Networks, identity, and discovery

  • People and businesses using Corda can communicate over a peer-to-peer network.
  • A Corda network is made up of nodes, which represent real-world legal identities. Each node runs an instance of Corda and one or more CorDapps.
  • Nodes communicate point-to-point—not by global broadcast.
  • Each node has a certificate that maps its network identity to a real-world legal identity.
  • Corda networks are semi-private—you need a certificate from the network operator to join.

On Corda, people and business interact by communicating over a peer-to-peer network of Corda nodes. Each node represents a legal entity running Corda and one or more Corda distributed applications, known as CorDapps.

network
Corda is different from other distributed ledgers because all communication between nodes is point-to-point, and only shared on a need-to-know basis. It’s also encrypted using transport-layer security. There are no global broadcasts to all parties on a network, but all of the nodes in a network can send messages directly to other nodes. If the recipient is offline, the message waits in an outbound queue until they are online again—just like an email.

Unlike traditional blockchain, Corda networks are semi-private. To join a network, you must obtain a certificate from the network operator. This certificate maps the node’s identity on Corda to a real-world legal identity and a public key.

The network operator enforces rules that stipulate what information nodes must provide and the know-your-customer (KYC) processes they must undergo before being granted this certificate.

The network map service matches each node identity to an IP address. Nodes use these IP addresses to send messages to each other.

Nodes can also generate confidential identities for individual transactions. The certificate chain linking a confidential identity to a node identity or real-world legal identity is only distributed on a need-to-know basis. Nodes can use confidential identities to protect themselves in the event that an attacker gets access to an unencrypted transaction. The attackers cannot identify the participants without additional information.

Corda nodes discover each other via a network map service. You can think of this service as a phone book, which publishes a list of peer nodes that includes metadata about who they are and what services they can offer.

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Chat with us

Chat with us on our #docs channel on slack. You can also join a lot of other slack channels there and have access to 1-on-1 communication with members of the R3 team and the online community.

Propose documentation improvements directly

Help us to improve the docs by contributing directly. It's simple - just fork this repository and raise a PR of your own - R3's Technical Writers will review it and apply the relevant suggestions.

We're sorry this page wasn't helpful. Let us know how we can make it better!

Chat with us

Chat with us on our #docs channel on slack. You can also join a lot of other slack channels there and have access to 1-on-1 communication with members of the R3 team and the online community.

Create an issue

Create a new GitHub issue in this repository - submit technical feedback, draw attention to a potential documentation bug, or share ideas for improvement and general feedback.

Propose documentation improvements directly

Help us to improve the docs by contributing directly. It's simple - just fork this repository and raise a PR of your own - R3's Technical Writers will review it and apply the relevant suggestions.