区块链梭哈是什么意思,梭哈币圈
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A. A simple and easy-to-understand introduction to what a blockchain is
A blockchain is a combination of data blocks that are connected sequentially in chronological order. A chained data structure and a cryptographically guaranteed distributed ledger that cannot be tampered with or forged. Broadly speaking, blockchain technology uses block chain data structures to verify and store data, uses distributed node consensus algorithms to generate and update data, uses cryptography to ensure the security of data transmission and access, and uses automated scripts to A new distributed infrastructure and computing paradigm that uses smart contracts composed of code to program and manipulate data.
The underlying technologies of digital cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, and Ethereum are all blockchains, and they are just an application of blockchain.
B. Hashgraph will replace the blockchain
In February 2018, the Hashgraph team posted a new consensus algorithm platform on Reddit, aiming to Provide the world with a more effective and faster underlying support for the value Internet.
From the emergence of Bitcoin to the present, the term blockchain has been deeply rooted in people's hearts. It seems that we have been deeply implanted with the idea that the Internet of Value will be realized through blockchain. If you take a closer look, the blockchain seems to be a simple linked list, but it is connected to more macro blocks. Various public transactions packaged within the block. So we summarized the characteristics of blockchain that everyone can talk about:
The use of blockchain carries many of our beautiful imaginations, giving value to more nodes, including content, personal Data and other various types of assets.
It is true that blockchain has already implemented this function in some areas. However, during the specific use process, we gradually encountered many performance problems. First, raising cats on Ethereum blocked the entire Ethereum network. Not to mention Bitcoin, even though there are thousands of distributed nodes around the world, and major mines have invested heavily in building mines to support this network, it is still limited to only one block every 10 minutes. algorithm limitations.
Because of the performance bottleneck, other algorithms quickly emerged in an attempt to solve this problem. For example, through PoS algorithm and DPoS algorithm, we try to bypass the simple and crude solution of PoW to increase the number of transactions per second (TPS) that the network can handle.
In the recent EOS node election, various wealthy teams around the world participated in the election of 21 super nodes around the world to vote to generate the next block. In essence, it is still an application of the DPoS algorithm, but this super node can obtain a large number of EOS tokens | Token (which can be called Coin after the main network is launched) rewards. According to the current price, it is an income of hundreds of millions. It is understandable that capital pursues profits. But think about it carefully. According to the official statement, this is a compromise method designed to improve TPS.This means that what determines the generation of blocks is no longer fairness, but a representative system, a delicate balance found between decentralization and centralization. Of course, in this system, in addition to super nodes, backup nodes are also necessary. of. This article will not go into details about EOS.
And all this makes people think deeply about a new issue. Satoshi Nakamoto’s vision of one CPU per person and one voting right seems to have gone further and further away.
When it comes to blockchain, we often talk about consensus algorithms. In fact, the full name is consensus consensus algorithm. Among them, two key words are broken out:
Consensus seems to be very close to ordinary users. In plain words, it means that most of us agree with its value, so it has value. But consistency is far away. How to generate the next block and how to synchronize data between nodes have nothing to do with me?
Here, I will only briefly list several popular consensus algorithms used in the blockchain world, including:
Let’s get to the topic of this article.
No matter what consensus algorithm it is, the core purpose is the same, that is: when there is no trusted central node to rely on, community users can reach an agreement on the generation of transactions and block packaging.
The previous comparison picture here will make it clear at a glance, and then I will elaborate it again in words and share with you my own brief thoughts on this. If there are any mistakes, please feel free to correct me. .
As you can see, the blockchain is on the left and the hash map is on the right.
Looking carefully, the blockchain is actually a fair but cruel mechanism. Every node participating in mining is playing a probability game. For example, Big Brother Bitcoin uses a pure PoW algorithm. Everyone solves the answer through cryptography problems violently. We call it hash collision. Within 10 minutes, more transactions were generated than were ultimately added to the block on the longest chain. Instead, there are many other blocks at the same time. Each transaction will be broadcast to other surrounding nodes through the broadcast mechanism in order to obtain sufficient confirmation and eventually be added to the blockchain. Here comes the problem. The node saves the latest backup and only recognizes the longest chain. However, we know that broadcasting means that multiple chains of the same length will be generated, so the node needs to save multiple backup blocks at the same time, and then Wait quietly for the next block to come, and then compare which one has the longer chain, and then add the one to the chain that everyone agrees with. The failed block will sadly withdraw and join the next round of transactions.
After digging out the node that has not been added to the chain, I can only secretly wipe away my tears and move on.
As for Ethereum, it is a little more gentle, and there will be a little reward for such things called uncle blocks.
See the blockchain structure on the left? During the growth process, it is a tree. After it grows, it will beAll that was pruned was a long white trunk. This is what we call the cruelty of the law that only recognizes the longest chain.
Hash map
Compare the hash map structure on the right. Is it much more complicated? To put it simply, no one can be missing.
All mined blocks are added to the system. Each branch will be used and eventually sewn into the entire system.
If you think about it for a moment, you will know that the transaction processing speed on the left is not as fast as that on the right. Because the left side always has to self-castrate some of the transactions packaged in the block. The right side is not used.
So, why does the right side work? But the blockchain chooses a slower algorithm?
The answer is simple. The blockchain’s broadcast method is very slow to reach consensus across the entire network. So how does the hash map do it?
Next, we will talk about one of the two core mechanisms of the hash map, which is officially called the Gossip about gossip protocol.
A rough translation is: the gossip agreement about gossip.
Let’s first talk about the Gossip protocol.
The problem solved by the Gossip protocol is the efficient distribution of information in a distributed environment. The solution to this problem determines the degree of consistency of the system.
Take office gossip as an example. Gossip usually starts from a conversation. As long as one person gossips, everyone in the office will know about it within a limited time. Similar to viral transmission. Therefore, Gossip is also known as "virus infection algorithm" and "rumor spreading algorithm".
