AWS ultimately embraces blockchain technology with two services: Amazon Managed Blockchain and Amazon Quantum Ledger Database (QLDB).
Re: Invent 2018: Andy Jassy, CEO of AWS (Amazon Web Services) unveiled two new blockchain products.
Just a year ago, at the re: Invent 2017 conference, he declared that he was not interested in blockchain-related services.
The situation has changed and the blockchain, beyond the buzz that this technology generates, demonstrates the extent of its field of applications.
It should also be said that several other important players in the cloud, such as, among others, IBM, Oracle and Microsoft, have adopted blockchain for some time as a new method to solve supply chain problems for example. The leader of the cloud market could no longer be satisfied with staying on the lookout.
Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric support
AWS Managed Blockchain is a managed blockchain service, with support from Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric.
This new offering will allow customers requiring secure and decentralized transaction processing to use a managed AWS blockchain service.
Concretely, AWS Managed Blockchain allows users to create and manage scalable blockchain networks using Ethereum or HyperLedger.
QLDB: analysis of the evolution of the blockchain
As for QLDB (Amazon Quantum Ledger Database), the second service launched by AWS, it is a fully managed, blockchain-based database with a central trusted authority. It allows clients to replicate a copy of the blockchain’s network activity, allowing for analysis of network activity outside of it and better understanding of trends.
QLDB has the advantage of being easy to use, with the service providing developers with an SQL-like API, a flexible document data model, and full transaction support.
AWS specifies that “there are no servers to manage and no read or write limits to configure.” With QLDB, you only pay for what you use ”.
In addition, a gateway exists between the two services. This is because data from Amazon Managed Blockchain can also be transferred to Amazon QLDB for analysis.