Drescher Blockchain Basics

A Non-Technical Introduction in 25 Steps
1. ed
ISBN: 978-1-4842-2604-9
Verlag: Apress
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 250 Seiten

In 25 concise steps, you will learn the basics of blockchain technology. No mathematical formulas, program code, or computer science jargon are used.No previous knowledge in computer science, mathematics, programming, or cryptography is required. Terminology is explained through pictures, analogies, and metaphors.This book bridges the gap that exists between purely technical books about the blockchain and purely business-focused books. It does so by explaining both the technical concepts that make up the blockchain and their role in business-relevant applications.What You Will Learn:What the blockchain is
Why it is needed and what problem it solves
Why there is so much excitement about the blockchain and its potential
Major components and their purpose
How various components of the blockchain work and interact
Limitations, why they exist, and what has been done to overcome them
Major application scenariosWho This Book Is For: Everyone who wants to get a general idea of what blockchain technology is, how it works, and how it will potentially change the financial system as we know it


Daniel Drescher is an experienced banking professional who has held positions in electronic security trading in a range of banks. His recent activities have focused on automation, machine learning and big data in the context of security trading. Amongst others, Daniel holds a Doctorate in Econometrics from the Technical University of Berlin and an MSc in Software Engineering from the University of Oxford.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Drescher, Daniel

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Contents;5
2;About the Author;7
3;About the Technical Reviewer;8
4;Introduction;9
5;Stage I:Terminology and Technical Foundations;14
5.1;Step1: Thinking in Layers and Aspects;15
5.1.1;The Metaphor;16
5.1.2;Layers of a Software System;16
5.1.2.1;Application vs. Implementation;16
5.1.2.2;Functional vs. Nonfunctional Aspects;17
5.1.3;Considering Two Layers at the Same Time;17
5.1.4;Integrity;18
5.1.5;Outlook;19
5.1.6;Summary;19
5.2;Step2: Seeing the Big Picture;20
5.2.1;The Metaphor;20
5.2.2;A Payment System;21
5.2.3;Two Types of Software Architecture;21
5.2.4;The Advantages of Distributed Systems;23
5.2.4.1;Higher Computing Power;23
5.2.4.2;Cost Reduction;23
5.2.4.3;Higher Reliability;23
5.2.4.4;Ability to Grow Naturally;24
5.2.5;The Disadvantages of Distributed Systems;24
5.2.5.1;Coordination Overhead;24
5.2.5.2;Communication Overhead;24
5.2.5.3;Dependencies on Networks;25
5.2.5.4;Higher Program Complexity;25
5.2.5.5;Security Issues;25
5.2.6;Distributed Peer-to-Peer Systems;25
5.2.7;Mixing Centralized and Distributed Systems;26
5.2.8;Identifying Distributed Systems;27
5.2.9;The Purpose of the Blockchain;27
5.2.10;Outlook;28
