# The Tangle Content type: Research Paper Summary: This whitepaper introduces The Tangle, the core distributed ledger technology behind IOTA, which departs significantly from traditional blockchain architectures. Instead of a linear chain of blocks, The Tangle is structured as a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) where new transactions validate two previous, unconfirmed transactions. This innovative structure aims to address the scalability and transaction fee issues prevalent in conventional blockchains. The methodology allows for parallel processing Key concepts: Serguei Popov, dag, iota, distributed ledger, internet of things, feeless transactions, scalability, tangle, blockchain alternative
Whitepaperintermediate

The Tangle

Serguei Popov

Project WhitepaperJanuary 2018

Abstract

This whitepaper introduces The Tangle, the core distributed ledger technology behind IOTA, which departs significantly from traditional blockchain architectures. Instead of a linear chain of blocks, The Tangle is structured as a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) where new transactions validate two previous, unconfirmed transactions. This innovative structure aims to address the scalability and transaction fee issues prevalent in conventional blockchains. The methodology allows for parallel processing of transactions, theorizing that as the number of users and transactions increases, the network's processing capacity also grows proportionally. A key feature is the elimination of transaction fees, making it suitable for micro-transactions, particularly in the context of the Internet of Things (IoT). While initially relying on a 'Coordinator' for security in its early stages, the long-term vision presented is a fully decentralized, feeless network. The Tangle represents a significant exploration into alternative distributed ledger designs, positing a new paradigm for decentralized consensus and data integrity.

Key Findings

  • 1The Tangle is a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG)-based distributed ledger, not a linear blockchain.
  • 2New transactions confirm two previous unconfirmed transactions, contributing to network security.
  • 3The architecture is designed to offer feeless transactions, making it suitable for micro-payments.
  • 4Scalability is theorized to increase with network participation and transaction volume.
  • 5It presents an alternative consensus mechanism specifically targeting Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Topics

dagiotadistributed ledgerinternet of thingsfeeless transactionsscalabilitytangleblockchain alternative
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Citation

Serguei Popov (2018). The Tangle. Project Whitepaper. https://iota.org/IOTA_Whitepaper.pdf

BibTeX

@misc{thetangle2018,
  title = {The Tangle},
  author = {Serguei Popov},
  year = {2018},
  howpublished = {\url{https://iota.org/IOTA_Whitepaper.pdf}},
}

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