区块链是计算机技术吗,区块链是计算机技术吗知乎

『一』 What is blockchain

On May 27, 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Office of the Central Cybersecurity and Information Technology Commission issued the "About Accelerating the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Application of Blockchain Technology and Industrial Development" (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Lianxinfa [2021] No. 62), the document defines blockchain as follows:
Blockchain is an important part of the new generation of information technology , is a new type of database software that integrates distributed network, encryption technology, smart contracts and other technologies. Through data transparency, difficulty in tampering and traceability, it is expected to solve the trust and security issues in cyberspace and promote the transformation of the Internet from transmitting information to transmitting value. , reconstruct the information industry system.
Blockchain is the cornerstone of trust and a trusted network that enables credit transfer and value transfer. Reliable blockchain infrastructure allows enterprises and governments to quickly and efficiently build blockchain networks and industry applications, achieve reliable and rapid flow of capital, logistics, and information flows, and achieve efficient and credible collaboration, helping to reduce collaboration costs and improve Efficiency
The current application of blockchain + industry mainly has the following directions:
Blockchain + insurance industry, insurance companies can optimize business processes and reduce risks through the needs on the blockchain. Customers who purchase insurance have a full, objective and comprehensive understanding of data;
Blockchain + supply chain enables information in all aspects of the supply chain to be updated and shared in real time, making it easier for personnel in each link to understand the latest information and make correct and objective decisions. business judgment.
Blockchain + medical industry, blockchain information cannot be tampered with, ensuring the accuracy and uniqueness of medical data; establishing patient electronic health records, recording real patient health data, and obtaining authorization to view through private keys, that is, protection The collection of sensitive personal data also facilitates doctors to make more accurate treatment plans.

『二』What is blockchain

Blockchain is a new application model of computer technology such as distributed data storage, point-to-point transmission, consensus mechanism, and encryption algorithm. Simply put, blockchain is a decentralized distributed ledger database.

The meaning of data storage:

Data storage is a temporary file generated during the processing of data flow Or the information you need to find during processing. Commonly used storage media are disks and tapes. How storage is organized varies depending on the storage medium. Data on the tape is only accessed in sequential file mode; on the disk, it can be accessed sequentially or directly according to the usage requirements.

The data storage method is closely related to the organization of data files. The key is to establish the correspondence between the logical and physical order of records and determine the storage address to improve the data access speed. Among the various connection methods between servers and storage, DAS was once considered an inefficient structure and inconvenient for data protection.

Direct-attached storage cannot be shared, so it often happens that a server has insufficient storage space and some other servicesHowever, there is a large amount of storage space that is idle but cannot be used.

『三』What is blockchain? Explanation of blockchain technology

Blockchain is a new application of computer technology such as distributed data storage, point-to-point transmission, consensus mechanism, and encryption algorithm. model. Blockchain is an important concept of Bitcoin. It is essentially a decentralized database.

At the same time, as the underlying technology of Bitcoin, it is a series of data blocks generated using cryptographic methods. Each data block contains a batch of Bitcoin network transaction information, which is used to verify its Validity of information (anti-counterfeiting) and generation of the next block.

The blockchain is a public data list, and each record in it is called a block. These blocks are connected together like a chain to form a blockchain. Just like an idiom solitaire, there must be some connection between adjacent words to form a word chain. The same is true for blockchain, but the connection between blocks is much more complex.

(3) Is blockchain a computer technology? Extended reading

Blockchain technology innovation does not mean speculating on virtual currency, and that kind of utilization should be prevented. Behaviors such as issuing virtual currencies and speculating on air coins on the blockchain. At the same time, we should also note that blockchain is still in its early development stage and needs further development and improvement in terms of security, standards, supervision, etc.

The general direction is not wrong, but it is necessary to avoid rushing in and duplicating construction, and to open up the imagination space of the blockchain in orderly competition. China has a good foundation in the field of blockchain. Some large Internet companies have already laid out their plans. The talent pool is relatively sufficient and the application scenarios are rich. It is fully qualified to achieve a leading position in this new track.

From a larger perspective, human beings can develop civilization because they have achieved effective cooperation among large-scale groups of people. The "invisible hand" explained by Adam Smith also realizes the division of labor and cooperation in human society through the market mechanism.

