Learn Bitcoin and Blockchain : Understanding Blockchain and Bitcoin Architecture to Build Decentralized Applications

Get up and running with the fundamentals of Bitcoin and blockchain Key Features Learn quick, effective, and easy ways to master blockchain and Bitcoin Understand the impact of decentralization and discover ways to tackle it Explore the future of Bitcoin and blockchain and implement them in a business network Book Description Blockchain is a distributed database that enables permanent, transparent, and secure storage of data. Blockchain technology uses cryptography to keep data secure. Learn Bitcoin and Blockchain is the perfect entry point to the world of decentralized databases. This book will take you on a journey through the blockchain database, followed by advanced implementations of the blockchain concept. You will learn about Bitcoin basics and their technical operations. As you make your way through the book, you will gain insight into this leading technology and its implementation in the real world. You will also cover the technical foundation of blockchain and understand the fundamentals of cryptography and how they keep data secure. In the concluding chapters, you'll get to grips with the mechanisms behind cryptocurrencies. By the end of this book, you will have learned about decentralized digital money, advanced blockchain concepts, and Bitcoin and blockchain security. What you will learn Understand the concept of decentralization, its impact, its relationship with blockchain technology and its pros and cons Learn blockchain and Bitcoin architectures and security Explore Bitcoin and blockchain security Implement blockchain technology and its features commercially Understand why consensus protocols are critical in blockchain Get a grip on the future of blockchain Who this book is for Learn Bitcoin and Blockchain is for anyone who wants to quickly understand and expand their knowledge of how blockchain and Bitcoin work and how they are applied commercially. No prior knowledge of blockchain and Bitcoin is required. Downloading the example code for this book You can download the example code files for all Packt books you have purchased from your account at http://www.PacktPub.com. If you purchased this book elsewhere, you can visit http://www.PacktPub.com/support and register to have the files e-mailed directly to you About This BookGet to grips with the underlying technical principles and implementations of blockchainBuild powerful applications using Ethereum to secure transactions and create smart contractsExplore cryptography, mine cryptocurrencies, and solve scalability issues with this comprehensive guideWho This Book Is ForThis book will appeal to those who wish to build fast, highly secure, transactional applications. It targets people who are familiar with the concept of blockchain and are comfortable with a programming language. What You Will LearnMaster the theoretical and technical foundations of the blockchain technologyUnderstand the concept of decentralization, its impact, and its relationship with blockchain technologyMaster how cryptography is used to secure data - with practical examplesGrasp the inner workings of blockchain and the mechanisms behind bitcoin and alternative cryptocurrenciesUnderstand the theoretical foundations of smart contractsLearn how Ethereum blockchain works and how to develop decentralized applications using Solidity and relevant development frameworksIdentify and examine applications of the blockchain technology - beyond currenciesInvestigate alternative blockchain solutions including Hyperledger, Corda, and many moreExplore research topics and the future scope of blockchain technologyIn DetailA blockchain is a distributed ledger that is replicated across multiple nodes and enables immutable, transparent and cryptographically secure record-keeping of transactions. The blockchain technology is the backbone of cryptocurrencies, and it has applications in finance, government, media and almost all other industries. Mastering Blockchain, Second Edition has been thoroughly updated and revised to provide a detailed description of this leading technology and its implementation in the real world.This book begins with the technical foundations of blockchain technology, teaching you the fundamentals of distributed systems, cryptography and how it keeps data secure. You will learn about the mechanisms behind cryptocurrencies and how to develop applications using Ethereum, a decentralized virtual machine. You will also explore different other blockchain solutions and get an introduction to business blockchain frameworks under Hyperledger, a collaborative effort for the advancement of blockchain technologies hosted by the Linux Foundation. You will also be shown how to implement blockchain solutions beyond currencies, Internet of Things with blockchain, blockchain scalability, and the future scope of this fascinating and powerful technology. Learn about cryptography and cryptocurrencies, so you can build highly secure, decentralized applications and conduct trusted in-app transactions. About This Book Get to grips with the underlying technical principles and implementations of blockchain Build powerful applications using Ethereum to secure transactions and create smart contracts Explore cryptography, mine cryptocurrencies, and solve scalability issues with this comprehensive guide Who This Book Is For This book will appeal to those who wish to build fast, highly secure, transactional applications. It targets people who are familiar with the concept of blockchain and are comfortable with a programming language. What You Will Learn Master the theoretical and technical foundations of the blockchain technology Understand