ABSTRACT

Whether you are a project manager looking to lead blockchain projects, a developer who would like to create blockchain-based applications, or a student with an interest, this book will provide you with the foundational understanding that you need.

You have probably noticed that blockchains are growing in popularity. Governments are investigating Digital Currencies, supply chains are adopting Digital Ledgers, games makers and artists are developing NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), and new use-cases are emerging regularly.

With such growth, many people will find themselves needing to understand how these technologies work. There will be new project teams, with technical leads managing blockchain projects and developers creating distributed applications. This book is great for them as it explains the concepts on which blockchain technologies are based, in simple terms.

We will discuss and explain topics such as hashing, Merkle trees, nodes, mining, proof of work and proof of stake, consensus mechanisms encryption, vulnerabilities, and much more. The structures and principles described will be relevant for developers and managers alike, and will be demonstrated through relevant examples throughout the text.

If you are looking to understand this exciting new technology, this is the book for you.

chapter Chapter 1|3 pages

What are blockchains for?

chapter Chapter 2|20 pages

Basic principles of blockchain

chapter Chapter 3|8 pages

Decentralized computing

chapter Chapter 4|16 pages

Forks

chapter Chapter 5|29 pages

Cryptocurrencies

chapter Chapter 6|19 pages

Coins and transactions

chapter Chapter 7|15 pages

Mining

chapter Chapter 8|4 pages

Summary of blockchain so far

chapter Chapter 9|21 pages

Blockchain 2.0

chapter Chapter 10|20 pages

Public and private blockchains

chapter Chapter 11|23 pages

Privacy coins

chapter Chapter 12|6 pages

Blockchains and cryptocurrency issues and answers

chapter Chapter 13|9 pages

Attacks