Blockchain-based Smart Contracts - Applications and Challenges

A blockchain-based smart contract or a "smart contract" for short, is a computer program intended to digitally facilitate the negotiation or contractual terms directly between users when certain conditions are met. With the advance in blockchain technology, smart contracts are being used to serve a wide range of purposes ranging from self-managed identities on public blockchains to automating business collaboration on permissioned blockchains. In this paper, we present a comprehensive survey of smart contracts with a focus on existing applications and challenges they face.