The core of Gossip is that the current node randomly selects some nodes and tells them everything you know. For example, if you hear a piece of gossip, you can't help but want to share it with your friends, so you randomly select some people from the people you know and tell them the news. The same goes for them. When everyone hears the news, they can't help but want to share it with their friends. Like a virus, it quickly spread throughout the entire interpersonal network.
Therefore, understanding the gossip protocol can lead to a gossip scenario in our daily life that we will always participate in.
As for the gossip agreement about gossip, I won’t say more here. I just want to compare it. As a person who delivers gossip news, if you are gossiped about by others, will you be verified in an unexpected way? a feeling of? I will write more details later.
In short, through the Gossip protocol, the hash map can achieve consensus at the second level. Therefore, it is possible to use this graph-like approach that never gives up any block, thereby increasing the speed of transaction packaging and confirmation. Not that fast.
Some people think that Hashgraph will subvert the blockchain, but Hashgraph people believe that they will coexist. -- Just treat it as gossip, don’t worry about it
Then a new question is raised for everyone, do we really care about the implementation of the underlying technology?
Alipay is easy to use, WeChat is easy to use, do we care how they are implemented? I think most of my friends don't care.
So corresponding to blockchain or hash map, we actually don’t care too much about which algorithm is better, but more concerned about how long it will take for my transfer to be confirmed and the money transferred to me by others. How long will it take to receive it.
It is true that we don’t need to care too much about the bottom layer, but a product that supports a good experience must draw energy from the bottom layer.
Perhaps, Hashgraph will bring a new experience.
Up to now, I believe that a set of new words are constantly appearing in everyone’s information capture devices:
My rough understanding is that Internet products without tokens are all classical , and most of the so-called valuable Internet products with tokens are just monkey tricks, attracting attention, and selling air, not to mention the 12-year-old CEO who is still promoted from time to time in foreign countries and issues Ethereum tokens. I attribute it to selling the stupid son series. .
No matter what kind of Internet it is, our core appeal is always to be easy to use, in short, fast, safe and efficient.
As for value, more vision still hopes to return some or even all of the value generated by individuals to individuals.
However, there is still a long way to go. The post-90s generation who have settled in the classical Internet have not all embraced the blockchain, let alone the post-80s, 70s and other large groups.
We will eventually die, and the Internet of Value will survive among a new generation of Aboriginal people.
As for this article, I hope it brings a little value, that would be great.
2018.4.21 -- YQ
Solemn statement
This article has not mentioned the shortcomings of hashmap, which gives people the feeling of promoting soft articles. . This article is just to popularize different methods of implementing public ledgers. It is not intended to induce investment. I personally do not participate in private equity in the primary market. I cannot bear the risk, and I do not encourage everyone to participate. The risks involved must be measured and controlled by yourself.
C. Comic illustration: What is blockchain
Comic illustration: What is blockchain
What is blockchain?
Blockchain, English Blockchain, is essentially a decentralized distributed database. Anyone can become a node of this huge network as long as they set up their own server and connect to the blockchain network.
Since the blockchain is essentially a database, what exactly is stored in it? Let’s take a look at the basic unit of blockchain: Block.
A block is divided into two parts:
1. Block header
The block header stores the header information of the block, including the previousThe hash value of the block (PreHash), the hash value of the block body (Hash), and the timestamp (TimeStamp), etc.
2. Block body
The block body stores the detailed data (Data) of this block. This data contains several rows of records, which can be transaction information or some other information.
What does the hash value just mentioned mean?
Everyone must have heard of MD5. MD5 is a typical hash algorithm that can convert a string of plaintext of any length into a string of fixed length (128 bits). This string is the hash value.
In our blockchain, a more complex hash algorithm called SHA256 is used. After a series of complex calculations, the latest data information (such as transaction records) will eventually be converted into a 256-bit hash value string through this hash algorithm, which is the Hash in the block header. The format is as follows:
Blocks and Hash have a one-to-one correspondence, and Hash can be regarded as the unique identifier of the block.
How are different blocks related to each other? Rely on Hash and PreHash to associate. The PreHash value of each block is equal to the Hash value of the previous block.
Why do we need to calculate the hash value of the block?
Since the blockchain is a chain structure, there must be a head node (the first block) and a tail node (the last block) of the chain. Once someone calculates the hash value of the latest data in the blockchain, which is equivalent to packaging the latest transaction records, a new block will be created and connected to the end of the blockchain.
The Hash of the new block header is the hash value just calculated, and the PreHash is equal to the Hash of the previous block. The data in the block body stores the transaction records before packaging, and this part of the data information has become unmodifiable.
This process of calculating Hash values and creating new blocks is called mining.
The server used for massive calculations is called a mining machine.
The workers who operate calculations are called miners.
What is so difficult about calculating hash values? Let’s give the most superficial explanation. The formula for calculating the hash value is as follows:
Hash = SHA-256 (Hash of the last block + basic information of the new block + transaction record information + random number)
Among them, the transaction record information is also a string of hash values, and its calculation involves a data structure Merkle Tree. Interested friends can check the relevant information, we will not introduce it for now.
The key computational difficulty here lies in the generation of random numbers. In order to increase the difficulty of Hash calculation, the wretched inventor of the blockchain requires that the first 72 bits of the Hash result must be 0. This probability is too small.
Since (the Hash of the last block + the basic information of the new block + the transaction record information) is fixed, whether the Hash that meets the requirements is obtained depends entirely on the value of the random number. Miners must go through massive calculations and repeatedly generate random numbers in a general attempt to "get lucky" before they can get the correct Hash and successfully mine.
