Network & Nodes Setup

Why Do Enterprises Choose Hyperledger Fabric for Permissioned Networks?

Enterprise organizations deploy Hyperledger Fabric when they need:

• Regulatory Compliance: Built-in identity management and access controls for GDPR, SOX, and industry-specific regulations
• Consortium Governance: Multi-organization networks with defined roles and permissions
• Data Privacy: Channel-based isolation and private data collections for sensitive information
• Performance Requirements: High-throughput transaction processing for business-critical applications
• Enterprise Integration: Seamless integration with existing IT infrastructure and legacy systems

Prerequisites

Before setting up a blockchain network, you need to have an application created in your workspace. Applications provide the organizational context for all your blockchain resources including networks, nodes, and development tools. If you haven't created an application yet, follow our Create Application guide first.

How Do I Deploy a Permissioned Enterprise Network?

How Do I Add Nodes for Enterprise Fault Tolerance?

What's the Recommended Node Setup for Enterprise Production?

How Do I Configure Enterprise Network Parameters?

Channel configuration and policies

Hyperledger Fabric networks use a configtx.json file to define network channels, membership rules, and policies. Key components include:

• Application Group: Defines policies for participating organizations, specifying details such as:
  • Organization Name
  • Policies:
    • Admin: Roles allow users to modify configurations.
    • Endorsement: Policies require transaction approvals from specific peers.
    • Readers and Writers: Policies define access to channel data.
• Orderer Group: Configures the ordering service responsible for transaction finalization. Settings include:
  • Batch Timeout: Determines the time before transactions are grouped into a block.
  • Max Messages Per Batch: Controls block size.
• Consensus Type: Typically etcdraft, a Raft-based ordering service.

Network governance and security

Hyperledger Fabric networks require robust security and governance mechanisms:

• Membership Service Provider (MSP): Controls identity verification and authentication, ensuring only authorized participants can access the network.
• Root Certificates and TLS Certificates: Define trusted entities for secure communication.
• Endorsement Policies: Determine how transactions are validated across organizations, enforcing compliance and preventing unauthorized modifications.
• Block Validation Policies: Ensure the integrity and security of the distributed ledger, maintaining network trustworthiness.

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Hyperledger fabric networks

The dashboard offers comprehensive network monitoring, including:

• Network Overview: Name, deployment location, creation date, blockchain version, protocol type, channel ID, MSP ID.
• Channel Configuration JSON File Access.
• Batch Processing Settings:
  • Timeout
  • Maximum messages
  • Batch size

Real-time performance monitoring

• Number and location of nodes.
• Active consensus nodes and cluster size.
• Latest block committed.
• Real-time transaction monitoring, allowing users to keep track of all blockchain activities.
• Health status of orderer and peer nodes.
• Performance analytics, including block generation times, to help organizations optimize their blockchain operations.
• Endorsement policy compliance tracking to ensure transactions adhere to predefined security and governance policies.

System recommendations

Recommendation
Alerts for fault tolerance and orderer node requirements are provided in the system.

Key benefits

• Simplifies the deployment process for Hyperledger Fabric networks through a guided setup approach.
• Efficiently configures access control, consensus models, and governance settings, ensuring a seamless blockchain deployment experience.
• Designed for scalability, supporting multi-organization setups with secure identity management.
• Integrated monitoring provides organizations with real-time insights into network performance and compliance adherence.

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Hyperledger fabric explorer

Hyperledger Explorer is a web-based tool designed to provide a comprehensive and real-time view of blockchain operations within Hyperledger Fabric networks. It enables users to monitor and analyze blockchain activities, including blocks, transactions, and chaincodes, while maintaining privacy and security. With its feature-rich dashboard, Hyperledger Explorer allows users to navigate through blocks, transactions, peers, and channels with ease. The tool provides advanced search and filtering capabilities, real-time notifications for new blocks, and interactive metrics for visualizing blockchain trends. By offering deep insights into ledger data and enabling efficient network management, Hyperledger Explorer becomes an essential solution for organizations leveraging Hyperledger Fabric.

• Real-time Monitoring: Displays network activity as it happens, providing immediate visibility into new blocks and transactions.
• Comprehensive Dashboard: A central hub for monitoring network health, including metrics such as the number of blocks, transactions, nodes, and chaincodes.
• Detailed Block & Transaction Views:
  • Block list with metadata such as block hash, transaction count, and timestamps.
  • Transaction explorer for tracking transaction details, types, and associated metadata.
• Search & Filtering:
  • Filter transactions and blocks by date range, channel, or organization.
  • Advanced sorting capabilities for customized data views.
• Channel & Chaincode Management:
  • View and manage available channels.
  • Display installed chaincodes with versioning details.
• Interactive Metrics & Analytics:
  • Graphical visualizations of blockchain activity.
  • Hover-based insights for precise data analysis.

Dashboard overview

The Dashboard serves as the main interface, providing an overview of the blockchain network. It includes various panels such as Peer Lists, Network Metrics, and Recent Transactions by Organization. Users can dynamically switch channels via a dropdown to customize their view. Additionally, a Latest Blocks Notification Panel presents key block details, including:

• Block number
• Channel name
• Data hash
• Transaction count

Each block link redirects to an in-depth Block Details view, offering insights into timestamps, hashes, and transaction summaries.

Network & channel management

The Network View presents details on configured properties for each channel. Users can analyze peer statuses, their roles, and network configurations, including ledger height and Membership Service Provider (MSP) identity.

The Channel List section provides an overview of available channels, enabling users to navigate different segments of the blockchain network effortlessly.

Exploring blocks & transactions

Hyperledger Explorer provides powerful tools for tracking blockchain activities:

• Block List: A sortable, filterable table displaying block metadata like block hash, transaction count, and creation timestamps.
• Transaction List: Supports up to 100 rows per page with pagination and allows users to drill down into transaction specifics.
• JSON Transaction Views: Enables structured previews with fold/unfold options for easy data inspection.

Chaincodes & smart contracts

The Chaincode List presents installed chaincodes across the network, allowing filtering and sorting by:

• Chaincode name
• Version
• Deployment status
• Associated transactions

This section helps users manage smart contracts efficiently and track changes over time.

Analytics & metrics

A dedicated Metrics Panel delivers real-time statistics, such as:

• Number of blocks and transactions processed per hour or minute
• Network activity trends over time
• Interactive charts for monitoring blockchain operations

These visual analytics tools enhance user insights and ensure efficient blockchain monitoring.