And I get that since it’s still in the early development stage, and there’s so much to learn and implement. This article aims to introduce you to the basics of blockchain technology, how it works, and its application. For starters, imagine how easy life can become if you could send money to your family, staying thousands of miles away, in minutes without paying hefty banking fees. Now, think about having complete control of your money without requiring any permission from your bank to view or transfer it. And you could store your money digitally in a wallet without a bank governing it. All of these are not dreams; they are possible with blockchain that offers a lot of capabilities and advantages. This is the reason why people are interested in learning blockchain and embracing it. It’s also estimated that corporate investment in blockchain is likely to reach US$12.4 billion by 2022. But what exactly is blockchain? Let’s find out!
What Is Blockchain Technology?
Blockchain is an immutable (unchangeable) and shared digital ledger that stores records or transactions in several places on a network of computers. Here, each verified transaction is added in a space called a block that links with other subsequent blocks with the help of cryptography, forming a chain. If that definition made you scratch your head, let’s understand blockchain technology in simpler terms. Blockchain is a kind of database that stores data (records) on a computer electronically. Block = A space that contains records Chain = A link connecting records So, a chain of linked blocks containing records is called a blockchain. All blockchains are databases, but not all databases are blockchains. The difference between a database and blockchain is how they store data.
Blockchain vs. Database
A database collects a vast amount of information and arranges it in a tabular format to allow users to modify data easily and simultaneously. Also, more extensive databases use servers with powerful computers to house massive data and perform computation. A company or an individual generally owns a database; hence, they control and manage its access. On the other hand, blockchain collects data in groups or blocks with a specific storage capacity. When a block’s capacity is filled, it attaches to another block, forming a chain. All the new records following the subsequent, newly added block are compiled into the new block. Unlike a traditional database, a blockchain does not have a single owner; instead, it’s accessible to everyone with permission. This is why it’s also called a decentralized system, as there’s no central hub to control the blockchain. Similarly, blockchain technology is called Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). It is a distributed ledger of records and allows users to share data or perform transactions peer-to-peer with no central authority. Blockchain technology was invented by an unknown entity – Satoshi Nakamoto (an individual or a group of individuals in 2008) as a public bitcoin transaction ledger. It aims to timestamp a digital document and ensure no one can tamper with it. It helps to solve the issues related to double records and perform secure transactions of assets without involving a third-party intermediary such as the government or bank. This technology works on the internet and comprises different parts like databases, connected computers or nodes, software applications, and more. Example: A company can leverage blockchain technology in its bookkeeping to record all transactions. Bookkeeping involves double-entry accounting for transactions that can be confusing and difficult to verify records by other parties. These records are also straightforward to tamper with, like edit, delete, or add a new record; hence, they may not be accurate. This is where blockchain can help them by securing transactions with the help of cryptography. It offers a tamper-proof way of storing transactions in blocks.
What Are the Components of Blockchain?
The blockchain architecture comprises various layers, such as infrastructure or hardware, data, networking like nodes, verification, information distribution, and applications. Let’s understand some of its components.
Block
As explained above, blockchain refers to a chain of different blocks that contain data or records. And the data in each block is based on the kind of blockchain. For example, a banking blockchain will have blocks containing information such as account number, account holder’s name, branch name, etc. The first block in a blockchain is known as the Genesis block, and all the blocks contain valid records encoded and hashed. Each block has a cryptographic hash of its own and that of the previous block in the same blockchain, linking them and forming a chain. This iterative process validates the previous blocks’ integrity with digital signatures.
Hashing
A hash is like a fingerprint unique to every block. It is a code created using a mathematical function turning digital data into a long string of letters and numbers. This 64-digit hexadecimal number identifies each block and its content, and once it’s created, any modifications in the block will change the hash. Blockchain technology uses Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) 256 hashing and is highly useful to detect any change made in the transactions. It also makes it secure as all the blocks contain the hashes of the previous block. So, if an attacker changes data in a block, its hash changes while the next block still has the old hash of the compromised block. Hence, all the succeeding blocks become invalid that can easily be tracked.
Assets
Assets can be tangible or intangible. Tangible assets are physical items such as land, house, equipment, etc., while intangible assets are non-physical items such as intellectual property contracts, copyrights, patents, etc. Interestingly, money can be both tangible and intangible.
Distributed Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Network
Every transaction in a blockchain works in a distributed Peer-to-Peer (P2P) network that has no central authority to control data. It allows everyone (having access) to join the blockchain, and every computer added to the network is a node. So, when a user creates a new block, it goes to each user on the network, and each node must verify this new block to ensure no one has altered it. When the verification is complete, each node starts adding the new block directly to their blockchain. All the nodes present in the network make a consensus, confirming the validity of blocks and rejecting the tampered ones.
