Blockchains toolbox

Abstract

Understanding a technology means understanding its principles, so let us explore the basic features of blockchain together. Broadly defined, blockchain is a distributed, and decentralized ledger maintained through a peer-to-peer network. Blockchain is… code, and from that code results trust. Although the ecosystem is a moving target, one may identify two central pillars to blockchain technology, i.e., encryption and immutability. I explore them in turn (Section 1). With that in mind, I then move on to exploring the distinct types of blockchains and consensus systems to get a grasp of the ecosystem’s diversity (Section 2).