5.2.11;Summary;28
5.3;Step3: Recognizing the Potential;29
5.3.1;The Metaphor;29
5.3.2;How a Peer-to-Peer System Changed a Whole Industry;30
5.3.3;The Potential of Peer-to-Peer Systems;31
5.3.4;Terminology and the Link to the Blockchain;32
5.3.4.1;The Definition of a Peer-to-Peer System;33
5.3.4.2;Architecture of Peer-to-Peer Systems;33
5.3.4.3;The Link Between Peer-to-Peer Systems and the Blockchain;34
5.3.5;The Potential of the Blockchain;34
5.3.6;Outlook;34
5.3.7;Summary;35
6;Stage II:Why the Blockchain Is Needed;36
6.1;Step4: Discovering the Core Problem;37
6.1.1;The Metaphor;37
6.1.2;Trust and Integrity in Peer-to-Peer Systems;38
6.1.3;Integrity Threats in Peer-to-Peer Systems;38
6.1.3.1;Technical Failures;39
6.1.3.2;Malicious Peers;39
6.1.4;The Core Problem to Be Solved by the Blockchain;39
6.1.5;Outlook;40
6.1.6;Summary;40
6.2;Step5: Disambiguating the Term;41
6.2.1;The Term;41
6.2.1.1;A Data Structure;42
6.2.1.2;An Algorithm;42
6.2.1.3;A Suite of Technologies;42
6.2.1.4;An Umbrella Term for Purely Distributed Peer-to-Peer Systems with a Common Application Area;42
6.2.2;The Usage of the Term in This Book;43
6.2.3;Provisional Definition;43
6.2.4;The Role of Managing Ownership;43
6.2.5;The Application Area of the Blockchain in This Book;44
6.2.6;Outlook;44
6.2.7;Summary;45
6.3;Step6: Understanding the Nature of Ownership;46
6.3.1;The Metaphor;46
6.3.2;Ownership and Witnesses;47
6.3.3;Foundations of Ownership;48
6.3.4;A Short Detour to Security;49
6.3.4.1;Identification;50
6.3.4.2;Authentication;50
6.3.4.3;Authorization;50
6.3.5;Purposes and Properties of a Ledger;51
6.3.6;Ownership and the Blockchain;52
6.3.7;Outlook;53
6.3.8;Summary;53
6.4;Step7: Spending Money Twice;55
6.4.1;The Metaphor;55
6.4.2;The Double Spending Problem;56
6.4.3;The Term;57
6.4.3.1;Double Spending as a Problem of Copying Digital Goods;57
6.4.3.2;Double Spending as a Problem of Distributed Peer-to-Peer Systems of Ledgers;57
6.4.3.3;Double Spending as an Example of Violated Integrity in Distributed Peer-to-Peer Systems;58
6.4.4;How to Solve the Double Spending Problem;58
6.4.4.1;Solving Double Spending as a Problem of Copying Digital Goods;58
6.4.4.2;Solving Double Spending as a Problem of a Distributed Peer-to-Peer System of Ledgers;58
6.4.4.3;Solving Double Spending as an Example of Violated Integrity in Distributed Peer-to-Peer Systems;59
6.4.5;The Usage of Double Spending in This Book;59
6.4.6;Outlook;59
6.4.7;Summary;59
7;Stage III:How the Blockchain Works;61
7.1;Step8: Planning the Blockchain;62
7.1.1;The Goal;62
7.1.2;Starting Point;63
7.1.3;The Path to Follow;63
7.1.3.1;Task 1: Describing Ownership;64
7.1.3.2;Task 2: Protecting Ownership;64
7.1.3.3;Task 3: Storing Transaction Data;64
7.1.3.4;Task 4: Preparing Ledgers to Be Distributed in an Untrustworthy Environment;65
7.1.3.5;Task 5: Distributing the Ledgers;65
7.1.3.6;Task 6: Adding New Transactions to the Ledgers;65
7.1.3.7;Task 7: Deciding Which Ledgers Represent the Truth;66