Types of Blockchains
Blockchain is of different types, and users leverage this technology for many use cases depending upon its type. So, different types of blockchains are:
Public Blockchains
Blockchains facilitate a decentralized, open network of multiple computers that anyone can access to request or verify a transaction for accuracy. It allows users to create new blocks, access all the blocks in the blockchain, and validate the data. As they are open and need excellent security, they use concepts like proof of stake or proof of work. The block miners who validate transactions are rewarded financially. Public blockchains are mainly used for mining and exchanging cryptocurrencies. Examples: Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum blockchains.
Private Blockchains
Private blockchains are centralized and governed by a person or organization that decides who can access the blockchain, be added as a node, and verify records. Unlike public blockchains, private blockchains aren’t open and offer access restrictions. If anyone wants to join a private blockchain, they must obtain permission from the administrator. Example: B2B virtual currency exchanges like Hyperledger.
Consortium Blockchains
A group of companies or organizations govern these permissioned blockchains instead of one individual. They are more decentralized than a private blockchain to enjoy more security. It allows limited access and the present nodes determine the consensus process. Furthermore, it constitutes a validator node to initiate, receive, and verify transactions while member nodes have permission to initiate or accept transactions. Here, users can transfer digital assets from one blockchain to another with improved efficiency and scalability. Example: Consortium blockchains are used in payments and banking, such as Quorum and Corda.
Hybrid Blockchain
Hybrid blockchains combine the attributes of private and public blockchains. They can be centralized or decentralized and allow organizations to set up a permission-based private blockchain along with a public blockchain. Thus, the organizations can control the data access in the blockchain and what data to access publicly. Example: It’s used in real estate and retail industries, such as IBM Food Trust.
How Does A Blockchain Transaction Work?
This is how a typical transaction occurs in a blockchain:
Step 1: Transaction request
First, an individual requests a transaction involving real estate, banking, cryptocurrency, records, contracts, etc.
Step 2: Distribution
The transaction requested gets broadcasted in the peer-to-peer network through nodes located across the globe.
Step 3: Validation
The nodes in the network validate the transaction using algorithms and solving complex equations. If they find the transaction legitimate, the records are entered inside blocks.
Step 4: Adding blocks to the blockchain
After the transaction completes, the newly created block is chained with the previous block with cryptography and encryption. It has a hash code and contains the hash code of the previous block. Once this block has filled its allocated space, the next block starts filling and attaching to the previous block; hence a long chain of transactions is formed. This is immutable and transparent for everyone in the blockchain.
How Does Blockchain Ensure Transaction Security?
Blockchain has various techniques to ensure a transaction’s security, such as cryptography, hashing, proof of work, etc. Some of the security techniques are as follows:
Immutability
Immutability in blockchain means no one can manipulate data entered in the blockchain. It’s because every block has a unique hash code and another referencing the previous block. The cryptographic hash codes are not reverse-engineered. In case a transaction data has an error, you can enter a new record for correction. In this case, it will show both the records. Hence, there’s no chance of errors or double-entry.
Chronological Structure
Every block in a blockchain is stored in chronological and linear order, meaning they always attach at the end of a blockchain. And each block has a hash and the hash of the previous one. This fashion is followed throughout the blockchain that may contain thousands of blocks. Hence, it’s challenging to retreat all the way back to change the records. Even if someone manages to alter a block, they will have to do it for all the other blocks, which takes considerable effort, resources, computational power, and time. This gives users time to verify the block and find if it is compromised. The cost of such a hack could be prohibitive, and most of the time, unfruitful.
Proof of Work (PoW)
Although hashing is an excellent way to mitigate tampering, attackers can still hack a blockchain using powerful computers to change a block and recalculate succeeding blocks, and make the entire blockchain valid. To counteract this, blockchain uses Proof of Work, a mechanism to decelerate new block creation. It is a piece of complex computation that takes some effort to solve. And it also takes more time to solve the problem than verifying the results. Hence, calculating the proof of work and adding a new block becomes way more challenging than changing the block and the rest of the blocks after it. This is how proof of work makes blockchains secure. Many times, people confuse PoW and PoS, so they quickly understand it.
Proof of Stake (PoS)
Proof of Stake uses cryptographic algorithms to validate transactions. For example, in mining, validation is done by a selected validator depending upon the number of coins they occupy, which is called their stake. Users don’t technically mine or get rewarded but forge blocks. Participants in the process gain coins, and those with more stake, have greater mining power. It increases their chance of getting chosen as the validator.
