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

Summary

In this chapter, we explained some of the most prominent protocols in blockchain and traditional distributed system consensus. We covered several algorithms, including Proof of Work, Proof of Stake, traditional BFT protocols, and the latest protocols, such as HotStuff. Distributed consensus is a very ripe area of research and academics and industry researchers are participating in this exciting subject. It is also a deep and vast area of research, therefore, it is impossible to cover every protocol and all dimensions of this gripping discipline in a single chapter. Nevertheless, the protocols and ideas presented in this chapter provide solid ground for further research and more in-depth exploration.

In the next chapter, we'll introduce Bitcoin, which was the first blockchain and cryptocurrency, invented in 2009.