7.1.4;Outlook;66
7.1.5;Summary;67
7.2;Step9: Documenting Ownership;68
7.2.1;The Metaphor;68
7.2.2;The Goal;69
7.2.3;The Challenge;69
7.2.4;The Idea;69
7.2.5;A Short Detour to Inventory and Transaction Data;69
7.2.6;How It Works;70
7.2.6.1;Describing the Transfer of Ownership;70
7.2.6.2;Maintaining the History of Transfers;71
7.2.7;Why It Works;71
7.2.8;Importance of Ordering;71
7.2.9;Integrity of the Transaction History;72
7.2.9.1;Formal Correctness;72
7.2.9.2;Semantic Correctness;72
7.2.9.3;Authorization;73
7.2.10;Outlook;73
7.2.11;Summary;73
7.3;Step10: Hashing Data;75
7.3.1;The Metaphor;75
7.3.2;The Goal;75
7.3.3;How It Works;76
7.3.3.1;Providing Hash Values for Any Data Quickly;76
7.3.3.2;Deterministic;76
7.3.3.3;Pseudorandom;77
7.3.3.4;One-Way Function;77
7.3.3.5;Collision Resistant;77
7.3.4;Trying It Out Yourself;77
7.3.5;Patterns of Hashing Data;79
7.3.5.1;Independent Hashing;79
7.3.5.2;Repeated Hashing;80
7.3.5.3;Combined Hashing;80
7.3.5.4;Sequential Hashing;81
7.3.5.5;Hierarchical Hashing;82
7.3.6;Outlook;83
7.3.7;Summary;83
7.4;Step11: Hashing in the Real World;84
7.4.1;Comparing Data;84
7.4.1.1;The Goal;84
7.4.1.2;The Idea;85
7.4.1.3;How It Works;85
7.4.1.4;Why It Works;85
7.4.2;Detecting Changes in Data;85
7.4.2.1;The Goal;85
7.4.2.2;The Idea;85
7.4.2.3;How It Works;85
7.4.2.4;Why It Works;86
7.4.3;Referring to Data in a Change-Sensitive Manner;86
7.4.3.1;The Goal;86
7.4.3.2;The Idea;86
7.4.3.3;How It Works;86
7.4.3.4;A Schematic Illustration;87
7.4.3.5;Why It Works;89
7.4.4;Storing Data in a Change-Sensitive Manner;89
7.4.4.1;The Goal;89
7.4.4.2;The Idea;89
7.4.4.3;How It Works;89
7.4.4.3.1;The Chain;90
7.4.4.3.2;The Tree;90
7.4.4.4;Why It Works;91
7.4.5;Causing Time-Consuming Computations;92
7.4.5.1;The Goal;92
7.4.5.2;The Idea;92
7.4.5.3;How It Works;92
7.4.5.4;An Illustrative Example;93
7.4.5.5;The Difficulty Level;94
7.4.5.6;Why It Works;94
7.4.6;Usage of Hashing in the Blockchain;95
7.4.7;Outlook;95
7.4.8;Summary;95
7.5;Step12: Identifying and Protecting User Accounts;96
7.5.1;The Metaphor;96
7.5.2;The Goal;97
7.5.3;The Challenge;97
7.5.4;The Idea;97
7.5.5;A Short Detour to Cryptography;98
7.5.5.1;The Major Idea of Cryptography;98
7.5.5.2;Terminology2;98
7.5.5.3;Symmetric Cryptography;99
7.5.5.4;Asymmetric Cryptography;99
7.5.6;Asymmetric Cryptography in the Real World;101
7.5.6.1;Creating and Distributing the Keys;101
7.5.6.2;Using the Keys;101
7.5.6.2.1;Public to Private;102
7.5.6.2.2;Private to Public;102
7.5.7;Asymmetric Cryptography in the Blockchain;102
7.5.7.1;Identifying Accounts;102
7.5.7.2;Authorizing Transactions;103
7.5.8;Outlook;103
7.5.9;Summary;103
7.6;Step13: Authorizing Transactions;105
7.6.1;The Metaphor;105
7.6.2;The Goal;106
7.6.3;The Challenge;106
7.6.4;The Idea;106
7.6.5;A Short Detour to Digital Signatures;106
7.6.5.1;Creating a Signature;107
7.6.5.2;Verifying Data by Using the Signature;107
7.6.5.3;Identifying Fraud by Using the Signature;108