At the same time, the block header also contains a dynamic difficulty coefficient. When the world's hardware computing power becomes faster and faster, the difficulty coefficient of the blockchain will also increase, making the entire network capable of completing the task every 10 minutes on average. A new block is generated.
Friends, do you understand how difficult mining is? It should be added that different blockchain applications are different in details. The mining rules described here take Bitcoin as an example.
Applications of Blockchain
The concept of Bitcoin (BitCoin) was first proposed by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008, and then based on this idea, open source software and P2P built on it were designed and released. network. Bitcoin is a P2P form of digital currency. Peer-to-peer transmission means a decentralized payment system.
What is a P2P network?
Traditional currencies are uniformly issued by the central bank, and all personal savings are uniformly managed by banks. This is a typical centralized system.
Bitcoin is deployed on a decentralized network composed of many peer nodes around the world. Every node is qualified to record and issue this digital currency.
As for the underlying data storage of Bitcoin, it is based on blockchain technology. Each transaction in Bitcoin corresponds to a row in the block data. A simple diagram is as follows:
Each row of the transaction record contains a timestamp, transaction details, and digital signature.
The table is only for ease of understanding. The actual stored transaction details are anonymous, and only the wallet addresses of the payer and payee are recorded.
As for digital signatures, they can be understood as anti-counterfeiting marks for each single transaction, generated by an asymmetric encryption algorithm.
Next let’s talk about the rewards of Bitcoin miners:
The Bitcoin protocol stipulates that miners who mine new blocks will receive rewards. Starting from 2008, it is 50 Bitcoins, and then halved every 4 years. , currently 12.5 Bitcoin in 2018. The new Bitcoins in circulation are all born in this way. No wonder everyone is so eager to mine Bitcoins!
Advantages and Disadvantages of Blockchain
Advantages of Blockchain:
1. Decentralization
Blockchain does not rely on a central node. The data of the entire system is All peer nodes in the entire network are jointly maintained and can store and verify data. In this way, unless the attacker hacks more than half of the nodes in the entire network, the entire system will not be destroyed.
2. Information cannot be tampered
The data in the block cannot be tampered with. Once the dataIf it is tampered with even a little bit, the hash value corresponding to the entire block will change accordingly, and it will no longer be a valid hash value, and the subsequent linked blocks will also be broken.
Disadvantages of blockchain:
1. Excessive consumption of energy
To generate a new block, a large amount of server resources must be used to perform a large number of unnecessary trial calculations, which seriously consumes electricity.
2. Network delay of information
Take Bitcoin as an example. Any transaction data needs to be synchronized to all other nodes. The synchronization process will inevitably be affected by network transmission delay, resulting in a long time consuming.
A few additional points:
1. Part of the content of this comic refers to Ruan Yifeng’s blog post "Blockchain Introductory Tutorial". I would like to thank this great master for his popular science.
2. Due to limited space, the knowledge about Merkle Tree and asymmetric encryption has not been discussed in detail for the time being. Interested friends can check the information for further study.
D. One article to understand the Internet blockchain
One article to understand the Internet blockchain
One article to understand the Internet blockchain, you need to understand the blockchain , we have to study the brief history of blockchain technology development starting from the birth of the Internet, discover the motivations for the emergence of blockchain, and infer the future of blockchain. Let’s understand the Internet blockchain in one article.
Understand the Internet blockchain in one article 1The originator of blockchain is mahjong, and the earliest blockchain was invented by the Chinese! The blockchain is just like Mahjong, except that Mahjong has fewer blocks. Mahjong only has 136 blocks. The rules of Mahjong vary from place to place and can be regarded as a hard fork of Bitcoin.
As the oldest blockchain project, Mahjong has a group of four miners. The first one to dig out the 13 correct hash values will get the accounting rights and rewards. It adopts the method of being willing to admit defeat and not cheating. Thousands of consensus mechanisms!
Mahjong is decentralized, everyone can be the banker, and it is completely peer-to-peer.
Mining pool = commission from the boss of the chess and card room.
It cannot be tampered with, because convincing the other three people requires too much computing power and physical strength.
A typical value Internet. The value in my pocket didn't last eight rounds before it went into their pockets.
The Chinese are basically good at playing mahjong. In terms of blockchain, they produce 70% to 80% of the world’s mining machines and have the most computing power in the world, accounting for about 77% of the computing power.
Mahjong is actually the earliest blockchain project:
1. A group of four miners. The miner who first collides with the correct hash value of 13 numbers can obtain the accounting rights. and get rewarded.
2. It cannot be tampered with. Because convincing the other three people requires too much computing power and physical strength.
3. Typical value Internet. The valuable digital currency in my pocket www.gendan5.com/digitalcurrency/btc.html It didn’t take eight rounds before it ran into their pockets.
4. Decentralization, everyone can be a banker, it is completely peer-to-peer.
5. UTXO, unspent transaction expenses.
There is another blockchain method of credit, assuming that everyone has no cash
Let’s take a closer look. When everyone reaches a consensus, we see There is no intermediary or third party to judge whether C wins, and the rewards given to C do not need to be transferred to C through a third party. They are all direct peer-to-peer transactions. This process is decentralized, and players (miners) record their own records. After recording the results of the first game, B Dahu drew thirteen pieces, and B got Jia Dongfeng. After the record was completed, a complete block was generated, but remember, this was only the first game. In the entire blockchain , this is just one node. After the 8 rounds mentioned at the beginning, there are 8 nodes (blocks). The 8 blocks are connected together to form a complete ledger, which is the blockchain. Because everyone has one of this ledger, it is a distributed ledger. The purpose is to prevent someone from tampering with the record. At the end of the game, it is clear who wins and who loses.
