Hyperledger Besu brings public blockchain to enterprise

Ongoing collaboration between the Ethereum and Hyperledger communities is paying off big for the development of blockchain platforms for enterprise.

The Hyperledger consortium announced today that Hyperledger Besu, an Ethereum client primarily developed by the ConsenSys-backed PegaSys, is the latest project to be voted into the fold by the Hyperledger Technical Steering Committee. (Obligatory disclore: ConsenSys also funds Decrypt.)

Hyperledger Besu, formerly known as Pantheon, is a Java-based Ethereum client designed with a modular architecture enabling developers to deal with different aspects of a distributed ledger, such as the consensus algorithm, networking and storage, on their own. This makes it easier to integrate upgrades and customize the different features of a network as necessary.

Being a part of Hyperledger means the project will benefit from the development of training materials, exposure to developers familiar with the challenges of developing solutions for enterprise, and ease of integration with existing codebases.

Hyperledger Besu conforms to the Ethereum Enterprise Alliance specification promoting interoperability between projects using the Ethereum network and a standardized approach to development.

Hyperledger itself refers to both a collection of open-source tools and frameworks for developing applications of distributed ledger technology for enterprise and a consortium of organizations contributing to the development of these projects.

Besu’s inclusion into the Hyperlegder coinbase family means it could potentially be integrated with projects like Fabric, backed by IBM, and Hyperledger Sawtooth, which is supported by Intel.

Among the various big-brand companies that could potentially benefit from Besu’s integration include Golden State Foods, Nestlé, and Wal-Mart, as well as other firms pursuing blockchain for supply-chain solutions.