Coordinator

In blockchain technology, what we call coordinators are private customers who verify the validity of the ledger copies of the nodes against specific transactions.

What is a Coordinator?

Blockchains are complex transactions held on a distributed ledger. Next, a decentralized validator node verifies this ledger. In addition, every blockchain is different from the other. Take, for example, the most well-known blockchains Bitcoin and Ethereum. The core functions of both blockchains may be the same, but they have fundamentally different applications.

When used in blockchain terms, a coordinator handles a monitoring and control system for validator nodes. The coordinator records its transactions on the blockchain, which it uses to verify that the validating nodes and ledger copies are correct. However, it is important to keep in mind that not all blockchains include a coordinator.

IOTA Blockchain and The Coordinator Technology

IOTA is a blockchain that uses a coordinator client for ledger validation functionality. Previously, IOTA depended on a coordinator client to add a secondary level of security and ensure the validity and security of all copies of the distributed ledger. However, later on, IOTA made a radical change in its roadmap and completely eliminated the coordinator client system.

It is not surprising that IOTA took such a decision. Many blockchains believe that coordinators hinder the decentralized power of blockchain technology and that coordinators go against the nature of blockchain. They are considered a centralizing feature, mainly because they have a concentrated power holding all copies of the ledger on the network at the same time. In this sense, blockchains with a coordinator client in blockchain technology cannot be fully decentralized.

Decentralization ideology is one of the foundations of blockchain technology. Therefore, a centralizing factor such as coordinators is not a desirable feature in blockchain technology. In the IOTA example, IOTA initially relied only on its coordinator. The purpose of following such a path was to give developers enough time to work on the system. Likewise, the system was ensured to be secure from the very beginning.