Four men (A, B, C, and D) got together to play mahjong for money. None of them brought any cash, so they asked a beautiful woman (centralized) to keep a book and record who won how much money in each round. , Who lost how much? At the end of the day, everyone uses Alipay or WeChat to pay and settle the ledger. However, if this beauty made a mistake in accounting or was bribed by one of the four people in advance to make a mistake on purpose, there is no guarantee that the outcome of this game will be fair, just, and reasonable. ,dont you agree? then what should we do? If you "play mahjong", you can use "blockchain" as the game rules and adapt it as follows:
Four men (A, B, C and D) got together to play mahjong for money. No one brought any cash. B said Let the beauty she brought keep accounts. A said that none of us knew this beauty, so the four of them, A, B, C, and D, agreed that everyone would keep accounts at the same time (decentralized) on their mobile phones (blockchain nodes) for each game. ), after finally playing mahjong and paying with electronic money directly on the mobile phone, everyone checked the accounting results. The accounting results should have been the same.
Assume that the original result is the account recorded on A’s mobile phone: B owes A 10 yuan. However, the record on B's mobile phone shows that there is no debt, but the other two people (C and D) have the same accounting as A, so the settlement is still based on the majority rule. In addition, everyone has a bad impression of B's integrity. Next The first time I play mahjong, I won’t take B to play with me.
Unless B bribes two people (C and D) in advance to deliberately cheat, but the cost of B bribes them is 100,000 yuan (10,000 times the default of 10 yuan), then in common sense, B only You can choose to give up because the cost of counterfeiting is too high.
Suppose that even if B is playing cards, he is secretly willing to pay a high price of 100,000 yuan to buy C and D in advance to make this huge loss.Easy, but the rules of the blockchain are accounting based on time stamps. It turned out that B owed A 10 yuan at 1 p.m., that is, when C and D changed the account at 3 p.m., time is irreversible. If you can remember 3 o'clock in the afternoon, it is against the rules of the game.
In fact, in 2017 the blogger has developed a set of Mahjong coins
China’s earliest blockchain project: a group of four miners, first starting from 148 random numbers The miner who collides with the correct hash value of 14 numbers can obtain an accounting right incentive. Since distributed accounting requires the consensus of several other miners, each accounting transaction takes about ten minutes.
Understanding the Internet Blockchain in One Article 21. Before the birth of Bitcoin, 5 Internet technologies that will have a significant impact on the future of the blockchain
In 1969, the Internet was born in the United States. Since then, the Internet has expanded from four research institutions in the United States to the entire planet. In terms of application, it has expanded from the earliest military and scientific research to all aspects of human life. In the nearly 50 years since the birth of the Internet, five technologies have been of particularly great significance to the future development of blockchain.
1. The TCP/IP protocol born in 1974: determines the position of blockchain in the Internet technology ecosystem
In 1974, the most critical step in the development of the Internet was taken by The TCP/IP protocol, the core communication technology of the Internet jointly developed by American scientists Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn, was officially launched.
This protocol enables the transmission of information between different computers and even different types of networks. All computers connected to the network can communicate and interact as long as they comply with this protocol.
In layman's terms, Internet data can travel tens of thousands of kilometers to reach the computer users who need it. This is mainly because the Internet world has formed a unified information dissemination mechanism. That is to say, Internet devices follow a unified law-TCP/IP protocol when disseminating information.
Understanding the TCP/IP protocol is of great significance to mastering the Internet and blockchain. After the invention of TCP/IP in 1974, the entire Internet was between the underlying hardware devices, the intermediate network protocols and the network Addresses have always been relatively stable, but an endless stream of innovative applications are emerging at the top application layer, including news, e-commerce, social networks, QQ, WeChat, and blockchain technology.
In other words, in the technical ecology of the Internet, blockchain is a new technology at the top layer of the Internet - the application layer. Its emergence, operation and development have not affected the underlying infrastructure and communication protocols of the Internet. , is still one of the many software technologies that operates according to the TCP/IP protocol.
2. Cisco router technology born in 1984: an imitation of blockchain technology
In December 1984, Cisco was established in the United States. The founder was a professor from Stanford University. couple,Leonard Posak, Director of the Computer Center, and Santi Lerner, Director of the Computer Center of the Business School, designed a networking device called a "multi-protocol router" and placed it on the Internet's communication lines to help data accurately and quickly transfer from One end of the Internet reaches the other end thousands of kilometers away.
In the entire Internet hardware layer, tens of millions of routers are busy working, directing the transmission of Internet information. An important function of Cisco routers is that each router saves a complete Internet device address table. Once something happens Changes will be synchronized to tens of millions of other routers (theoretically), ensuring that each router can calculate the shortest and fastest path.
When you see the operation process of the router, you will feel very familiar. That is the important feature of the blockchain later. The significance of understanding the router lies in the important features of the blockchain. It has been implemented on the router in 1984. For the router, even if the node device is damaged or attacked by hackers, it will not affect the transmission of the entire Internet information.
3. The B/S (C/S) architecture that was born with the World Wide Web: the opponent of the blockchain and the target of attempted subversion
The World Wide Web is referred to as the Web and is divided into Web clients and server. All updated information is only modified on the Web server. Thousands, tens of thousands, or even tens of millions of other client computers do not retain the information and only obtain the information data when accessing the server. This structure is also often referred to as the Internet B/S architecture is a centralized architecture. This architecture is also the most important architecture of the current Internet. Internet giants such as Google, Facebook, Tencent, Alibaba, and Amazon have all adopted this architecture.
Understanding the B/S architecture will be of great significance to the subsequent understanding of blockchain technology. The B/S architecture is that data is only stored in the central server, and all other computers obtain information from the server. Blockchain technology has tens of millions of computers without a center, and all data will be synchronized to all computers. This is the core of blockchain technology.
4. Peer-to-Peer Network (P2P): Blockchain The father of the chain and its technical basis
Peer-to-peer network P2P is another Internet infrastructure corresponding to C/S (B/S). Its characteristic is that multiple computers connected to each other are connected to each other. In a peer-to-peer position, there is no distinction between master and slave. A computer can be used as a server, setting shared resources for use by other computers in the network, and as a workstation.
