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Blockchain Technology
enormous amount of faith is needed from every member in the network system;
they have to come to a consensus to approve dealings. Blockchains are distributed
by nature; in short, there is no solitary main computer controlling the whole chain.
Rather, any computer connected to the Internet can become an important node of
the network, known as a “terminal”. In order for transactions to be acknowledged,
a certain number of members in the system network have to come to an agreement
that a transaction has been carried out. The exact method by which this occurs dif
fers between different Blockchains. The basic benefits of Blockchain technology are
decentralization, immutability, security and transparency. With its distributed and
unconfined nature, Blockchain technology can lead to new prospects and advantage
businesses through better transparency, improved security and easier tracking. The
great benefit of Blockchain is that it is public. Everybody contributing can see the
blocks and the transactions kept in them. This does not signify that everybody can
see the details of the transactions, though; those are secured by your private key.
Most importantly, it’s safe. The database can be extended, and the preceding logs are
unchangeable (because it is very expensive if somebody needs to modify preceding
documentation). Blockchain does not need the Internet. It is also known as a meta-
technology, as it influences additional technologies, including databases, application
software, other compatible computers, etc. (Brainbridge, 2019).
There are two features involved in Blockchain:
• Members of the system perform the transaction activities.
• Transactions are noted down by blocks, and it is then confirmed that they
are in the right order and have not been altered or damaged.
On a certain network, all transactions that have ever been carried out are noted
on the Blockchain, creating immutable evidence. This transaction evidence is kept
as digital recordings known as blocks. Precisely what is required to authenticate
transactions differs between Blockchains, but typically, this information contains
primary transaction data like the cost, timestamp and operations. Every transac
tion block is cryptographically “secured or locked” to the preceding block because
it holds a cryptographic hash. These aids keep a log of records of the sequence in
which transactions happened, avoiding hacking and fraud. When anyone needs to
add a transaction to the sequence of the chain, all the members in the block network
approve it. This is done by introducing an algorithm or a procedure to validate its
legitimacy. What precisely is meant by “authentic” is decided by the Blockchain
system and generally varies among systems. After that, it depends on members’ con
sensus to approve the transaction as correct and legitimate. Later on, a group of all
accepted transactions is tied up in a set of blocks and then passed to all the nodes of
the system network. These, in order, authenticate the fresh block. Every consecutive
block holds a hash that represents the distinctive fingerprint of the preceding block.
This confirms the need for the data to be altered, providing a slab of timestamping
that eliminates several stages of human inspection and ensures smooth transactions.
However, it isn’t yet the panacea that some trust it to be (Banafa, 2018). In short, a
Blockchain is a collection of data blocks associated by cryptographic tools so as to