From this perspective, blockchain has greatly expanded the breadth and depth of human trust and collaboration. Perhaps, blockchain is not only the next generation of Internet technology, but also the next generation of cooperation mechanisms and organizational forms.

『四』 What is blockchain technology? Popular explanation of what blockchain is

Blockchain has been at the forefront since the end of October.

What is blockchain technology

Although blockchain has been around for more than ten years, many people still don’t know much about this technology.

Blockchain is a new application model of computer technologies such as distributed data storage, point-to-point transmission, consensus mechanism, and encryption algorithms. From an application perspective, blockchain is a distributed ledger.

So, why is the blockchain called the blockchain?

Because the blockchain itself is a chain of linked blocks,These blocks are filled with transaction records. Blocks are much like database records. Every time data is written, a block is created. With the expansion of information exchange, one block continues with another, and the result is called a blockchain.

What are the characteristics of blockchain technology?

Simply put, blockchain has the characteristics of decentralization, openness, non-tampering, and anonymity.

1. Decentralization:

In the blockchain system, there is no center.

In the blockchain model, it is distributed accounting and storage. Each node self-verifies, transmits, and manages information. Each node is the center, which is decentralization.

2. Openness:

The blockchain system has the characteristics of openness. The data is open and anyone can query the blockchain data and data through the public interface. Develop related applications.

3. Information cannot be tampered with:

In the blockchain system, once the data is written, the tampering cannot be undone unless 51% of all data nodes are controlled. Forge a record that does not exist. Therefore, blockchain technology has a certain degree of security.

4. Privacy and anonymity:

The cryptography technology in the blockchain can effectively achieve identity concealment.

The identity information of each node does not need to be disclosed or verified, and information transfer can be done anonymously. It can only be accessed with the authorization of the data owner, thus ensuring data security and personal privacy.

Xiao Li lent 10,000 yuan to Xiao Wang. Xiao Li found two people in common and Xiao Bai to prove it. This accounting model is a centralized accounting model, and Xiaobai is the center.

However, a year later, when Xiao Li wanted to get the money back, Xiao Wang Shikou denied that he had lent him the money. It turned out that Xiao Wang introduced Xiao Bai’s girlfriend to his company. a job.

This is the disadvantage of centralized accounting.

Xiao Li learned a lesson and gained wisdom. In the future, when someone asked him to borrow money, he said on WeChat in the village that I would lend so-and-so how much money. In this way, everyone in the village knew that Xiao Li How much money did Li lend to whom?

In this way, when Xiao Li asks for debt again in the future, the other party will not deny the issue, because a consensus mechanism has been established in the minds of the people in the village: How much did you borrow from Xiao Li? .

This is the advantage of decentralized accounting.

Because after all, there are many people to testify about this transaction. If it seems to be a fraud, it will be unless more than half of the people in the village are bribed. However, thisThe price is high.

In fact, these characteristics of the blockchain are all to solve the problem of "trust". The rich application scenarios of the blockchain are also based on the blockchain's ability to solve the problem of information asymmetry. At the same time, Blockchain also helps achieve collaborative trust and consistent action among multiple entities.

What are the applications of blockchain?

In addition to digital currency, there are many application scenarios of blockchain.

1. Medical field

Blockchain helps realize smart medical care, such as going to the hospital to see a doctor. Through the blockchain model, the patient’s medical status, cases, treatment status, etc. are all Clearly visible, saving a lot of medical resources.

2. Copyright field

Blockchain can prove the authenticity and uniqueness of the copyright of works, from the birth to the transfer of audio, video, pictures, text and other works. Can be tracked and recorded, and form tamper-proof information.

3. Logistics field

After applying blockchain in the logistics field, goods can be traced from production to consumption.

4. Food safety

Is blockchain used for food safety? Through blockchain traceability, one can easily trace the past and present life of their food.

5. Securities trading

For example, traditional securities trading requires the coordination of multiple institutions to complete, while the blockchain system can independently complete one-stop transactions. This service can make securities trading simpler and faster.