Napster is one of the earliest P2P systems, mainly used for music resource sharing. Napster cannot be regarded as a true peer-to-peer network system. On March 14, 2000, a message was posted on the mailing list of the underground hacker site Slashdot in the United States, saying that AOL's Nullsoft department had released Gnutella, an open source Napster clone software.
inIn the Gnutella distributed peer-to-peer network model, each networked computer is functionally equivalent, serving as both a client and a server. Therefore, Gnutella is called the first true peer-to-peer network architecture.
In the past 20 years, some Internet technology giants such as Microsoft and IBM, as well as liberals, hackers, and even criminals who infringe intellectual property rights, have continued to promote the development of peer-to-peer networks. Of course, those on the Internet want to strengthen information sharing. The idealists also put a lot of enthusiasm into peer-to-peer networks. Blockchain is a software application based on a peer-to-peer network architecture. It is a benchmark application for peer-to-peer networks trying to break out from the silence of the past.
5. Hash algorithm: the key to generating Bitcoin and tokens (tokens)
The hash algorithm converts numbers of any length into fixed-length values using a hash function. Algorithms, famous hash functions such as: MD4, MD5, SHS, etc. It is a member of the family of cryptographic functions defined by the American National Institute of Standards and Technology.
This family of algorithms is crucial to the functioning of the entire world. From Internet application stores, emails, anti-virus software, to browsers, etc., all of them are using secure hashing algorithms. It can determine whether Internet users have downloaded what they want, and it can also determine whether Internet users are involved in man-in-the-middle attacks or network attacks. Victim of a phishing attack.
The process of blockchain and its application to generate new coins from Bitcoin or other virtual currencies is to use the function of the hash algorithm to perform operations to obtain numbers that meet the format requirements, and then the blockchain program gives Bitcoin rewards.
Mining, including Bitcoin and tokens, is actually a small mathematical game built with a hash algorithm. However, because of the fierce competition, people all over the world used powerful servers to perform calculations in order to get the rewards first. As a result, many computers on the Internet participated in this little mathematical game, which even consumed more than 40% of the electricity in some countries.
2. The birth and technical core of blockchain
The birth of blockchain should be the most unusual and mysterious invention and technology in the history of human science, because in addition to blockchain, to So far, there is no major invention in the history of modern science whose inventor cannot be found.
On October 31, 2008, Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto (pseudonym) published a paper on the cryptography mailing group - "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System". In this paper, the author claims to have invented a new electronic currency system that is not controlled by governments or institutions. Blockchain technology is the basis for supporting the operation of Bitcoin.
The preprint address of the paper is at http://www.bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf. From an academic point of view, this paper is far from a qualified paper. The main body of the article is composed of 8 flow charts. It is composed of corresponding explanatory text, no nouns and terms are defined, and the format of the paper is also very irregular.
In January 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto released an application case of blockchain - the open source software of the Bitcoin system - on the SourceForge website. After the release of the open source software, it is said that Satoshi Nakamoto mined approximately 1 million Bitcoins. A week later, Satoshi Nakamoto sent 10 Bitcoins to cryptography expert Hal Finney, which became the first transaction in Bitcoin history. With the booming development of Bitcoin, research on blockchain technology has also begun to show explosive growth.
It is indeed difficult to fully and clearly explain the blockchain to the public. We use Bitcoin as the object to introduce the technical characteristics of the blockchain as simply as possible but in depth.
1. Blockchain is a peer-to-peer network (P2P) software application
As we mentioned before, at the beginning of the 21st century, the Internet formed two major types of applications. Architecture, centralized B/S architecture and non-centered peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture. Many Internet giants such as Alibaba, Sina, Amazon, etc. all have centralized B/S architecture. Simply put, it is data Put it in a giant server, and our ordinary users can access the servers of Alibaba, Sina and other websites through mobile phones and personal computers.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, there have been many software applications for freely sharing music, videos, and paper materials. Most of them use a peer-to-peer network (P2P) architecture, that is, there is no central server, everyone's personal computer They are all servers and clients, with equal status. However, this type of application has never become popular. The main reasons are large resource consumption and intellectual copyright issues. Blockchain is a software application in this field.
2. Blockchain is a peer-to-peer network (P2P) software application that synchronizes information across the entire network
Peer-to-peer networks also have many application methods. In many cases, everyone is not required to Each computer keeps the same information. Everyone only stores the information they need, and downloads it to other computers when needed.
However, in order to support Bitcoin financial transactions, the blockchain requires that every transaction that occurs must be written into historical transaction records and change information be sent to all computers with Bitcoin programs installed. Every computer with Bitcoin software installed maintains the latest and complete Bitcoin historical transaction information.
The characteristics of blockchain's network-wide synchronization and network-wide backup are often referred to as blockchain information security, and the source cannot be changed. Although it is still not absolutely safe in practice, when the number of users is very large, it does have certain security advantages in preventing information tampering.
3. Blockchain is a peer-to-peer (P2P) software application that uses a hash algorithm to generate "tokens" to synchronize information across the entire network
Area The first application of the blockchain was the famous Bitcoin. When discussing Bitcoin, a term that is often mentioned is "mining". So what exactly is mining?
The metaphor of the image is that the districtThe block chain program gives the miners (players) 256 coins, numbered 1, 2, 3...256. Each time a Hash operation is performed, it is like tossing a coin. 256 coins are thrown out at the same time. After landing, if the number happens to be before All 70 coins land heads. The miner can tell the blockchain program this number, and the blockchain will reward the miner with 50 Bitcoins.
