What you to need know about Blockchain.

Crypto / / Lekan Dankazeem / 0

In this article, we will be discussing Blockchains and what you need to know.

How Do Blockchains Work?

A blockchain is a shared distributed database or ledger between computer network nodes. A blockchain serves as an electronic database for storing data in digital form. The most well-known use of blockchain technology is for preserving a secure and decentralized record of transactions in cryptocurrency systems like Bitcoin. The novelty of a blockchain is that it fosters confidence without the necessity for a reliable third party by ensuring the integrity and security of a record of data

The way the data is organized on a blockchain differs significantly from how it is typically organized. In a blockchain, data is gathered in groups called blocks that each includes sets of data. Blocks have specific storage capabilities, and when filled, they are sealed and connected to the block that came before them to create the data chain known as the blockchain. Every additional piece of information that comes after that newly added block is combined into a brand-new block, which is then added to the chain once it is full.

A blockchain, as its name suggests, arranges its data into pieces (blocks) that are connected together, whereas a database typically organizes its data into tables. When used in a decentralized way, this data structure creates an irreversible chronology of data by design. When a block is completed, it is irrevocably sealed and added to the timeline. When a block is added to the chain, it receives a precise timestamp.

The Function of a Blockchain.

Blockchain aims to make it possible to share and record digital information without editing it. A blockchain serves as the basis for immutable ledgers, or records of transactions that cannot be changed, removed, or destroyed. Blockchains are sometimes referred to as distributed ledger technologies because of this (DLT).

The blockchain idea was initially put out as a research project in 1991, long before Bitcoin became a widely used application in 2009. Since then, the introduction of several cryptocurrencies, decentralized finance (DeFi) apps, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and smart contracts has led to explosive growth in the usage of blockchains.

Decentralization of the blockchain.

Consider a business with a server farm of 10,000 machines that it uses to keep a database containing all of its clients’ account information. All of these computers are located in a warehouse that belongs to this corporation, and it has complete authority over each of them as well as the data they hold. But this creates a single point of failure. What would happen if the electricity at that place failed? What if the computer’s Internet connection is lost? What if it completely burns down? What happens if a malicious person deletes everything with a single keypress? The information is either missing or damaged.

What a blockchain does is enable the distribution of the data stored in that database across several network nodes located in different places. This not only adds redundancy but also preserves the accuracy of the data stored there; for example, if someone tries to change a record at one database instance, the other nodes won’t be changed, preventing a bad actor from doing so. All other nodes would cross-reference one another and be able to quickly identify the individual who tampered with Bitcoin’s transaction history. This approach aids in creating a clear and precise sequence of events. This prevents any one node in the network from changing the data it contains.

Transparency
Due to the decentralized structure of the Bitcoin blockchain, all transactions may be transparently observed by utilizing blockchain explorers, which let anybody examine transactions as they happen in real time, or by owning a personal node. As new blocks are added and validated, each node’s copy of the chain is updated. This implies that you might follow Bitcoin wherever it went if you so desired.

As an illustration, exchanges have previously been hacked, and everyone who had Bitcoin stored there lost everything. The stolen Bitcoins are clearly identifiable, despite the hacker’s complete anonymity. It would be known if any of the Bitcoins taken in some of these attacks were transferred or used elsewhere.

Naturally, the data kept on the Bitcoin blockchain (as well as the majority of others) is encrypted. This implies that only the record’s owner will be able to decode the file and expose its identity (using a public-private key pair). As a consequence, blockchain users may maintain their anonymity while maintaining transparency.

Is Blockchain Safe?

Decentralized security and trust are made possible by blockchain technology in a number of ways. To start, new blocks are always chronologically and linearly stored. In other words, they are constantly added to the blockchain’s “end.” It is very difficult to go back and change the contents of a block once it has been put into the blockchain unless a majority of the network has agreed to do so. This is due to the fact that each block has its own hash, as well as the hash of the block that came before it and the aforementioned date.

A mathematical function that converts digital information into a string of numbers and letters produces hash codes. The hash code also changes if that data is altered in any manner.

Imagine a hacker who also manages a node on a blockchain network wanting to change a blockchain and take everyone else’s bitcoin. If they changed their own copy, it wouldn’t match the copies made by everyone else. When everyone compares their copies to one another, they will notice that this one copy stands out, and the hacker’s version of the chain will be rejected as fraudulent.

