，不管是过去还是现在。
我们是从一个IT咨询公司Agap2IT内部开始构建BlockBase的，所以我们不缺开发人才。区块链开发还是一个新兴领域，我们的核心区块链团队在过去两年没有什么变化。这种持续性让我们能够坚定地追寻我们的愿景。
我们的首席开发者Diogo Bulha是团队的中心，他有着卓越的开发能力和温和的性格。
Márcia Policarpo为SQL处理层做了整合工作，从加密到请求执行，再到从请求者节点到提供者节点的可靠传播。
Fernando Azevedo在执行和测试我们的智能合约上做了重要的工作。
当然，其他很多人也做了主要的贡献，但如果要一一列举可能需要好几页。
您还参与了哪些项目呢？
我们还和EOS生态的其他三个项目有伙伴关系：Hire Vibes、 Discussions、Boid。
此外，我们正在和想尝试区块链技术的当地公司建立关系。
您怎么看待BlockBase的未来？
区块链应用还处于婴儿时期。但是，我们相信这一天总会到来的，到时候，现有的区块链技术就需要规模化来处理全球的需求。
我们相信，满足未来需求的最佳方式是通过横向扩展架构，这就是BlockBase通过侧链提供的。
在我们看来，传统公司在考虑使用区块链的时候首先会寻找数据存储功能，BlockBase将是提供该服务的主要来源。
任何想利用区块链进行数据存储的公司很快就会发现其价格非常昂贵，很快。但这就是BlockBase会发光发热的地方。市场上没有任何其它公司有提供相同的规模化水平。
能用一句话概括下您的项目吗？
“BlockBase是全球最私有、最规模化的数据库储存区块链技术。”
建立在EOSIO之上？
我们的 #建立在EOSIO 系列展示了利用EOSIO科技的一些卓越的项目，它们都能为我们更加安全和联系的世界添砖加瓦。如果您想给我们下一个阶段的项目提建议，请给我们的开发者关系小组发送邮件spotlight@block.one
了解EOS VC如何通过战略性投资和风投合伴基金支持EOSIO生态，请访问 vc.eos.io
–Block.one开发者关系小组
…
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原文/Original：
We interviewed Ricardo Schiller, CEO of BlockBase, about the future of blockchain data storage and their solution that provides privacy and scalability at the click of a button.
Could you introduce BlockBase for us?
BlockBase is a platform for storing databases on blockchain. The best way to understand it is to think of it as a cloud service for database storage provided by a distributed network of nodes that are running the BlockBase code.
The concept of storing a database on a blockchain seems counterintuitive, but it makes a lot of sense. When you store all database structuring and data-related operations on a blockchain, you end up with proof of exactly what happened to that database up until the current moment in time.
This proof is extremely valuable because data can’t be manipulated, covertly changed, or forever lost, providing integrity and transparency to businesses and agencies using the blockchain-integrated database.
Such functionality could be implemented on existing blockchains but would lack two very important aspects: scalability and privacy. The BlockBase network relies on EOSIO smart contracts to operate but doesn’t store much data on the EOS Public Blockchain.
Instead, it runs sidechains to the EOS Public Blockchain, and it’s inside those where most of the data is stored. These are regular blockchains, but we call them sidechains because all their block headers are published on the EOS Public Blockchain.
Our approach conveys integrity to the sidechain structure because anyone can verify its block headers on the EOS Public Blockchain and compare them with the ones on the sidechain.
All data stored on BlockBase is encrypted by default while retaining search capabilities through an SQL-like language. This enables an easier transition for regular businesses that just want to have access to a scalable system for secure and private storage of data on a blockchain.
How does BlockBase scale?
BlockBase has scalability built into its architecture. It springs from the idea that everyone who needs a blockchain should have one tailored for them, instead of having to default to the same blockchain as everyone else and having to adapt to that blockchain’s throughput, security, and cost.
On BlockBase, anyone can send a request to the network for a new sidechain. Depending on its configuration, each provider will decide independently if it wants to participate in the provision of this sidechain.
The decision is an economical one, and it’s based on the sidechain request, which specifies how many providers are needed, the size of the blocks, the time intervals between blocks, the reward in BBT (BlockBase Tokens) per block produced. It also encompasses the staked BBT providers will lose if production Service-Level Agreements (SLAs) aren’t met.
If an economically attractive sidechain is requested, service providers will jump to provide it. The number of providers is capped, and there is a random selection process that favors the ones who stake more BBT. If they fail to provide service for the sidechain according to the SLA, they can lose this stake.
Service providers compete with the amount of skin they have in the game. As a result, they create a scalable free market economy around the resources of the network.
How does BlockBase store and secure data?
BlockBase leverages an SQL-like language to manage data, chosen purposefully to ease adoption, as many developers are already familiar with it.
All database and data-related operations are stored on sidechains and are therefore traceable and replayable right from the start. Each network node stores all sidechains they are building. If they are full nodes, they also execute all operations contained on those sidechains on a local database server.
This means they always have the latest, up-to-date version of the database they are building for each sidechain. Furthermore, the requester node stores all data locally, so it’s immediately accessible and queryable for the service requester.
BlockBase is a platform designed to store databases on a blockchain, so data privacy is an important concern for us – we encrypt all data before it reaches the network.
Database names, table and column names, right down to record-level data, are all fully encrypted. Encryption is always on by default, but users can opt-out by explicitly indicating so. It’s the opposite approach to how data is usually stored.
A lot of R&D was involved in determining how to implement this mechanism because fully encrypted data is unsearchable. We based ourselves on Order Preserving Encryption, a technique that allows you to search through data without outright revealing it.
We also took this a step further: When designing a database structure on BlockBase, the service requester can fine-tune how much order should be revealed on every data column from each table of each database.