From the perspective of software programs, Bitcoin mining is a mathematical game built using the hash SHA256 function. The blockchain first stipulates a winning mode in this small game: a 256-bit hash number is given, but the last 70 bits of the hash number are all 0, and then the player (miner) continuously enters various numbers. Give the hash SHA256 function and see if you can use this function to get a number with 70 zeros. If you find one, the blockchain program will reward the player with 50 Bitcoins. Actual mining and rewards are more complex, but the above example expresses the core process of mining and obtaining Bitcoin.
When Bitcoin was born in 2009, each bounty was 50 Bitcoins. Ten minutes after its birth, the first batch of 50 Bitcoins was generated, and the total currency amount at this time was 50. Subsequently, Bitcoin increased at a rate of about 50 every 10 minutes. When the total amount reaches 10.5 million (50% of 21 million), the bounty is halved to 25. When the total amount reaches 15.75 million (new output is 5.25 million, which is 50% of 1050), the bounty is further halved to 12.5. According to the design of the Bitcoin program, the total number of Bitcoins is 21 million.
From the above introduction, Bitcoin can be seen as a guessing game based on a peer-to-peer network architecture. The Bitcoin information rewarded for each correct guess will be transmitted to all players and recorded. into each player's history database.
4. Smart contracts, tokens, ICOs and blockchain basic platforms generated by blockchain technology due to the rise of Bitcoin
From the above introduction, Bitcoin technology It is not a new technology falling from the sky, but a clever combination of various original Internet technologies, such as peer-to-peer network architecture, network-wide synchronization of routing, and network security encryption technology. It can be regarded as a combination of innovative algorithm games. .
Because Bitcoin can be exchanged for legal currency, purchased in kind, and made huge profits through appreciation, the whole world is not calm. With the attitude that if you can do it, I can do it, many people have created their own imitation Bitcoin software applications. At the same time, taking advantage of the difficulty for the government to regulate peer-to-peer networks, various altcoins exploded together with Bitcoin. There have been many incidents of fraud and absconding, which have gradually attracted the attention of governments around the world.
Blockchain basic platform: It is still quite technically difficult to create currency using the blockchain technology framework. At this time, basic technology platforms such as Ethereum, the blockchain basic platform, have emerged, making it convenient for ordinary people. Create a "Bitcoin"-like software program, each showing his or her magical powers, inviting people to join the game to mine coins, speculate on coins, and gain profits from them.
Pass or token: If each "Bitcoin" or "Altcoin" uses a hash algorithm to create a guessing game and generates its own "currency", this "currency" is collectively referred to as " "Certificate" or "Token".
ICO: Since Bitcoin and Ethereum have been exchanged with the legal currencies of various countries, when other new virtual currencies are issued, only Bitcoin and Ethereum are allowed to purchase the new issued coins. This process of issuing coins It’s called ICO. The emergence of ICO has amplified the transaction volume of Bitcoin and Ethereum. At the same time, many ICO projects are completely based on nihilistic projects, resulting in a large number of frequent fraud cases. This further deepens society’s negative understanding of virtual currencies generated by blockchain.
Smart contract: It can be seen as a software function on the blockchain. It is a program that assists various virtual currency transactions on the blockchain. The specific function is like the fund custody of Alipay on Taobao. When a user receives goods and confirms them on Alipay, the funds are automatically paid to the buyer and owner. Smart contracts also assume this intermediary payment function in blockchain applications such as Bitcoin.
3. The historical status and future prospects of blockchain technology in the Internet
1. Where does blockchain stand in Internet technology? It is a new software and architecture at the top level.
We mentioned in the previous introduction to TCP/IP that blockchain, like browsers, QQ, WeChat, online game software, mobile APPs, etc., is a software form of the top layer of the Internet - the application layer. . Its operation still relies on the TCP/IP architecture system to transmit data. But unlike most application layer software, it does not adopt the central software architecture of C/S (B/S). Instead, an unusual peer-to-peer network architecture is adopted. From this point of view, blockchain cannot subvert the Internet infrastructure.
2. Who does blockchain want to subvert? Want to subvert the B/S (C/S) structure of the World Wide Web.
It attempts to subvert the B/S, C/S structure of the World Wide Web, which was born in 1989. Said before. Since 1989, European physicist Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web and gave up applying for a patent. In the past nearly 30 years, companies including Google, Amazon, Facebook, Alibaba, Internet, Tencent and other companies have used the B/S (C/S) structure of the World Wide Web to grow into Internet giants.
In their headquarters, a powerful central server cluster was established to store massive amounts of data. Hundreds of millions of users obtained the data they needed from the giant servers. This also led to the emergence of cloud computing, and then the Internet giants Open up your unused central server resources to further absorb data from enterprises, governments, and individuals. Centralized Internet giants have an increasing influence on the world, countries, and Internet users.
The goal of blockchain is to try to reduce the influence of Internet giants by distributing data to each Internet user's computer. This shows the real opponent of blockchainWhat I want to subvert is the B/S (C/S) structure born in 1990. But whether it can be subverted depends on its technical advantages and bottlenecks.
3. Technical flaws of blockchain: dilemmas caused by the pursuit of complete equality and freedom
The technical flaws of blockchain first come from its peer-to-peer network architecture. For example For example, Taobao currently has a B/S structure, and massive data is stored in the Taobao server cluster computer room. Hundreds of millions of consumers access the Taobao server website through their browsers to obtain the latest information and historical information.
If blockchain technology is used, hundreds of millions of people will retain a complete Taobao database on their personal computers or mobile phones. Every time a transaction occurs, it will be synchronized to hundreds of millions of other users. This is completely unachievable in reality. The amount of data transferred and stored is too large. It is equivalent to setting up and running hundreds of millions of Taobao websites at the same time.
Therefore, blockchain cannot be applied to projects with large amounts of data, and even smaller website projects will have difficulty using blockchain. By 2018, Bitcoin had been running for nearly 10 years, and the accumulated transaction data had brought the entire system to collapse.
