This book addresses what software architects and developers need to know in order to build applications based on blockchain technology, by offering an architectural view of software systems that make beneficial use of blockchains. It provides guidance on assessing the suitability of blockchain, on the roles blockchain can play in an architecture, on designing blockchain applications, and on assessing different architecture designs and tradeoffs. It also serves as a reference on blockchain design patterns and design analysis, and refers to practical examples of blockchain-based applications. The book is divided into four parts: Part I provides a general introduction to the topic and to existing blockchain platforms including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Hyperledger Fabric, and offers examples of blockchain-based applications. Part II focuses on the functional aspects of software architecture, describing the main roles blockchain can play in an architecture, as well as its potential suitability and design process. It includes a catalogue of 15 design patterns and details how to use model-driven engineering to build blockchain-based applications. Part III covers the non-functional aspects of blockchain applications, which are cross-cutting concerns including cost, performance, security, and availability. Part IV then presents three detailed real-world use cases, offering additional insights from a practical perspective. An epilogue summarizes the book and speculates on the role blockchain and its applications can play in the future. This book focusses on the bigger picture for blockchain, covering the concepts and technical considerations in the design of blockchain-based applications. The use of mathematical formulas is limited to where they are critical. This book is primarily intended for developers, software architects and chief information officers who need to understand the basic technology, tools and methodologies to build blockchain applications. It also provides students and researchers new to this field an introduction to this hot topic.

This book constitutes the contributions presented at the Blockchain Forum and the Central and Eastern Europe Forum (CEE Forum) held at the 17th International Conference on Business Process Management, BPM 2019, which took place in Vienna, Austria, in September 2019. The Blockchain Forum deals with the use of blockchain for collaborative information systems. Conceptual, technical and application-oriented contributions are pursued within the scope of this theme. The Blockchain Forum received a total of 31 submissions; 10 full and 1 short paper were accepted for publication in this book. The objective of the CEE Forum is to foster discussion for BPM academics from Central and Eastern Europe to disseminate their research, compare results and share experiences. For the CEE Forum 16 submissions were received and 6 full and 2 short papers were accepted for publication. The book also contains one invited talk in full-paper length and 6 poster papers from the CEE Forum.