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

Blockchain – Outside of Currencies

Digital currencies were the first-ever application of blockchain, which arguably didn't realize the technology's full potential. Although Bitcoin, the first major blockchain conceptualization, was introduced in 2008, it was not until years later that blockchain technology's possible applications in industries other than cryptocurrencies were realized. In 2010, discussion started regarding BitDNS, a decentralized naming system for domains on the internet. Then, Namecoin (https://en.bitcoinwiki.org/wiki/Namecoin) started in April 2011 with a different vision to Bitcoin, the sole purpose of which was to provision electronic cash. This can be considered the first example of blockchain usage other than purely as a cryptocurrency.

Next, in 2013, the first initial coin offering (ICO), MasterCoin, emerged, which paved the way for more ICOs. After that, Ethereum's ICO was hugely successful. With the availability of Ethereum...