Blockchain Platforms
A Look at the Underbelly of Distributed Platforms
Synthesis Lectures onComputer Science
The Synthesis Lectures on Computer Science publishes 75–150 page publications on general computer science topics that may appeal to researchers and practitioners in a variety of areas within computer science.
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Blockchain Platforms: A Look at the Underbelly of Distributed Platforms
Stijn Van Hijfte
ISBN: 9781681738918 print
ISBN: 9781681738925 ebook
ISBN: 9781681738932 hardcover
DOI 10.2200/S01022ED1V01Y202006CSL011
A Publication in the Morgan and Claypool Publishers series
SYNTHESIS LECTURES ON COMPUTER SCIENCE
Lecture #11
Series ISSN 1932-1228 Print 1932-1686 Electronic
Blockchain Platforms
A Look at the Underbelly of Distributed Platforms
Stijn Van Hijfte, Howest Applied University College
SYNTHESIS LECTURES ON COMPUTER SCIENCE #11
ABSTRACT
This book introduces all the technical features that make up blockchain technology today. It starts with a thorough explanation of all technological concepts necessary to understand any discussions related to distributed ledgers and a short history of earlier implementations. It then discusses in detail how the Bitcoin network looks and what changes are coming in the near future, together with a range of altcoins that were created on the same base code. To get an even better idea, the book shortly explores how Bitcoin might be forked before going into detail on the Ethereum network and cryptocurrencies running on top of the network, smart contracts, and more. The book introduces the Hyperledger foundation and the tools offered to create private blockchain solutions. For those willing, it investigates directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) and several of its implementations, which could solve several of the problems other blockchain networks are still dealing with to this day. In Chapter 4, readers can find an overview of blockchain networks that can be used to build solutions of their own and the tools that can help them in the process.
KEYWORDS
Blockchain, distributed ledger, DAG, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Iota, Hyperledger
Contents
1 Underlying Concepts and Technologies
1.3.1 The Hashcash Cost Function
