In a traditional blockchain, mining is used to ascertain the order of blocks that contain transactions.
In Corda, notary services are used to provide transaction ordering and timestamping services.
Preventing Double-Spends in Enterprise Blockchain Networks
There can be multiple notaries in a network and they are identified by composite public keys.
Notaries can use different consensus algorithms like BFT or Raft depending on the requirements of the applications.
Notary services sign the transactions to indicate validity and finality of the transaction which is then persisted to the database.
Notaries can be run in a load-balanced configuration in order to spread the load across the nodes for performance reasons; and, in order to reduce latency, the nodes are recommended to be run physically closer to the transaction participants.
Why This Matters for Blockchain Technology
Understanding Notary service is not just an academic exercise — it has real-world implications for how blockchain systems are designed, deployed, and secured. Whether you are a developer building decentralized applications, a business leader evaluating blockchain adoption, or a curious learner exploring the technology, this knowledge provides a critical foundation.
Key Points to Remember
- Notary service In a traditional blockchain, mining is used to ascertain the order of blocks that contain transactions.
- In Corda, notary services are used to provide transaction ordering and timestamping services.
- There can be multiple notaries in a network and they are identified by composite public keys.
- Notaries can use different consensus algorithms like BFT or Raft depending on the requirements of the applications.
Conclusion
Notary service represents one of the many innovative layers that make blockchain technology so powerful and transformative. As distributed systems continue to evolve, a solid understanding of these core concepts becomes increasingly valuable — not just for developers, but for anyone building, investing in, or working alongside blockchain-powered systems.
Whether you are just starting your blockchain journey or deepening existing expertise, mastering these fundamentals gives you the tools to think clearly about decentralized systems and make smarter decisions in this rapidly evolving space.