7.6.6;How It Works;109
7.6.6.1;Signing a Transaction;109
7.6.6.2;Verifying a Transaction;110
7.6.7;Why It Works;110
7.6.8;Outlook;111
7.6.9;Summary;111
7.7;Step14: Storing Transaction Data;112
7.7.1;The Metaphor;113
7.7.2;The Goal;113
7.7.3;The Challenge;113
7.7.4;The Idea;113
7.7.5;Transforming a Book into a Blockchain-Data-Structure;114
7.7.5.1;Starting Point: A Book;114
7.7.5.2;Transformation 1: Making Page Dependency Explicit;114
7.7.5.3;Transformation 2: Outsourcing the Content;116
7.7.5.4;Transformation 3: Replacing Page Numbers;117
7.7.5.5;Transformation 4: Creating Reference Numbers;118
7.7.5.6;Transformation 5: Getting Rid of the Book Spine;118
7.7.5.7;Goal Achieved: Appreciating the Result;118
7.7.6;The Blockchain-Data-Structure;119
7.7.6.1;The Mental Unit of a Page of the Ordering Catalog and Its Corresponding Content Page;120
7.7.6.2;Ordering Catalog;120
7.7.6.3;Content Pages;121
7.7.6.4;Catalog Page Reference Numbers;121
7.7.6.5;Content Reference Numbers;121
7.7.7;Storing Transactions in the Blockchain-Data-Structure;121
7.7.8;Outlook;123
7.7.9;Summary;123
7.8;Step15: Using the Data Store;124
7.8.1;The Metaphor;124
7.8.2;Adding New Transactions;125
7.8.3;Detecting Changes;128
7.8.3.1;Changing the Content of Transaction Data;128
7.8.3.2;Changing a Reference in the Merkle Tree;129
7.8.3.3;Replacing a Transaction;129
7.8.3.4;Changing the Merkle Root;130
7.8.3.5;Changing a Block Header Reference;131
7.8.4;Changing Data Orderly;132
7.8.5;Intended vs. Unintended Changes;133
7.8.6;Outlook;134
7.8.7;Summary;134
7.9;Step 16: Protecting the Data Store;136
7.9.1;The Metaphor;136
7.9.2;The Goal;137
7.9.3;The Challenge;137
7.9.4;The Idea;138
7.9.5;A Short Detour to Immutability;138
7.9.6;How It Works: The Big Picture;138
7.9.6.1;Making Manipulations Stand Out;139
7.9.6.2;Enforcing Rewriting the History for Embedding Changes;139
7.9.6.3;Making Adding Data Computationally Expensive;139
7.9.7;How It Works: The Details;140
7.9.7.1;Compulsory Data;140
7.9.7.2;The Process of Creating A New Block;140
7.9.7.3;Validation Rules;141
7.9.8;Why It Works;142
7.9.9;The Costs of Manipulating the Blockchain-Data-Structure;142
7.9.10;The Immutable Data Store in the Real World;143
7.9.11;Outlook;144
7.9.12;Summary;144
7.10;Step 17:Distributing the Data Store Among Peers;145
7.10.1;The Metaphor;145
7.10.2;The Goal;146
7.10.3;The Challenge;146
7.10.4;The Idea;146
7.10.5;How It Works: The Overview1;147
7.10.6;How It Works: The Details;148
7.10.6.1;Keeping Existing Connections Alive;149
7.10.6.2;Establishing New Connections;149
7.10.6.3;Distributing New Information;149
7.10.7;Why It Works;150
7.10.8;Outlook;150
7.10.9;Summary;150
7.11;Step 18:Verif ying and Adding Transactions;153
7.11.1;The Metaphor;153
7.11.1.1;Consequences;154
7.11.2;The Goal;155
7.11.3;The Challenge;155
7.11.4;The Idea;155
7.11.5;How It Works: The Building Blocks;155
7.11.5.1;Validation Rules;156
7.11.5.1.1;Validation Rules for Transaction Data;156