Advantages and Limitations of Blockchain
Advantages 👍
The benefits of blockchain are:
Accuracy
All the transactions are validated by thousands of nodes on a blockchain network. It is powerful enough to eliminate errors and provide greater data accuracy. Even if a mistake is made, other computers can spot it quickly. And if this error is to prevail, a minimum of 51% of total computers in the network would have to make the same mistake, which is nearly impossible, especially when a massive blockchain like Bitcoin is involved.
Decentralization
No central hub controls or manages a blockchain; instead, it is decentralized. It means a network of thousands of computers can access it with no single person or organization to govern it. Any change in the blockchain immediately reflects on each node with permission in the network.
Cost-efficiency
Blockchain does not involve any third party to approve a transaction along with their processing costs. For example, banks or payment processors charge a small amount to process a transaction. Thus, businesses performing payment transactions using blockchain technology such as Bitcoin can save a lot of costs.
Speed
Traditional banking systems take a lot of time to process the payment, from its initiation to when the amount reflects on your account. In addition, financial institutions are operable only during their specified business hours and days. So, it may take days to reflect the amount on your bank finally. On the other hand, blockchain is unstoppable. It is active 24/7/365, and transactions can take a few minutes to complete. It is also highly beneficial for international payments.
Immutability
All the records are immutable or unchangeable on a blockchain due to the reliable encryption mechanism, cryptographic hashing, and chronological chaining of blocks. So, it’s not possible to modify or delete data.
Security
Once a transaction is added to a blockchain, thousands of powerful computers verify the record’s authenticity before adding it to a block. Blockchain technology uses complex calculations and algorithms for validation and assigns a unique hash to each block for identification. And even if an attacker changes something, it immediately becomes visible to all the nodes, which can identify the error and render the block invalid and the blocks following it. Hence, it offers a high level of security.
Transparency
With no central authority, most blockchains, like public blockchains, are open-source software. It allows everyone to access the code and auditors to review for security. Anyone in the network can suggest upgrades or changes, and if the majority of users agree, it can be accepted. This way, blockchain offers higher transparency than traditional systems. In addition, you can also stay anonymous to protect your privacy.
Limitations 👎
Illegal activities
Blockchain attracts lots of illegal activities and trading despite offering security and privacy to users. There are many cases of theft and breaches related to blockchain-based currencies and services.
Environmental concerns
Blockchain networks such as Bitcoin consume massive electricity to mine and validate transactions, which impacts the environment.
Scalability issues
Although blockchains are faster than traditional financial institutions, scalability is still an issue. They are tough to scale globally and may cause inefficiencies in doing so. However, new developments are surfacing these days to improve scalability, like Ethereum’s Innovative Layer 2 (L2). However, many still argue the pros of blockchain overshadow the cons, and hence, blockchain is seeing increased adoption globally in various applications and industries.
Blockchain vs. Bitcoin
There’s a lot of confusion and misconceptions regarding blockchain. Many confuse blockchain with bitcoin, thinking they are the same. Well, they are definitely not the same! Blockchain is a technology, while bitcoin is an application of blockchain. Blockchain allows recording and distribution of data but does not allow editing, making it secure for Bitcoin and other FinTech services. Talking about Bitcoin, it is a digital currency (cryptocurrency) built on blockchain technology. It is a peer-to-peer system without a third party or governing body and uses blockchain to store a ledger of transactions (or payments). At present, mining Bitcoins and administrating transactions are done in the network collectively. World’s largest cryptocurrency, Bitcoin (BTC), has a public and open-source ledger. It allows you to send and receive Bitcoin payments with no bank involved or paying fees to them.
Uses of Blockchain
Blockchain is now spreading in various industry verticals to offer them the benefits of security, transparency, privacy, and many more. Leading companies that have already adopted blockchain are IBM, Siemens, Walmart, and more. Let’s look at some of the uses of blockchain.
Cryptocurrency
Bitcoin is not the only cryptocurrency out there. Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies that use strong cryptography to store transaction records securely in a ledger (blockchain). A central authority does not issue it, and its control is decentralized. There are many other cryptocurrencies besides Bitcoin, such as Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Namecoin (NME), Dogecoin (DOGE), Ripple (XRP), TRON (TRX), and more.
Smart Contracts
Smart contracts are digital, blockchain-based proposed contracts. They can be enforced or executed without involving human interaction. It eliminates the need for an intermediary between two contracting parties; the blockchain takes care of it. As a result, it offers transaction automation and reduces friction between parties.