the concept of decentralization, its impact, and its relationship with blockchain technology Master how cryptography is used to secure data - with practical examples Grasp the inner workings of blockchain and the mechanisms behind bitcoin and alternative cryptocurrencies Understand the theoretical foundations of smart contracts Learn how Ethereum blockchain works and how to develop decentralized applications using Solidity and relevant development frameworks Identify and examine applications of the blockchain technology - beyond currencies Investigate alternative blockchain solutions including Hyperledger, Corda, and many more Explore research topics and the future scope of blockchain technology In Detail A blockchain is a distributed ledger that is replicated across multiple nodes and enables immutable, transparent and cryptographically secure record-keeping of transactions. The blockchain technology is the backbone of cryptocurrencies, and it has applications in finance, government, media and almost all other industries. Mastering Blockchain, Second Edition has been thoroughly updated and revised to provide a detailed description of this leading technology and its implementation in the real world. This book begins with the technical foundations of blockchain technology, teaching you the fundamentals of distributed systems, cryptography and how it keeps data secure. You will learn about the mechanisms behind cryptocurrencies and how to develop applications using Ethereum, a decentralized virtual machine. You will also explore different other blockchain solutions and get an introduction to business blockchain frameworks under Hyperledger, a collaborative effort for th.. Develop real-time practical DApps using Ethereum and JavaScript About This Book Create powerful, end-to-end applications for Blockchain using Ethereum Write your first program using the Solidity programming language Change the way you think and design your applications by using the all new database-Blockchain Who This Book Is For This book is for JavaScript developers who now want to create tamper-proof data (and transaction) applications using Blockchain and Ethereum. Those who are interested in cryptocurrencies and the logic and database empowering it will find this book extremely useful. What You Will Learn Walk through the basics of the Blockchain technology Implement Blockchain's technology and its features, and see what can be achieved using them Build DApps using Solidity and Web3.js Understand the geth command and cryptography Create Ethereum wallets Explore consortium blockchain In Detail Blockchain is a decentralized ledger that maintains a continuously growing list of data records that are secured from tampering and revision. Every user is allowed to connect to the network, send new transactions to it, verify transactions, and create new blocks, making it permission-less. This book will teach you what Blockchain is, how it maintains data integrity, and how to create real-world Blockchain projects using Ethereum. With interesting real-world projects, you will learn how to write smart contracts which run exactly as programmed without any chance of fraud, censorship, or third-party interference, and build end-to-end applications for Blockchain. You will learn about concepts such as cryptography in cryptocurrencies, ether security, mining , smart contracts, solidity, and more. You will also learn about web sockets, various API services for Ethereum, and much more. The blockchain is the main technical innovation of bitcoin, where it serves as the public ledger for bitcoin transactions. Style and approach This is a project-based guide that not only gets you up and running with Blockchain, but also lets you create intuitive real-world applications that will make you an independent Blockchain developer. Downloading the example code for this book. You can download the example code files for all Packt books you have purchased from your account at http://www.PacktPub.com. If you purchased this book elsewhere, you can visit http://www.PacktPub.com/support and register to have the code file Cover Title Page Copyright and Credits Packt Upsell Contributor Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1: Introduction to Blockchain and Bitcoin An introduction to cryptography and cryptocurrency Workings and security of fiat currencies Understanding cryptocurrency and its uses Hash function Digital signature An introduction to Bitcoin History of Bitcoin Alternative cryptocurrencies to Bitcoin Bitcoin wallets An introduction to the blockchain Workings of blockchain Features of blockchain Structure of blockchain Structuring the Bitcoin block header Representing the blockchain structure Challenges with blockchain Types of blockchain Permission and permissionless blockchain implementations Platforms for blockchain Summary Chapter 2: Fundamentals of Decentralization Decentralized, centralized, and distributed systems How decentralized systems work Decentralized applications Decentralizing various entities Categories of assets Real-world transactions Complex agreements Decentralization of markets Centralized markets for decentralization The impact of decentralization Sectors affected by decentralization The pros and cons of decentralization Summary Chapter 3: Advanced Blockchain Concepts Introduction to consensus protocols Properties of consensus mechanism The Byzantine Generals' Problem Solution to the Byzantine Generals' Problem Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance Types of consensus algorithms Proof of Work Challenges with PoW Proof of Stake Proof of Elapsed Time Comparison between PoW, PoS, and PoET Key privacy challenges of the blockchain Pseudonymous behavior of Bitcoin Solutions to privacy