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🪸 CoralChain – A Visual Gadget Collection for Exploring Blockchain Fundamentals

CoralChain is a lightweight, web-based blockchain simulation framework built with Ruby and Sinatra. It brings together a collection of visual, interactive gadgets designed to illustrate key concepts such as blockchain structure, multi-node synchronization, and consensus mechanism comparison. This project offers an approachable and hands-on way to explore the fundamental behaviors of blockchain systems in simplified, illustrative scenarios.

Features

• Block Operations & Verification

  • Create and inspect blocks with customizable data and consensus selection
  • Validate chain integrity via hash links, indexing, and digital signatures
  • Simulate tampering and observe its effects through real-time visual feedback

• Multi-Node Interaction & Synchronization

  • Run concurrent blockchains on Node A, Node B, and a Byzantine Node X
  • Simulate Byzantine behavior, including fake chain broadcasting and override attempts
  • Visualize chain differences, forks, and synchronization across nodes
  • Apply longest-valid-chain rules to resolve conflicts

• Consensus & Network Simulation

  • Explore PoW, PoS, and PoA mechanisms with adjustable parameters
  • Benchmark and compare consensus performance using live charts and statistics
  • Export chain data and experiment results as CSV or Markdown reports
  • Simulate gossip-based message propagation with visual delays and adversarial interference

Tech Stack

• Language: Ruby
• Framework: Sinatra
• Frontend: ERB templates, Chart.js

Deployment

To run the project, simplly do the following:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Xinjian-Zhang/coralchain.git

cd coralchain

# Install dependencies
bundle install

# Start the server
ruby app.rb

The application will be available at http://localhost:4567 by default.

🐳 Docker Deployment (Recommended)

To quickly run CoralChain in a containerized environment using Docker, follow these steps:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Xinjian-Zhang/coralchain.git
cd coralchain

# Build and start the container
docker-compose up --build

Once running, visit:

http://localhost:4567

This will launch CoralChain in a self-contained Docker container, making it easy to explore without installing Ruby or dependencies manually.

About

Author: Xinjian Zhang
Institution: University of Tartu
Date: May 2025

• GitHub: github.com/xinjian-Zhang/coralchain
• Website: xinjian-zhang.github.io/coralchain-web

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Dr. Mubashar Iqbal for his guidance and support throughout this project.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.