Book Image

Blockchain with Hyperledger Fabric - Second Edition

By : Nitin Gaur, Anthony O'Dowd, Petr Novotny, Luc Desrosiers, Venkatraman Ramakrishna, Salman A. Baset
Book Image

Blockchain with Hyperledger Fabric - Second Edition

By: Nitin Gaur, Anthony O'Dowd, Petr Novotny, Luc Desrosiers, Venkatraman Ramakrishna, Salman A. Baset

Overview of this book

Blockchain with Hyperledger Fabric - Second Edition is a refreshed and extended version of the successful book on practical Hyperledger Fabric blockchain development. This edition includes many new chapters, alongside comprehensive updates and additions to the existing ones. Entirely reworked for Hyperledger Fabric version 2, this edition will bring you right up to date with the latest in blockchain. Using a real-world Trade Finance and Logistics example, with working code available on GitHub, you’ll really understand both how and why Hyperledger Fabric can be used to maximum effect. This book is your comprehensive guide and reference to explore and build blockchain networks using Hyperledger Fabric version 2. This edition of the book begins by outlining the evolution of blockchain, including an overview of relevant blockchain technologies. Starting from first principles, you’ll learn how to design and operate a permissioned blockchain network based on Hyperledger Fabric version 2. You will learn how to configure the main architectural components of a permissioned blockchain network including Peers, Orderers, Certificate Authorities, Channels, and Policies. You’ll then learn how to design, develop, package, and deploy smart contracts, and how they are subsequently used by applications. This edition also contains chapters on DevOps, blockchain governance, and security, making this your go-to book for Hyperledger Fabric version 2.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
16
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17
Index

The ledger

With our solid grasp of a multi-party transaction, we're ready to see how it is stored at the heart of a Hyperledger Fabric blockchain system—in a ledger. Figure 6.3 shows a sample Hyperledger Fabric ledger:

Figure 6.3: A Hyperledger Fabric ledger has two major components: a state database and a blockchain

We can see that there are two parts to a ledger—a state database and a blockchain. The state database holds the current value of all objects in the ledger, while the blockchain holds a history of all transactions affecting these objects. These are the two key data structures with which our smart contracts and application programs will interact.

Make no mistake though, the blockchain is the primary component of the ledger. That's because it generates the state database. If the state database was deleted or lost, we could regenerate it from the blockchain by replaying all the transactions contained within it. In contrast, if the...