challenges CoinJoin Ring signatures Zero-knowledge proof Smart contracts and decentralized applications Understanding smart contracts Workings of smart contracts Decentralized applications Challenges and solutions Summary Chapter 4: Bitcoin and Blockchain Security Securing Bitcoin and blockchain Security practices for your wallet Types of wallets Hardware wallets Workings of a hardware wallet Types of physical Bitcoins The survival of cryptocurrencies Summary Other books you may enjoy Index Annotation Develop real-time practical DApps using Ethereum and JavaScriptAbout This Book* Create powerful, end-to-end applications for Blockchain using Ethereum* Write your first program using the Solidity programming language* Change the way you think and design your applications by using the all new database-BlockchainWho This Book Is ForThis book is for JavaScript developers who now want to create tamper-proof data (and transaction) applications using Blockchain and Ethereum. Those who are interested in cryptocurrencies and the logic and database empowering it will find this book extremely useful. What You Will Learn* Walk through the basics of the Blockchain technology* Implement Blockchain's technology and its features, and see what can be achieved using them* Build DApps using Solidity and Web3.js* Understand the geth command and cryptography* Create Ethereum wallets* Explore mining ecosystemIn DetailBlockchain is a distributed database that maintains a continuously growing list of data records secured from tampering and revision. Every user is allowed to connect to the network, send new transactions to it, verify transactions, and create new blocks, making it permission-less. This book will teach you what Blockchain is, how it maintains data integrity, and how to create real-world Blockchain projects using Ethereum. With interesting real-world projects, you will know about bitcoin, generating smart and secure contracts with Ethereum, building end-to-end applications for Blockchain. You will learn concepts such as cryptography in cryptocurrencies, ether security, mining, smart contracts, solidity, and more. You will also learn about web sockets, various API services for Ethereum, and much more. The blockchain is the main technical innovation of bitcoin, where it serves as the public ledger for bitcoin transactions Learn about cryptography and cryptocurrencies, so you can build highly secure, decentralized applications and conduct trusted in-app transactions. Key Features Get to grips with the underlying technical principles and implementations of blockchain Build powerful applications using Ethereum to secure transactions and create smart contracts Explore cryptography, mine cryptocurrencies, and solve scalability issues with this comprehensive guide Book DescriptionA blockchain is a distributed ledger that is replicated across multiple nodes and enables immutable, transparent and cryptographically secure record-keeping of transactions. The blockchain technology is the backbone of cryptocurrencies, and it has applications in finance, government, media and almost all other industries. Mastering Blockchain, Second Edition has been thoroughly updated and revised to provide a detailed description of this leading technology and its implementation in the real world. This book begins with the technical foundations of blockchain technology, teaching you the fundamentals of distributed systems, cryptography and how it keeps data secure. You will learn about the mechanisms behind cryptocurrencies and how to develop applications using Ethereum, a decentralized virtual machine. You will also explore different other blockchain solutions and get an introduction to business blockchain frameworks under Hyperledger, a collaborative effort for the advancement of blockchain technologies hosted by the Linux Foundation You will also be shown how to implement blockchain solutions beyond currencies, Internet of Things with blockchain, blockchain scalability, and the future scope of this fascinating and powerful technology. What you will learn Master the theoretical and technical foundations of the blockchain technology Understand the concept of decentralization, its impact, and its relationship with blockchain technology Master how cryptography is used to secure data - with practical examples Grasp the inner workings of blockchain and the mechanisms behind bitcoin and alternative cryptocurrencies Understand the theoretical foundations of smart contracts Learn how Ethereum blockchain works and how to develop decentralized applications using Solidity and relevant development frameworks Identify and examine applications of the blockchain technology - beyond currencies Investigate alternative blockchain solutions including Hyperledger, Corda, and many more Explore research topics and the future scope of blockchain technology Who this book is forThis book will appeal to those who wish to build fast, highly secure, transactional applications. It targets people who are familiar with the concept of blockchain and are comfortable with a programming language Blockchain is a distributed database that enables permanent, transparent, and secure storage of data. The blockchain technology is the backbone of cryptocurrency and it is gaining popularity with people who work in the finance, government, and arts sectors. This book is an up-to-date, one-stop guide to this leading technology and its .. Blockchain and Bitcoin are currently the talk of the town. This book will start with an introduction to the fundamental concepts of Blockchain and it will take you through its various features and challenges. By the end of this book, you will learn to implement the Blockchain technology for securing your cryptocurrency.