Completely revealing the order of your data is something you want to avoid, because very advanced attackers may deduce some properties about it, and that’s why an approach like the one we use is the best trade-off between privacy and searchability.
The cool part about this technique is that the more data points you know about what you want to search, the less order you have to reveal while maintaining search performance.
What inspired you to start BlockBase?
Around 2016-17 there was an explosion in smart contract innovation. It became clear to us that smart contracts were a powerful idea and that general data storage on blockchain would be a great feature to build.
This realization was mostly driven by intuition, and we couldn’t find any other projects providing data storage solutions. We had found a gap in the market.
Before we even got started, we performed a deep dive into the current state of data security to figure out if we were on to something. We rapidly learned that current data security was a mess of layers of technologies and practices that just ended up not working.
Our findings can be empirically confirmed by all the modern security problems industries face, only a small portion of which ends up on the news.
From there we decided to apply for an exclusive European Union funding program for cutting-edge R&D projects. We ended up winning, which proved to us that we were on the right track.
Why did you decide to use blockchain technology, and specifically EOSIO?
In mid-2018 we had our funding approved. We knew that blockchain technology was at the heart of what we wanted to build.
All the main technological concepts for our project were fleshed out, and we had to choose the main blockchain network to attach BlockBase to. This decision was critical because we would have to commit to that network for a long time.
We took an unbiased approach to that decision by comparing technology stacks, communities, ecosystems, and potential growth of various smart contract-enabled blockchains.
After that exercise, choosing the EOS Public Blockchain and EOSIO technology was a straightforward decision. EOSIO was the best-positioned ecosystem to build on.
What stage is BlockBase at now?
BlockBase Beta has been running on the EOS Public Blockchain since late May 2020. We’ve been running an initiative for teams to run the BlockBase node software as providers and earn BBT by doing so.
Since May we have been working on the software, and it has been steadily improving. By September the BlockBase network had reached a solid level of stability.
Now we’re mostly occupied with improving the network performance and adding cool new features to it. The BlockBase platform is finally fulfilling the vision we had when we started building two years ago.
What are the challenges you have had to overcome, and how did you do it?
Firstly, no one would seriously consider storing important data on a public blockchain unless it was encrypted in some way. Secondly, traditional blockchains can also face scalability issues and therefore might struggle to handle large-scale databases.
These were the two greatest challenges we had to overcome. They led us to the concept of encrypting all data stored on blockchain while maintaining its searchability, and to the concept of sidechains, blockchain-like constructs that have all their block headers published on a main chain.
We recognized that privacy and scalability were paramount for a general-purpose data storage system like that.
These two concepts are the main contributions of BlockBase to the community, and they tie in with the core concepts of computer security: confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Integrity is provided by a blockchain; we added confidentiality and availability.
How do users get started with BlockBase?
- They can download the BlockBase node code on GitHub and follow the installation steps.
- They request a sidechain from the user interface.
- They start using it similarly to a database server.
It’s that simple!
If you want to contribute to the network, instead of requesting a sidechain, you just run the node as a service provider. It’s also quite easy to do because it’s a very automated process. The system will automatically look for sidechains to produce that fit your configured cost/benefit model and enroll you in those accordingly.
What EOSIO community initiatives have you engaged in and how has the community responded to BlockBase?
We ran an airgrab for seven months that distributed about 30% of the BBT supply to EOS accounts.
We are now continuing to distribute BBT via different methods. Currently, we have requested a sidechain to the network and are distributing tokens to 20 different service providers.
We have big plans to scale this up in the future – to bootstrap a large-scale network of service provider nodes. Having that in place will allow anyone to use the network as a service requester and get a sidechain up and running immediately. This already happens, by the way, but on a smaller scale.
Can you introduce your team and tell us what makes them special?
BlockBase is the culmination of a tremendous amount of effort and hard work from many team members, both past and present.
We built BlockBase inside of an IT consultancy called Agap2IT, so we had no shortage of development talent. Blockchain development is still a nascent area, and our core blockchain team has not changed much in the last two years. This consistency has enabled us to pursue our vision with laser focus.
Diogo Bulha, our lead developer, has been a pillar for the team with his excellent development skills and his gentle character.
Márcia Policarpo made integral contributions to the SQL processing layer, from encryption to execution of queries and to the reliable propagation of them from requester nodes to provider nodes.
Fernando Azevedo did important work on the implementation and testing of our smart contracts.
Of course, many others made key contributions, and we would need several pages to do them all justice.
What other projects have you partnered with?
We’ve partnered with three different projects from the EOS ecosystem: Hire Vibes, Discussions, and Boid.
Furthermore, we’re building relationships with local companies that want to experiment with blockchain technologies.
Where do you see BlockBase in the future?
Blockchain adoption is still in its infancy. That said, we believe that it will eventually come, and when it does, existing blockchain technologies will need to scale to process worldwide demand.
We believe that the best way to meet future demand is through a horizontally scaling architecture, which is what BlockBase provides through sidechains.
From our point of view, data storage will be the first functionality traditional companies will look for when considering adopting blockchain, and BlockBase will be primed to provide that service.
Any company that considers using blockchain for data storage will quickly find out that it gets very costly, very quickly. That’s where BlockBase will shine. There isn’t any other option on the market that offers the same level of scalability.
In just one sentence, how do you want readers to remember your project?
“BlockBase is the most private and scalable blockchain technology for database storage worldwide.”
Building on EOSIO?
Our #BuiltOnEOSIO series showcases some of the amazing projects leveraging EOSIO technology or the EOS Public Blockchain to build a more secure and connected world. If you would like to suggest a project for us to feature please send an email to spotlight@block.one for our Developer Relations team to review.
–Block.one Developer Relations team
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原文链接/Original URL:
