Join or create a QBS consortium

You can join or create a Quorum Blockchain Service (QBS) consortium. Only participants in the consortium can view and interact with the blockchain.

Join an existing consortium

If you've received an invitation to an existing consortium, you can join when creating your instance of QBS in Azure. When prompted to specify whether you have an invitation from an existing consortium, select Yes and enter the invitation code in the Invitation Code field. Invitation codes are normally in GUID format, that is, a sequence of 36 characters and numbers separated by dashes, for example, baea2b07-caaa-4810-61db-08d96e54a8f5.

The following video demonstrates how to create a new instance of QBS in the Azure Portal and join an existing consortium, after receiving an invitation code.

Create a new consortium

Private consortium blockchain networks, or consortiums, are blockchain networks available to specific participants in the network. Only participants in the consortium can view and interact with the blockchain.

You can create a new consortium when creating your QBS instance in Azure. When prompted to specify whether you have an invitation from an existing consortium, select No and enter the name of the new consortium in the New Consortium Name field. The name must be alphanumeric, contain no spaces, and be between 3 and 48 characters in length. Choose a name for your consortium appropriate for your scenario, such as SupplyChain.

Creating a new consortium creates a new blockchain network with you as the first member in the consortium with the role of OWNER.