Book Image

Mastering Blockchain - Fourth Edition

By : Imran Bashir
5 (3)
Book Image

Mastering Blockchain - Fourth Edition

5 (3)
By: Imran Bashir

Overview of this book

Blockchain is the backbone of cryptocurrencies, it has had a massive impact in many sectors, including finance, supply chains, healthcare, government, and media. It’s also being used for cutting edge technologies such as AI and IoT. This new edition is thoroughly revised to offer a practical approach to using Ethereum, Hyperledger, Fabric, and Corda with step-by-step tutorials and real-world use-cases to help you understand everything you need to know about blockchain development and implementation. With new chapters on Decentralized Finance and solving privacy, identity, and security issues, as well as bonus online content exploring alternative blockchains, this is an unmissable read for everyone who wants to gain a deep understanding of blockchain. The book doesn’t shy away from advanced topics and practical expertise, such as decentralized application (DApp) development using smart contracts and oracles, and emerging trends in the blockchain space. Throughout the book, you’ll explore blockchain solutions beyond cryptocurrencies, such as the IoT with blockchain, enterprise blockchains, and tokenization, and gain insight into the future scope of this fascinating and disruptive technology. By the end of this blockchain book, you will have gained a thorough comprehension of the various facets of blockchain and understand the potential of this technology in diverse real-world scenarios.
Table of Contents (24 chapters)
23
Index

Asymmetric Cryptography

In this chapter, you will be introduced to the concepts and practical aspects of public key cryptography, also called asymmetric cryptography or asymmetric key cryptography. We will start with the theoretical foundations of public key cryptography and will gradually build on the concepts, with relevant practical exercises with OpenSSL. Please refer to the previous chapter for an OpenSSL installation guide, if you have not already. After this, we will introduce some new and advanced cryptography constructs.

Along the way, we will discuss the following topics:

  • Foundational mathematics
  • Asymmetric cryptography
  • Introducing RSA
  • Introducing elliptic curve cryptography (ECC)
  • Digital signatures
  • Cryptographic constructs and blockchain technology

Before discussing cryptography further, some mathematical terms and concepts need to be explained in order to build a foundation for fully understanding the material provided...