Book Image

Mastering Blockchain

Book Image

Mastering Blockchain

Overview of this book

Blockchain is a distributed database that enables permanent, transparent, and secure storage of data. The blockchain technology is the backbone of cryptocurrency – in fact, it’s the shared public ledger upon which the entire Bitcoin network relies – and it’s gaining popularity with people who work in finance, government, and the arts. Blockhchain technology uses cryptography to keep data secure. This book gives a detailed description of this leading technology and its implementation in the real world. This book begins with the technical foundations of blockchain, teaching you the fundamentals of cryptography and how it keeps data secure. You will learn about the mechanisms behind cryptocurrencies and how to develop applications using Ethereum, a decentralized virtual machine. You will explore different blockchain solutions and get an exclusive preview into Hyperledger, an upcoming blockchain solution from IBM and the Linux Foundation. You will also be shown how to implement blockchain beyond currencies, scability with blockchain, and the future scope of this fascinating and powerful technology.
Table of Contents (20 chapters)
Mastering Blockchain
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewer
www.PacktPub.com
Customer Feedback
Preface

Block


As discussed earlier, blocks are the main building blocks of a blockchain. Ethereum blocks consist of various components, which are described as follows:

  • The block header

  • The transactions list

  • The list of headers of Ommers or Uncles

The transaction list is simply a list of all transactions included in the block. In addition, the list of headers of Uncles is also included in the block. The most important and complex part is the block header, which is discussed here.

Block header

Block headers are the most critical and detailed components of an Ethereum block. The header contains valuable information, which is described in detail here.

Parent hash

This is the Keccak 256-bit hash of the parent (previous) block's header.

Ommers hash

This is the Keccak 256-bit hash of the list of Ommers (Uncles) blocks included in the block.

Beneficiary

Beneficiary field contains the 160-bit address of the recipient that will receive the mining reward once the block is successfully mined.

State root

The state root field...