However, many people have big misunderstandings about blockchain. The biggest misunderstanding is: blockchain = Bitcoin

In fact, blockchain and Bitcoin is not the same thing. Blockchain is the underlying technology of Bitcoin, and Bitcoin is the first application of blockchain.

『Wu』What is blockchain technology? What exactly is blockchain?

Blockchain technology is one of the top ten typical judicial technology applications on the Internet. Blockchain is a new application model of computer technologies such as distributed data storage, point-to-point transmission, consensus mechanism, and encryption algorithm.

Blockchain is an important concept of Bitcoin. In fact, it is a decentralized database. Blockchain, as the underlying technology of Bitcoin, is a series of data blocks generated using cryptographic methods. Each data block contains a batch of Bitcoin network transaction information, which is used to verify the validity of its information (anti-counterfeiting) and generate the next data block.

Blockchain originated from Bitcoin. On November 1, 2008, a person who called himself Satoshi Nakamoto published the article "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System", explaining theThe concept of electronic cash system framework such as P2P network technology, encryption technology, timestamp technology, and blockchain technology marked the birth of Bitcoin.

(5) Is blockchain a computer technology? Extended reading:

The birth of blockchain:

The concept of blockchain was first proposed by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008. In the following years, blockchain became the core component of the electronic currency Bitcoin: a public account for all transactions. By using peer-to-peer networks and distributed timestamp servers, blockchain databases can be autonomously managed.

The blockchain invented for Bitcoin made it the first digital currency to solve the problem of repeated consumption. Bitcoin design has become a source of inspiration for other applications. On December 20, 2016, the Digital Currency Alliance-China FinTech Digital Currency Alliance and FinTech Research Institute were officially established.

『Lu』What is blockchain

Concept: Blockchain is a new application model of computer technologies such as distributed data storage, point-to-point transmission, consensus mechanism, and encryption algorithm.

The essence of the blockchain is a distributed public ledger. Anyone can verify this ledger, but no single user can control it. Participants in a blockchain system jointly maintain a ledger: it can only be modified according to strict rules and consensus.

The development of blockchain has gone through three stages:

1. Incubation period: 2009-2012, the economic form was dominated by Bitcoin and its industrial ecology.

2. Embryonic period: The period is from 2012 to 2015. Blockchain entered the public eye with Bitcoin, new wallet payment and remittance companies appeared, and the blockchain economy spread to the financial field. The underlying technology of blockchain continues to innovate. Blockchain technology is divorced from the Bitcoin system.

3. Development period: In 2016, industry applications began to be explored, and a large number of blockchain startups emerged. The popularity of ICO in 2017 brought unprecedented attention to blockchain.

(6) Is blockchain a computer technology? Extended reading:

Three characteristics of three blockchains:

1. The core idea of ​​the blockchain is decentralization: in the blockchain system, the rights and obligations between any nodes are equal, and all nodes have the ability to vote with computing power, thus ensuring recognition. The result is recognized by more than half of the nodes. Even if it suffers a severe hacker attack, as long as the number of nodes controlled by the hacker does not exceed half of the total number of global nodes, the system will still be able to operate normally and the data will not be tampered with.

2. The biggest disruption of blockchain lies in the establishment of credit: in theory, blockchain technology can make WeChat Pay and Alipay no longer valuable. "The Economist" gave a vivid metaphor to the blockchain: simply put, it is "a machine that creates trust." Blockchain allows people to distrust each other andAbility to collaborate without a neutral central agency. Combating counterfeit currency and financial fraud will no longer be needed in the future.

3. The collective maintenance of blockchain can reduce costs: In a centralized network system, the maintenance and operation of the system rely on the operation, maintenance and operation of platforms such as data centers, and costs cannot be omitted. Anyone can participate in the nodes of the blockchain. While participating in the recording, each node also verifies the correctness of the recording results of other nodes, which improves maintenance efficiency and reduces costs.

In one sentence, blockchain touches money, trust and power, which are the fundamental foundations on which human beings rely for survival.

『撒』 What is blockchain

Let’s talk about some basic concepts first.

The network said that blockchain is a new usage model of computer technologies such as distributed data storage, point-to-point transmission, consensus mechanisms, and encryption algorithms. It is essentially a decentralized database, and as the underlying technology of Bitcoin, it is a series of data blocks generated by cryptography.