Banking and Finance
Some banks like UBS are interested in implementing blockchain due to its faster transaction speed and reduced costs. In addition, tokenization of various stocks is happening, and new financial services like Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and Security Token Offerings (STOs) are also surfacing. These services can help tokenize tangible assets like real estate.
Supply Chain
Blockchain is being implemented in supply chain areas such as food supply, furniture, software development, and mining precious commodities like diamonds.
Healthcare
According to The Wall Street Journal, Ernst & Young was using blockchain to assist governments, airlines, employers, and others in tracking people immune to the coronavirus and those who have undergone antibody tests. China also used blockchain to accelerate health insurance transactions. Other uses: Blockchain is also used in video games like CryptoKitties, P2P energy trading, domain names, and verification of documents, shipments, and products.
History of Blockchain
Blockchain is a new technology, but some elements of this concept have existed for a long time. Certain notable events resulted in the foundation of blockchain technology. Let us get a brief timeline of such significant events.
2008
Bitcoin, which is a peer-to-peer electronic cash system, was published by Satoshi Nakamoto.
2009
There was a first successful Bitcoin (BTC) transaction between Satoshi Nakamoto and computer scientist Hal Finney.
2010
Laszlo Hanycez, a Florida-based programmer, completed the first official purchase through the use of Bitcoin. He purchased two Papa John’s Pizzas by transferring 10,000 BTC’s worth $60 at that time. Currently, they are worth $438 million. Currently, the official market cap of Bitcoin is $830 billion.
2011
Several organizations like Wikileaks, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and many others started accepting Bitcoin as donations.
2012
Bitcoin developer Vitalik Buterin launched the Bitcoin Magazine. In the popular television show ‘The Good Wife,’ blockchain and cryptocurrency were mentioned for the first time. So, this was the first introduction of blockchain to pop culture.
2013
The market cap of Bitcoin surpassed $1 billion. For the first time, the price of BTC reached more than $100. Vitalik Buterin published a paper named “Ethereum Project” to suggest that there can be several other applications of blockchain other than Bitcoin.
2014
Companies like Overstock.com, The D Las Vegas Hotel, and the famous Gaming company Zynga started accepting payments through Bitcoin. PayPal announced an integration of their systems with Bitcoin. A group of more than 200 blockchain firms came together as a group named R3 to find new ways for implementing blockchain in different sectors. The Ethereum Project of Buterin successfully gained crowdfunding through the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) to raise more than $18 million. This was the most significant event in blockchain history as it opened up new avenues for blockchain technology.
2015
There are more than 100,000 merchants accepting payments through BTC. NASDAQ and San-Fransico blockchain companies get together to test the technology to trade shares in private companies.
2016
IBM being the tech giant, announces a blockchain strategy for better cloud-based business solutions. Blockchain and cryptocurrency get legalized in Japan.
2017
The price of BTC reaches over $1000 for the first time. The market cap of cryptocurrency crosses $150 billion. Dubai government announced that they will be blockchain-powered by 2020. BTC prices reach their all-time high at $19,783.21. Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan, stated that he believes in a future with blockchain technology. This gave the blockchain system a vote of confidence from the entire Wall Street.
2018
Giant banks like Barclays and Citi signed up for the blockchain-based banking platform developed by IBM. Facebook committed to starting a blockchain group and hinting that there is a possibility of Facebook’s own cryptocurrency coming up any time in the future.
2019
The creation of Bakkt – a digital wallet company for crypto trading, was announced by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The president of China, Ji Xinping, publicly embraced blockchain technology while the Central Bank of China announced that they were working on creating their own cryptocurrency. The CEO of Twitter & Square, Jack Dorsey, announced that they would be hiring blockchain engineers in Square to work on some future plans in the crypto industry.
2020
Buying, selling, and holding cryptocurrencies became possible on PayPal. “Sand Dollar” became the world’s first central bank digital currency that the Bahamas launched. By the end of 2020, Bitcoin was able to rise to the level of $30,000. During the COVID-19 scenario, blockchain technology became the most important one for storing patient information and research data.
Blockchain is not only about Bitcoin. Even though Bitcoin was the reason behind the immense popularity of blockchain in the earlier years, now, there is so much more to it. Currently, there are plenty of applications of blockchain technology in various sectors.
Conclusion 👩🏫
Blockchain is an advanced technology with a high level of security and transparency. With increasing awareness about blockchain, more and more organizations are adopting it across industries. Hence, this technology is likely to stay and will find many more uses in the future. You may also be interested in reading: Cryptocurrency Mining for Beginners.
