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What Is Blockchain? and How does it work?

03-Apr-2025  /  By Fortuna Desk

Blockchain is the technology that enables the existence of crypto..

 

Introduction to Blockchain and their works

 

 

What Is Blockchain?

 

Blockchain is a decentralized, shared ledger that records and verifies transactions across a network of computers. Blockchain is the technology that enables the existence of cryptocurrency. Bitcoin is the name of the most recognized cryptocurrency it was created through the blockchain technology. The deals get recorded on a blockchain, ensuring transparency and security. Many cryptocurrencies are built upon blockchain technology. Experts believe that blockchain has the potential to revolutionize various industries. That company is developing a new platform that utilizes blockchain for digital identity verification.

 

 Companies are exploring how blockchain can improve supply chain management. The integrity of the data is maintained through the distributed nature of the blockchain.  The developers are working to improve the scalability of the blockchain network. NFTs are most commonly based on the Ethereum blockchain. The blockchain works like a ledger in which every transaction is stored. Utilizing blockchain technology, fans are able to own a 'bit' of these songs and share in their success.

 

A Blockchain is a group of computers that works together to process and record data ensuring the authenticity and security of the data transactions. From a more abstract and forward-thinking perspective, it’s the potential future of financial transactions, one that is not bound by global location or dependent on third-party intermediaries.

 

Immutable: Immutable means that no entity can modify the transaction records.

Transparent: Transparent implies that anyone can see and verify the transactions on a blockchain via the Internet.

Decentralised: Decentralised means no single entity can govern the whole network.

 

Bitcoin was the first application utilizing blockchain technology. The technology is now utilized in other cryptocurrency projects and business applications, such as trade finance, remittance, and e-commerce.

 

 

How does it work?

 

  • A blockchain is a chain of blocks, where each block contains a timestamp and a unique cryptographic value
  • The blocks are linked together, and the chain is immutable, meaning it can't be changed without consensus from the network
  • A network of computers verifies transactions and secures the blockchain

 

 

What are the benefits?

 

  • Blockchain can track assets, orders, payments, and more
  • It can be used to create an unalterable record of transactions
  • It can reduce risk and costs by providing a shared, accurate, and observable view of transactions

 

 

What are the applications?

 

  • Blockchain can be used in supply chain tracking, fund transfers, and more
  • It can be used to create digital assets, like cryptocurrencies

 

 

Distributed Systems

 

Blockchain is a distributed system, where hardware or software component located at networked computers communicate and coordinate their actions by passing messages

 

The keys of a distributed system are:

Concurrency: Concurrency means that multiple computations are happening simultaneously on different machines. It may seem intuitive, but complexity arises about how numerous machines should work together.

 

No Global Clock: In a distributed system, every participant, or machine, has equal weight in deciding what is right or wrong. There is no single source of truth in a distributed system.

Since network delay may further complicate the situation, even if two machines have the same time locally, they won’t know how long the network has taken to transfer the data. There is always potential noise involved when a machine has to confirm the time from its neighbor.

 

Independent failure: Independent failure is best explained as a hypothetical situation. For example, Machine A may need data from Machine B in order to continue its work, so it needs to communicate with Machine B and wait for a response. The system designer must design with communication and failure responses in mind to ensure the system stays intact.

 

 

Blockchain and generals problem

 

Blockchain was invented to solve the Byzantine Generals Problem, Which is particularly an issue for distributed computing systems, where components may fail and there is imperfect information on whether a component has failed.

 

There are some generals:

  • The generals must attack their enemy at the same time; otherwise, they may risk failure.
  • The generals have no effective way to communicate instantly.
  • They need to send a courier to others to transmit their message.
  • They must confirm that the other generals will attack at the same time.
  • The generals must relay messages and confirmation amongst each of them before launching an attack.

 

The problem gets more complicated when we consider that traitors may exist. We have no way of guaranteeing all of the messengers are trustworthy; on top of that, a messenger could be captured and forced to deliver a forged message. All the generals must confirm each other’s decision to reach a consensus before launching a coordinated attack.

 

 

Centralized, Decentralized and Distributed Systems

 

While a centralized system is easy to understand, differentiating a decentralized system from a distributed one is often confusing.

 

A distributed system stores and processes data in different locations or computers; the data is usually replicated. A decentralized system means that no single participant can decide how the system behaves. It must aggregate responses from multiple parties before reaching a decision.

 

A decentralized system must be distributed, while a distributed system may or may not be decentralized. In other words, a decentralized system is a subset of the distributed system.

 

Blockchain Alternatives

 

Since the invention of Bitcoin, many have generalized its technology and called it ‘Blockchain’. However, the original Bitcoin design is not the only design that works.

 

 

Distributed Ledger Technology

 

Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), like Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) or Block Lattice, is an alternative data structure to Bitcoin. DLT fulfils the vision of a decentralized system as originally wished, but we can no longer call these alternatives a ‘Blockchain’. Hence, the term DLT was invented to generalize all similar systems that aim to solve consensus problems in a decentralized way.

 

 

Final Words on Blockchain

 

The mechanisms behind blockchain — and integrating security mechanisms into its process — have allowed us to move from one centralized security system, like traditional financial institutions, to the crypto world. The system is set to become even better as it evolves.

 

This article is informational purposes only. You should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. Nothing contained herein shall constitute a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, invest, buy, or sell any coins, tokens, or other crypto assets. Returns on the buying and selling of crypto assets may be subject to tax, including capital gains tax, in your jurisdiction.

 

Past performance is not a guarantee or predictor of future performance. The value of crypto assets can increase or decrease, and you could lose all or a substantial amount of your purchase price. When assessing a crypto asset, it’s essential for you to do your research and due diligence to make the best possible judgment, as any purchases shall be your sole responsibility.

 

 

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