Peers: A Complete Guide to Understanding This Blockchain Concept

Peers participate in maintaining the state of the distributed ledger.

There are three types of peers in the Hyperledger Fabric network: Endorsing peers or endorsers which simulate the transaction execution and generate a read-write set.

A Complete Guide to Understanding This Blockchain Concept

Read is a simulation of transaction’s reading of data from the ledger and write is the set of updates that would be made to the ledger if and when the transaction is executed and committed to the ledger.

Endorsement policies are implemented with chaincode and specify the rules for transaction endorsement.

Committing peers or committers which receives transaction endorsed by endorsers, verify them and then update the ledger with the read-write set.

A committer verifies the read-write set generated by the endorsers along with transaction validation.

Submitters is the third type of peers which has not been implemented yet.

Peers Peers participate in maintaining the state of the distributed ledger. They also hold a local copy of the distributed ledger. Peers communicate via gossip protocol. There are three types of peers in the Hyperledger Fabric network: Endorsing peers or endorsers which simulate the transaction execution and generate a read-write set. Read is a simulation of transaction’s reading of data from the ledger and write is the set of updates that would be made to the ledger if and when the transaction is executed and committed to the ledger. Endorses execute and endorse transactions. It should be noted that an endorser is also a committer too. Endorsement policies are implemented with chaincode and specify the rules for transaction endorsement. Committing peers or committers which receives transaction endorsed by endorsers, verify them and then update the ledger with the read-write set. A committer verifies the read-write set generated by the endorsers along with transaction validation. Submitters is the third type of peers which has not been implemented yet. It is on the development roadmap and will be implemented

Why This Matters for Blockchain Technology

Understanding Peers 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

  • Peers Peers participate in maintaining the state of the distributed ledger.
  • There are three types of peers in the Hyperledger Fabric network: Endorsing peers or endorsers which simulate the transaction execution and generate a read-write set.
  • Read is a simulation of transaction’s reading of data from the ledger and write is the set of updates that would be made to the ledger if and when the transaction is executed and committed to the ledger.
  • Endorsement policies are implemented with chaincode and specify the rules for transaction endorsement.

Conclusion

Peers 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.