So the blockchain has adopted many alternative methods, such as establishing relay nodes and lightning nodes. These two concepts can also make people confused. In layman's terms, the blockchain will ask it for The subversive object B/S structure has been studied, and a data server center has been established to become the relay node of the blockchain, which can also be accessed with a browser-like terminal. This is the lightning node of the blockchain.
This change can alleviate the technical shortcomings of the blockchain, but it does make the blockchain what it opposes, centralization. It can be seen that pure blockchain technology has major flaws due to its technical characteristics and cannot be widely used like the World Wide Web. If the technology is upgraded and some parts adopt a B/S (C/S) structure, the blockchain will become centralized. The information node no longer maintains the dream when it was born.
4. Looking at the future prospects of blockchain from the Internet brain model
We know that the Internet generally refers to the Internet that connects computer networks around the world. On this basis The development of a global Internet network covering the whole world is called the Internet, which is a network structure that is interconnected.
Since the birth of the Internet in 1969, humans have innovated in the Internet field from different directions, and there is no unified plan to build the Internet into a structure. When the wheel of time reaches 2017, with the advent of artificial intelligence, With the vigorous development of science and technology such as the Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing, robots, virtual reality, and the industrial Internet, when humans look up to see the giant systems they have created, the model and architecture of the Internet brain have become increasingly clear.
Through nearly 20 years of development, relying on the B/S and C/S structures of the World Wide Web, Tencent QQ, WeChat, Facebook, Weibo, and Twitter Amazon have developed structures similar to neuron networks. Internet devices, especially personal computers, mobile phones inThrough the software on the device, personal data and functional space are mapped on the giant's central server, and users can add friends to communicate with each other and transfer information. Internet giants continue to optimize the software versions of hundreds of millions of terminals through software upgrades in central server clusters. In the neurological system, this is a standard central nervous system structure.
The birth of the blockchain provides another neuron model. Instead of uniformly managing neurons in the centralized services of giants, each terminal, including personal computers and personal mobile phones, becomes an independent neuron node. , retaining an independent data space and synchronizing mutual information. In the neurological system, this is a distributed neural structure with no center and multiple neural nodes.
Interestingly, these two different types of neural structures appear in the development of the nervous system. In lower organisms, blockchain-like neural structures have appeared. There are multiple ganglia with the same functions, all of which can command body activities and reactions. However, as organisms evolve, these ganglia gradually merge. When they evolve into higher In biology, the central nervous system appeared, which contains a large number of neurons that interact with each other.
4. Judgment on the future status of blockchain in the Internet
1. Understanding of Bitcoin: a guessing game based on peer-to-peer network architecture (P2P), Through clever financial and public opinion operations, it has become a "world currency" that is not subject to government supervision.
2. Understanding of blockchain: a peer-to-peer (P2P) software application that uses hashing algorithms to generate "tokens" to synchronize information across the entire network.
3. Blockchain has specific uses, such as large-scale election voting, large-scale gambling, financial transactions that circumvent government financial supervision, etc. It still has irreplaceable uses.
4. In more cases, blockchain technology will rely on the B/S and C/S structures of the Internet to achieve functional expansion, but overall it is still a supplement to the existing technology of the Internet. Most of the application scenarios currently envisaged by blockchain can be implemented using B/S and C/S structures, with higher efficiency and more mature technology.
5. Whether from the perspective of information transmission efficiency and resource consumption, or from the evolution of the nervous system, blockchain cannot become the mainstream architecture of the Internet, let alone a subversive and revolutionary leader of the future Internet.
6. Of course, Internet giants developed with B/S and C/S structures also have their problems, but these can be gradually solved through commercial and political methods in the future.
E. [Blockchain Mind Map] 002: Bitcoin
Here, Sir Jay gives you the 002nd blockchain mind map: 002 Bitcoin~
The following is a brief introduction to Bitcoin:
Bitcoin (English:Bitcoin) is a decentralized, non-universally globally payable electronic cryptocurrency. Bitcoin was invented by Satoshi Nakamoto (pseudonym) on January 3, 2009, based on a borderless peer-to-peer network and using consensus-active open source software. As of February 12, 2018, Bitcoin is currently the cryptocurrency with the highest market capitalization. 【1】
Why was a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin created? In other words, why is Bitcoin so popular among the public, from a trendy gadget in the geek circle to a daily investment for ordinary people? ?
Some people believe that the advent of Bitcoin is the result of people’s hatred of the over-issuance of national sovereign currencies in the commodity economy and monetary policy intervention, and their yearning for community consensus currency autonomy in the gift economy. I believe everyone will have deep feelings about the issue of "inflation", right?
Check the information: Inflation is generally defined as: under the credit currency system, the amount of currency in circulation exceeds the actual needs of the economy, causing currency depreciation and a comprehensive and sustained rise in price levels-- In more common language: over a given period of time, the price level in a given economy generally continues to increase, resulting in a sustained decline in the purchasing power of money. 【2】
In China, we can use a vivid example to illustrate: around 1980, at the beginning of reform and opening up, “thousand-yuan households” were all very wealthy; Today, more than 30 years later, it is estimated that one has to reach the level of billions of assets to be considered a "rich man", right? ? Behind this tens of millions of times difference is the huge problem of currency depreciation caused by the over-issuance of currency.
Satoshi Nakamoto hates this kind of "inflation" problem. Therefore, he proposed his own methodology to solve the problem: Based on his belief in technology and liberal monetarism, he proposed a blockchain technology system; and relying on blockchain technology, he created Bitcoin.
Interestingly, Satoshi Nakamoto created the first block of the Bitcoin system, the "Genesis Block", with the sentence "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second lout for banks” (on January 3, 2009, the chancellor was on the verge of implementing a second round of emergency bank bailouts), and this sentence was the headline of the front page article of The Times that day.
