In: computers, technology. Also: cryptocurrency.
Backlinks: cryptocurrency, defi, nft, smart-contracts.
Blockchain
A blockchain (or block chain) is a database of records (called blocks) linked together. The records can only be appended, it is very hard to update the previous blocks, because all the blocks following the update have to be re-calculated. This is done by using several concepts from cryptography, including digital signatures and hash functions.
The Blockchain is the core technology behind Bitcoin and thousands of cryptocurrencies, but it has promising potential beyond digital currencies, like applications for legal contracts, property sales, medical records and any other industry that needs to authorize and record a series of actions or transactions.
Learning
The Blockchain Fundamentals DeCal:
https://blockchain.berkeley.edu/courses/spring-2021-fundamentals-decal
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Bitcoin Protocol and Consensus: A High Level Overview
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Bitcoin and Blockchain History
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Bitcoin Mechanics and Optimizations: A Technical Overview
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Interacting With Bitcoin: Wallets, Mining, and More
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Bitcoin in the Wild: Game Theory and Attacks
CS 251: Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain Technologies
The course covers all aspects of blockchains and cryptocurrencies, including distributed consensus, smart contracts, economics, scalability, and applications. Focus on Bitcoin and Ethereum as case studies:
https://cs251.stanford.edu
Learn how to build a crypto company:
The course videos from a16z’s Crypto Startup School, held in the spring of 2020, are available to all
https://a16z.com/crypto-startup-school
Nick Szabo Interview, Tim Ferriss Show:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=3FA3UjA0igY
Vitalik Buterin talking NFTs & More Ft. Naval Ravikant, Tim Ferriss Show:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=42uhsP4vvCE
Olaf Carlson-Wee of Polychain Speaks at Ethereal 2021:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=i5P-_V83VjQ
Articles
What is Blockchain and how does it work?
Blockchain is the core technology behind bitcoin and thousands of cryptocurrencies and has promising potential beyond digital currencies.
https://nerdwallet.com/article/investing/blockchain
Explaining blockchain basics
https://dev.to/gmfcastro/my-best-shot-explaining-blockchain-4873
What is blockchain? Everything you need to know and its advantages and disadvantages
Why blockchains: an ELI21:
https://nikcustodio.tumblr.com/post/150500263430/why-blockchains-an-eli21
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Having a trusted party has some implications. When you send a payment today, you’re actually not the one changing the Paypal ledger. You have no power.
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With no central authority there is no one to block a payment. You could send a payment to anyone and nobody could block it.
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Because there’s (effectively) no one in the middle it is closer to a physical transaction. Irreversible. When you give cash to someone it is “final”.
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Because of the open nature of it, anyone with an internet connection can connect to it, anywhere.
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There’s no restriction like a bank. There are no arbitrary rules. It could be something ultra small, like .0000318 cents, or big like 100 million.
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It could even be a piece of software you wrote. An autonomous car. Identity is abstracted on the blockchain, it could be both anyone and any thing.
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Because it is an open network it’s like the internet. Some geeky teen in a garage can connect to it, build something on it, experiment with it, improve it. You cannot do that on a bank protocol.
Yes, you may need a Blockchain
Public blockchains are massively multiclient databases, where every user is a root user
https://balajis.com/yes-you-may-need-a-blockchain
Creating a blockchain in 60 lines of Javascript
https://dev.to/freakcdev297/creating-a-blockchain-in-60-lines-of-javascript-5fka
I built a Blockchain in just 84 lines of Python
https://github.com/sushant102004/Blockchain-Python
https://dev.to/sushantdhiman2004/i-built-a-blockchain-in-just-84-lines-of-code-3kkn
The limits to Blockchain scalability
https://vitalik.ca/general/2021/05/23/scaling.html
What is Proof of Stake?
Ethereum 2.0 will bring the move from Proof of Work to Proof of Stake. Proof of Stake offers unique revenue-generating capabilities to ETH holders:
https://consensys.net/blog/blockchain-explained/what-is-proof-of-stake
