▶Book Description
Blockchain technology is a combination of three popular concepts: cryptography, peer-to-peer networking, and game theory. This book is for anyone who wants to dive into blockchain from first principles and learn how decentralized applications and cryptocurrencies really work.
This book begins with an overview of blockchain technology, including key definitions, its purposes and characteristics, so you can assess the full potential of blockchain. All essential aspects of cryptography are then presented, as the backbone of blockchain. For readers who want to study the underlying algorithms of blockchain, you'll see Python implementations throughout.
You'll then learn how blockchain architecture can create decentralized applications. You'll see how blockchain achieves decentralization through peer-to-peer networking, and how a simple blockchain can be built in a P2P network. You'll learn how these elements can implement a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, and the wider applications of blockchain work through smart contracts. Blockchain optimization techniques, and blockchain security strategies are then presented. To complete this foundation, we consider blockchain applications in the financial and non-financial sectors, and also analyze the future of blockchain. A study of blockchain use cases includes supply chains, payment systems, crowdfunding, and DAOs, which rounds out your foundation in blockchain technology.
▶What You Will Learn
⦁ The core concepts and technical foundations of blockchain
⦁ The algorithmic principles and solutions that make up blockchain and cryptocurrencies
⦁ Blockchain cryptography explained in detail
⦁ How to realize blockchain projects with hands-on Python code
⦁ How to architect the blockchain and blockchain applications
⦁ Decentralized application development with MultiChain, NEO, and Ethereum
⦁ Optimizing and enhancing blockchain performance and security
⦁ Classical blockchain use cases and how to implement them
▶Key Features
⦁ Learn the core concepts and foundations of the blockchain and cryptocurrencies
⦁ Understand the protocols and algorithms behind decentralized applications
⦁ Master how to architect, build, and optimize blockchain applications
▶Who This Book Is For
This book is for anyone who wants to dive into blockchain technology from first principles and build a foundational knowledge of blockchain. Familiarity with Python will be helpful if you want to follow how the blockchain protocols are implemented. For readers who are blockchain application developers, most of the applications used in this book can be executed on any platform.
▶What this book covers
⦁ Chapter 1, Introduction, gives an overview of blockchain technology by exploring some of the basic topics, such as its definition and history, the motivation behind it, its characteristics, and the different types of blockchain.
⦁ Chapter 2, A Bit of Cryptography, explores the fundamentals of cryptography with regards to blockchain technology, along with a few practical examples.
⦁ Chapter 3, Cryptography in Blockchain, explains how blockchain technology makes use of cryptographic primitives, such as hash functions and digital signatures.
⦁ Chapter 4, Networking in Blockchain, introduces peer-to-peer networking concepts to achieve decentralization in the blockchain network. This chapter also covers how blockchain is maintained in a decentralized network with the help of an example application.
⦁ Chapter 5, Cryptocurrency, dives into the original and best implementation of the blockchain technology by exploring the concepts of Bitcoin, and helps to differentiate cryptocurrency from traditional digital currencies.
⦁ Chapter 6, Diving into Blockchain – Proof of Existence, introduces decentralized application development using MultiChain blockchain framework by implementing a use case: Proof of Existence.
⦁ Chapter 7, Diving into Blockchain – Proof of Ownership, dives further into decentralized application development by introducing the concepts of smart contracts on the NEO and Ethereum blockchain platforms by implementing a use case, looking specifically at Proof of Ownership.
⦁ Chapter 8, Blockchain Projects, explores the opportunities in the field of blockchain by classifying and understanding some well-known blockchain projects.
⦁ Chapter 9, Blockchain Optimizations and Enhancements, focuses on the techniques that can optimize blockchain applications, while introducing a few enhancements of existing blockchain applications in order to add interesting functionalities.
⦁ Chapter 10, Blockchain Security, gives an insight as to the level of security required blockchain technology by pointing out possible attacks and how they can be prevented.
⦁ Chapter 11, When Shouldn’t We Use Blockchain?, lists the characteristics of blockchain technology and explains several decision models you'll need to consider when picking the right use case for a blockchain application.
⦁ Chapter 12, Blockchain Use Cases, analyzes a selection of genuine blockchain use cases with the help of decision models, and looks at creating implementations for those use cases.