At this point, people’s bold attempt to issue their own currency system began, and once the experimental wheels were started, it was difficult to stop them. Later, Bitcoin went through continuous iterative development and produced many hard fork currencies.
Data shows:
Of course, the development of Bitcoin is not smooth sailing. Hackers will attack Bitcoin trading websites; and many criminal organizations will also use Bitcoin to conduct illegal transactions; Many people even think that Bitcoin is a "Ponzi scheme".
In addition, celebrities have different opinions on Bitcoin. The data shows:
Paul Kluman, the Nobel Prize winner in economics, believes that "Bitcoin It’s evil” and expressed several views on Bitcoin.
David Woo, global head of interest rate and foreign exchange research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, believes that "Bitcoin can become a major payment method for e-commerce and become a strong competitor for traditional currency transactions." . . 【3】
What exactly is Bitcoin? Everyone will have their own different opinions. However, Sir Jay thinks: Before we easily make judgments about new things that are unclear to us, we should take the initiative to learn and understand them. To learn Bitcoin, it is a good methodology to first understand the Bitcoin white paper.
Sir Jay has also written about the interpretation of Bitcoin’s official white paper in his previous article. You are welcome to check it out:
Title: [Talking about Digital Currency] Interpretation of Bitcoin’s White Paper
Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzU1MTA2NDM1NA==&mid=2247483713&idx=1&sn=&chksm=5c761a#rd
Overall Speaking of which, a new era has arrived, and new things such as blockchain and Bitcoin will surely show their huge power in the future! We are all the lucky ones and witnesses of the times, so hurry up and learn and understand the world of blockchain! ! !
Note:
[1] Excerpted from Wikipedia: Bitcoin
[2] Excerpted from the Internet: Inflation
[3] Excerpted from Wikipedia: Bitcoin
F. Illustration of what is blockchain
Blockchain is so popular that it has begun to affect my life. I don’t want to understand it. It doesn’t work anymore, let’s take a look at what blockchain is today.
Structure of this article:
As its name suggests,
A blockchain is a chain composed of a set of blocks.
A block is a block of information that contains information. , the chain also contains information.
Blockchain technology was first developed by a group of researchers in 1991 to time-stamp digital documents so that they cannot be tampered with. It essentially played no other role after that, until 2009, when Satoshi Nakamoto used blockchain technology to create the digital cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
A blockchain is a distributed ledger that is completely open to everyone. It has a very interesting property: once certain data is recorded in a blockchain, the data is very It is difficult to change.
Let’s take a look at the composition of a block:
Each block contains some data, the hash value of this block, and the hash value of the previous block. Hope value.
The data saved in the block is related to the type of blockchain. For example, the blocks in the Bitcoin blockchain save relevant transaction information, including sellers, buyers, and transaction Bitcoins. quantity.
Each block contains a hash value. The hash value is used to identify a block and all the content it contains, and it is unique, like a fingerprint. Once a block is created, its hash value is calculated accordingly. If you change something in the block, the hash value will change. If the fingerprint of a block changes, it will no longer be the previous block.
The third element contained in the block is the hash value of the previous block. This element allows links to be formed between blocks and makes the blockchain very secure.
Suppose we have a blockchain containing 3 blocks
Each block contains its own hash value and the hash value of the previous block
No. 3 Block points to block No. 2, and block No. 2 points to block No. 1
Block No. 1 is a bit special, it cannot point to the previous block because it is the first
We put 1 The block number is called the genesis block.
Now suppose we tamper with the second block
This will cause the hash value of the second block to change
This will then cause block 3 and 3 All subsequent blocks connected to the block number become illegal
Because the previous block number they store now becomes illegal
So changing one block alone will jointly make all subsequent blocks The content becomes invalid.
But to prevent tampering, hashing is not enough
Because today’s computers are powerful enough and can calculate tens of thousands of hash values per second
In this way, you can completely tamper with A block and recalculates the hashes of other blocks, making your block legal again.
So in order to reduce this risk, the blockchain also uses a technology called proof of work
This is a mechanism that slows down the creation process of new blocks
In the Bitcoin area In the blockchain, it takes about 10 minutes to complete the required proof of work and add a new block to the blockchain
This mechanism makes the tampering of the blockchain more difficult
because once it is tampered Once a block is obtained, the proof of work of all subsequent blocks needs to be recalculated.
Therefore, the security of blockchain technology mainly comes from hash value and workload proof mechanism.
Blockchain also has a mechanism to protect its own security, which is distributed
Compared to using a centralized entity to manage the blockchain network, blockchain uses A peer-to-peer network that anyone can join
When someone joins this network, he will get a copy of the entire blockchain
This person can use this to verify that all The blocks are still legal and untampered, that is, different nodes can use this to verify each other.
When someone creates a new block,
the new block is sent to everyone on the network.
Everyone then verifies the block to ensure that it has not been tampered with.
If everything is verified correct, then everyone can add the new block to their own area. On the blockchain
We can call it that everyone on the network has reached a "consensus".
All nodes in the blockchain network reach a consensus
They agree on which blocks in the network are legal and which are illegal
Those blocks that have been tampered with will will be rejected by other users on the network
So, to successfully tamper with a blockchain, you need to tamper with all blocks on the blockchain
Recomplete the proof of work for each block and control More than 50% of the users in the blockchain network
Only in this way will the block you tamper with will be recognized by everyone
It can be said that this is basically impossible to do!
Blockchain technology itself is also constantly developing
For example, a later technological improvement is called smart contracts
Smart contracts are simple programs stored on the blockchain
It It can be automatically executed based on the conditions recorded in the contract. As long as the conditions are met, the transaction will be automatically completed in accordance with the contract
For example, automated Bitcoin transactions can be realized under specific conditions.
Learning materials:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSo_EIwHSd4
