Systematic Mapping of Testing Smart Contracts for Blockchain Applications

Abstract

In the last few years, the technological future becoming apparent by the introduction of smart contracts into mainstream technology, specifically in the development of Web3 and the metaverse. Smart contracts will play a vital role in the decentralization and autonomy of the day-to-day tasks that must be completed. Several literature reviews, considered secondary sources, highlight the current state of testing methods for smart contracts made for Blockchain applications. In this paper, we present the results from a systematic mapping study to give structure to the information found from primary sources. Systematic mapping is a well-known method to identify and categorize research papers in a field with an increasing amount of literature. For this systematic mapping, we searched for studies between 2017 and present-day (March 2022) and were able to find 303 results, from which 47 were selected, by specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, to be relevant to this study. A concept map was created from the information gathered from primary sources to the attributes such as research type, contribution type, blockchain network, smart contract language, development process, testing methods, and testing environment. We also categorized the trends and demographics found in the selected papers based on publication year, author's country, and more. The results of this systematic mapping showed that this field is very new and quickly increasing with new research. The researchers that are interested in this field could use the results found to create opportunities for their future work.

Blockchain paradigm in the metaverse

“…Blockchain, apart from security, is also widely used economically according to (Yang et al, 2022) "The blockchain is considered a fundamental infrastructure of the Metaverse as it connects isolated sectors and establishes a solid economic system with transparent and open rules." Several authors also agree that blockchain has proven to be reliable in finance (Cao, 2022;Imperius & Alahmar, 2022;Song & Qin, 2022), With the implementation of the blockchain in the metaverse economy, the way we conceive transactions and digital assets changed, a clear example of this is DeFi (Y. Huang et al, 2023) an emerging financial technology that provides users with a variety of financial services such as loans and investments without third-party authorities such as central banks or financial corporations.…”

“…It is a technology that allows you to create, store and transfer digital information in a secure, transparent and decentralized way, through the use of peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, cryptography, smart contracts and tokens. Blockchain originated in 2009 with the launch of Bitcoin, ushering in a paradigm shift in the way we understand trust and truthfulness in online transactions (Imperius & Alahmar, 2022). This first decentralized cryptocurrency backed by a proof-of-work based consensus mechanism paved the way for the adoption of blockchain technology and its underlying applications.…”

“…Over the years, blockchain technology has expanded its influence and become a mainstay in a variety of sectors. From finance to supply chain, from insurance to copyright, from healthcare to personal identity (Cao, 2022;Imperius & Alahmar, 2022;Song & Qin, 2022). Blockchain has proven to be a versatile and reliable solution in each of these domains; The essential feature of decentralization supported by blockchain technology has contributed to data security, transparency, and integrity.…”

“…This feature of immutability grants confidence in the trail of data and transactions, which becomes essential in contexts where veracity and traceability are paramount. The mechanism of this technology is materialized through the network nodes that validate and replicate each transaction and asset in the chain (Imperius & Alahmar, 2022). These nodes function as digital gatekeepers ensuring that the integrity of the chain remains intact and that data cannot be modified without consensus.…”

“…These autonomous protocols eliminate intermediaries since they are executed without the need for third parties. This not only streamlines processes but also minimizes human errors and reduces costs (Imperius & Alahmar, 2022;Qin et al, 2023;Singh et al, 2022). The self-executing ability of these contracts opens the door to a variety of applications, from automating agreements to creating transparent and secure voting systems.…”