7.11.5.1.2;Validation Rules for Block Headers;156
7.11.5.2;Reward;156
7.11.5.3;Punishment;157
7.11.5.4;Competition;157
7.11.5.4.1;Speed Competition;158
7.11.5.4.2;Quality Competition;158
7.11.5.5;Peer Control;158
7.11.6;How It Works: The Skeleton;159
7.11.7;How It Works: The Details;159
7.11.8;Why It Works;161
7.11.9;Dealing with Dishonest Behavior;162
7.11.10;Outlook;163
7.11.11;Summary;163
7.12;Step19: Choosing a Transaction History;165
7.12.1;The Metaphor;165
7.12.2;The Goal;166
7.12.3;The Challenge;166
7.12.4;The Idea;167
7.12.5;How It Works;168
7.12.5.1;The Longest-Chain-Criterion;168
7.12.5.2;The Heaviest-Chain-Criterion;173
7.12.6;Consequences of Selecting One Chain;174
7.12.6.1;Orphan Blocks;174
7.12.6.2;Reclaimed Reward;175
7.12.6.3;Clarifying Ownership;175
7.12.6.4;Reprocessing of Transactions;175
7.12.6.5;A Growing Common Trunk;176
7.12.6.6;Eventual Consistency;176
7.12.6.7;Robustness Against Manipulations;177
7.12.7;Threats to the Voting Schema;178
7.12.8;The Role of the Hash Puzzle;178
7.12.9;Why It Works;179
7.12.10;Outlook;179
7.12.11;Summary;179
7.13;Step20: Paying for Integrity;182
7.13.1;The Metaphor;182
7.13.2;The Role of Fees Within the Blockchain;183
7.13.2.1;Impact on the Integrity of the System;184
7.13.2.2;Impact on the Openness of the System;184
7.13.2.3;Impact on the Distributed Nature of the System;184
7.13.2.4;Impact on the Philosophy of the System;184
7.13.3;Desirable Properties of an Instrument of Payment for Compensating Peers;185
7.13.4;A Detour to the Emergence of Cryptographic Currencies;185
7.13.5;Outlook;186
7.13.6;Summary;186
7.14;Step21: Bringing the Pieces Together;188
7.14.1;Reviewing Concepts and Technologies;188
7.14.2;What Is the Blockchain?;190
7.14.2.1;The Purpose of the Blockchain: Functional Aspects of the Application Layer;191
7.14.2.1.1;Clarifying Ownership;191
7.14.2.1.2;Transferring Ownership;191
7.14.2.2;Properties of the Blockchain: Nonfunctional Aspects;192
7.14.2.2.1;Highly Available;192
7.14.2.2.2;Censorship Proof;192
7.14.2.2.3;Reliable;192
7.14.2.2.4;Open;192
7.14.2.2.5;Pseudoanonymous;192
7.14.2.2.6;Secure;193
7.14.2.2.7;Resilient;193
7.14.2.2.8;Eventually Consistent;193
7.14.2.2.9;Keeping Integrity;193
7.14.2.3;Internal Functioning: Functional Aspects of the Implementation Layer;193
7.14.2.3.1;Ownership Logic;194
7.14.2.3.2;Transaction Security;194
7.14.2.3.3;Transaction Processing Logic;195
7.14.2.3.4;Storage Logic;196
7.14.2.3.5;Peer-to-Peer Architecture;197
7.14.2.3.6;Consensus Logic;198
7.14.3;Gaining Abstraction;198
7.14.4;Outlook;199
7.14.5;Summary;199
8;Stage IV:Limitations and How to Overcome Them;202
8.1;Step22: Seeing the Limitations;203
8.1.1;The Challenge;203
8.1.2;Technical Limitations of the Blockchain;204
8.1.2.1;Lack of Privacy;204
8.1.2.2;The Security Model;204
8.1.2.3;Limited Scalability;205
8.1.2.4;High Costs;205
8.1.2.5;Hidden Centrality;206
8.1.2.6;Lack of Flexibility;206
8.1.2.7;Critical Size;207
