Book Image

Mastering Blockchain - Third Edition

By : Imran Bashir
Book Image

Mastering Blockchain - Third Edition

By: Imran Bashir

Overview of this book

Blockchain is the backbone of cryptocurrencies, with applications in finance, government, media, and other industries. With a legacy of providing technologists with executable insights, this new edition of Mastering Blockchain is thoroughly revised and updated to the latest blockchain research with four new chapters on consensus algorithms, Serenity (the update that will introduce Ethereum 2.0), tokenization, and enterprise blockchains. This book covers the basics, including blockchain’s technical underpinnings, cryptography and consensus protocols. It also provides you with expert knowledge on decentralization, decentralized application development on Ethereum, Bitcoin, alternative coins, smart contracts, alternative blockchains, and Hyperledger. Further, you will explore blockchain solutions beyond cryptocurrencies such as the Internet of Things with blockchain, enterprise blockchains, tokenization using blockchain, and consider the future scope of this fascinating and disruptive technology. By the end of this book, you will have gained a thorough comprehension of the various facets of blockchain and understand their potential in diverse real-world scenarios.
Table of Contents (24 chapters)
23
Index

Ethereum 2.0—an overview

Based on the problem presented by Vitalik Buterin, an Ethereum co-founder, in 2015, it is understood that only two of the three main core properties of a blockchain can be utilized at a time. These three core properties are the following:

  • Decentralization
  • Scalability
  • Security (or consistency)

This is known as the Scalability Trilemma and is seen as a fundamental problem that needs to be addressed before global adoption of the Ethereum blockchain.

This concept is visualized in the following diagram:

Figure 16.1: Blockchain trilemma

Intensive research is underway with Phase 0 already near release. The aim is to address this trilemma and find the right balance between all three properties, instead of compromising and only choosing two of the three.

With the release of Proof of Stake (PoS), Sharding, and ewasm, a balanced combination of all these three properties, that is, decentralization, scalability...