For such a hack to be successful, the hacker would need to simultaneously possess and change at least 51% of the blockchain copies, making their new copy the majority copy and, thus, the agreed-upon chain. The requirement to rewrite every block because their timestamps and hash codes have changed would make such an attack very expensive and resource-intensive.

The expense to pull off such a feat would probably be impossible due to the scale of many cryptocurrency networks and how quickly they are developing. Not only would this be very costly, but it would probably be useless. As network participants would observe such significant changes to the blockchain, doing such a thing would not go undetected. The network’s users would then abruptly switch to an unaffected version of the chain. As a result, the token version that was attacked would lose value, rendering the attack ultimately useless because the malicious party would then be in control of a worthless asset.

Blockchain vs. Bitcoin

Stuart Haber and W. Scott Stornetta, two researchers interested in implementing a system where document timestamps could not be altered, initially proposed the concept of blockchain technology in 1991. But blockchain didn’t have its first practical use until over two decades later, with the introduction of Bitcoin in January 2009.

On a blockchain, the Bitcoin protocol is constructed. Bitcoin’s anonymous founder, Satoshi Nakamoto, described the digital currency as “a new electronic cash system that’s totally peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party” in a research paper introducing it.

It’s important to note that blockchain is only utilized by Bitcoin to immutably record a ledger of payments in a transparent manner. In theory, though, blockchain could be used to immutably record any number of data points. This could take the shape of transactions, votes in elections, goods inventories, state identifications, deeds to properties, and much more, as was previously said.

In addition to recording transactions, tens of thousands of projects are currently working to utilize blockchain technology in a number of other ways to benefit society. One such application is a secure voting system for democratic elections. The immutability of blockchain technology makes it much more difficult to conduct fraudulent voting. For instance, a voting process might be designed so that each nation’s citizen receives a single coin or token.

Banking vs. Blockchain

Blockchain technology has been hailed as a disruptive force for the financial industry, particularly for the payment and banking processes. Banks and decentralized blockchains, however, are very dissimilar.

 

Blockchains: How Are They Used?

As we now understand, blocks on the blockchain of Bitcoin store information about monetary transactions. More than 10,000 additional cryptocurrency systems are currently active on the blockchain. However, it transpires that using a blockchain to store information about other kinds of transactions is also a secure method.

Walmart, Pfizer, AIG, Siemens, Unilever, and numerous more businesses are just a few that have already adopted blockchain technology. For instance, IBM developed the Food Trust blockchain to track food goods’ routes to their destinations.

Finance and Banking

Banking is one sector that might stand to gain the most from incorporating blockchain into its corporate operations. Financial institutions are only open during regular business hours, which are typically five days per week. As a result, if you attempt to deposit a check on Friday at 6 p.m., you probably won’t see the funds in your account until Monday morning. Due to the enormous volume of transactions that banks must settle, even if you do make your deposit within business hours, it may still take one to three days for the transaction to be verified. Blockchain, however, is always active.

Customers may expect their transactions to be processed by banks using blockchain in as little as 10 minutes—basically the time it takes to add a block to the blockchain, regardless of the day of the week or holidays. Banks now have the ability to securely and swiftly transfer money between organizations thanks to blockchain technology. For instance, in the stock trading industry, the settlement and clearing process may take up to three days (or longer, if trading is done worldwide), during which time the money and shares are frozen.

Currency
For cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, blockchain serves as the foundation. The Federal Reserve is in charge of the US dollar. A user’s data and money are technically subject to the whims of their bank or government under this system of central power. The private information of a client is in danger if their bank is hacked. The value of the client’s money may be in jeopardy if their bank fails or if they reside in a nation with a volatile government. A number of failing banks were partially bailed out in 2008 with taxpayer funds. These are the concerns that led to the initial conception and development of Bitcoin.

Healthcare

Healthcare providers can use blockchain to safely preserve the medical records of their patients. The ability to write a medical record onto the blockchain once it has been created and signed gives patients the assurance that the record cannot be altered. These sensitive health records might be encrypted and kept on the blockchain with a secret key so that only specific people can access them, maintaining their privacy.

Property Documents

If you’ve ever spent time in your local recorder’s office, you are aware of how time-consuming and ineffective the process of documenting property rights is. A tangible deed must now be handed to a government worker at the county recording office, where it will be manually put into the public index and central database. Claims to the property that is in dispute must be compared to the public index.

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Banking, bitcoin, blockchain, crypto