8.1.3;Nontechnical Limitations of the Blockchain;207
8.1.3.1;Lack of Legal Acceptance;207
8.1.3.2;Lack of User Acceptance;208
8.1.4;Overcoming the Limitations;208
8.1.4.1;Technical Limitations;208
8.1.4.2;Nontechnical Limitations;208
8.1.5;Outlook;209
8.1.6;Summary;209
8.2;Step23: Reinventing the Blockchain;210
8.2.1;The Metaphor;210
8.2.2;Conflicting Goals of the Blockchain;211
8.2.2.1;Transparency vs. Privacy;211
8.2.2.2;Security vs. Speed;211
8.2.3;The Roots of the Conflicts;211
8.2.4;Solving the Conflicts;212
8.2.4.1;Deciding on Transparency vs. Privacy;212
8.2.4.2;Deciding on Security vs. Speed;213
8.2.5;Four Versions of the Blockchain;213
8.2.6;Consequences;214
8.2.6.1;The Peer-to-Peer Architecture;214
8.2.6.2;The Distributed Nature;214
8.2.6.3;Purpose;215
8.2.7;Reviewing the Purpose of the Blockchain;215
8.2.8;The Usage of the Term Blockchain in the Remainder of This Book;216
8.2.9;Outlook;216
8.2.10;Summary;216
9;Stage V:Using the Blockchain, Summary, and Outlook;218
9.1;Step24: Using the Blockchain;219
9.1.1;The Metaphor;219
9.1.2;Characteristics of the Blockchain;220
9.1.3;Generic Application Patterns;220
9.1.3.1;Proof of Existence;221
9.1.3.2;Proof of Nonexistence;221
9.1.3.3;Proof of Time;221
9.1.3.4;Proof of Order;221
9.1.3.5;Proof of Identity;222
9.1.3.6;Proof of Authorship;222
9.1.3.7;Proof of Ownership;222
9.1.4;Specific Use Cases;222
9.1.5;Analyzing Blockchain Applications;224
9.1.5.1;Are the Requirements for Using the Blockchain Fulfilled?;224
9.1.5.2;What Kind of Blockchain Is Used?;225
9.1.5.3;What Is the Added Value of Using the Purely Peer-to-Peer System?;226
9.1.5.4;What Is the Application Idea?;226
9.1.5.5;What Is the Business Case?;227
9.1.5.6;How Are Peers Compensated for Contributing Resources to the System and Maintaining Integrity?;227
9.1.6;Outlook;228
9.1.7;Summary;228
9.2;Step25: Summarizing and Going Further;230
9.2.1;The Metaphor;231
9.2.2;Further Developments and Alternatives;231
9.2.2.1;Minor Technical Improvements and Variations;232
9.2.2.2;Improving Scalability;233
9.2.2.3;Conceptual Evolutions;233
9.2.2.3.1;Access Rights;233
9.2.2.3.2;Privacy;234
9.2.2.3.3;Consensus;234
9.2.2.3.4;Transactions;235
9.2.2.3.5;Inventory Data;236
9.2.2.3.6;Data Structure;236
9.2.3;Major Accomplishments of the Blockchain;237
9.2.3.1;Disintermediation;237
9.2.3.2;Automation;238
9.2.3.3;Standardization;238
9.2.3.4;Streamlining Processes;238
9.2.3.5;Increased Processing Speed;238
9.2.3.6;Cost Reduction;238
9.2.3.7;Shift Toward Trust in Protocols and Technology;239
9.2.3.8;Making Trust a Commodity;239
9.2.3.9;Increased Technology Awareness;239
9.2.4;Possible Disadvantages;240
9.2.4.1;Lack of Privacy;240
9.2.4.2;Loss of Responsibility;240
9.2.4.3;Loss of Jobs;241
9.2.4.4;Reintermediation;241
9.2.5;The Future;241
9.2.5.1;Limited Enthusiast Projects;241
9.2.5.2;Large-Scale Commercial Usage;242
9.2.5.3;Governmental Projects;242
9.2.6;Outlook;242
9.2.7;Summary;243
10;Index;244