Multivocal literature review of software architectures for blockchain networks

Blockchain technology continues to promise transformative impact across domains such as 4 supply chains, finance, and the Internet of Things (IoT). However, the rapid growth and increasing 5 heterogeneity of blockchain platforms have made architectural decision-making progressively 6 more complex for software architects. This study extends and updates a previous Multivocal 7 Literature Review (MLR) to systematically identify and characterize active blockchain networks 8 across foundational protocol layers. We analyze key architectural dimensions including consensus 9 mechanisms, decentralization and access control models, smart contract support, block and 10 ledger structures, interoperability features, and architectural lineage. Drawing on both academic 11 and gray literature, we characterize a total of 147 blockchain networks spanning Layers-0 12 through-2. Our findings reveal an ecosystem largely driven by industrial innovation, with limited 13 consolidation in the formal academic literature. The resulting architectural mappings aim to 14 support software architects in making informed, evidence-based decisions when integrating 15 blockchain technologies into software-intensive systems.