We try to translate "what is blockchain" into "human language".

The definition refers to the "decentralized database" nature of blockchain3354. This is very different from the traditional "centralized database" in storage, update and operation.

A centralized database can be thought of as having this shape:

For example, if I want to use Alipay to pay a Taobao seller, all data requests from when I make money to when he receives the money will be centrally processed by Alipay. The advantage of this data structure is that as long as Alipay is responsible for the efficient and safe operation of the system, others can unconditionally believe it without worrying; the disadvantage is that if there is a problem with Alipay, such as being hacked, the server being burned, a traitor appearing, and the company running away (Of course, the possibility of the above is extremely low), the balance details and other information in our Alipay will be confused.

Then some people think that this kind of low-probability event can use any technical means to avoid individual risks, and not only hand over the data to a centralized organization. For example, everyone can store and process data.

The database structure may look like this:

This picture is a schematic structural diagram of a "distributed database". Each point is a server, they all have equal rights to record and calculate data, and information is spread point-to-point. At first glance, it seems that it can indeed resist the risk caused by the crash of a certain node, but it is also very confusing and inefficient intuitively. Who will handle my information, and who has the final say on the outcome?

At this time, the "consensus mechanism" in the definition of blockchain comes into play. The consensus mechanism mainly "stipulates" the following things: who will handle a data request when it is received (what qualifications are required); who will verify the results (to see if he has handled it well); how to prevent processors and verifiers from colluding with each other, etc.

Some people may like to be questioned when a "rule" is made. In order to form a stronger consensus, in addition to making the rules more reasonable, they must also be more attractive so that people are interested and motivated to participate in data processing. This involves the incentive mechanism of the public chain. When we discuss the classification of blockchain and the role of digital currencies later, IWe will start again.

When we hand over a transaction to a distributed network, there is also a "psychological threshold": there are so many nodes that can process information, and I don't know any of them (unlike Alipay, if it hurts me, I can go and file a lawsuit against it). They all have my data, why should I trust them?

At this time, encryption algorithm (the last descriptive word in the definition of blockchain) comes on stage.

In the blockchain network, the data requests we send will be encrypted according to cryptographic principles into a string of characters that the recipient cannot understand at all. Behind this encryption method is the support of a hash algorithm.

Hash algorithms can quickly convert any type of data into hash values. This change is one-way irreversible, deterministic, random, and anti-collision. Because of these characteristics, the person handling my data request could record the information for me, but they had no idea who I was or what I was doing.

So far, the working principle of the decentralized network has been introduced. But we seem to have overlooked one detail. The previous diagram is a net. Where are the pulleys and chains? Why do we call it blockchain?

To understand this matter, we need to clarify a few knowledge points first:

The previous picture is actually a "macro" database perspective, showing the basic rules and processes of the blockchain system for processing information. . And specifically at the "micro" data log level, we will find that the ledger is packaged, compressed, stored in blocks, and strung together in chronological order to form a "chain structure", like this:

Figure Each ring in can be regarded as a building block, and many links are linked together to form a blockchain. Blocks store data, unlike ordinary data storage: on a blockchain, the data in a later block contains the data in the previous block.

In order to academically explain the fields of each part of the data in the block, we tried to use a book metaphor to describe what a blockchain data structure is.

Usually, when we read a book, we read the first page, then the second and third pages. The spine is a physical existence that fixes the order of each page. Even if the book is scattered, the order of each numbered page can be determined.

Inside the blockchain, each block is marked with a page number, the second page contains the content of the first page, the third page contains the content of the first and second pages. The tenth page contains the previous Nine pages of content.

It is such a nested chain that can be traced back to the original data.

This brings up an important attribute of blockchain: traceability.

When the data in the blockchain needs to be updated, that is when new blocks are generated in sequence, the "consensus algorithm" comes into play again. This algorithm stipulates that a new block can only be formed if it is recognized by more than 51% of the nodes in the entire network. To put it bluntly, it is a matter of voting, and it can be elected if more than half of the people agree. This makes the data on the blockchain difficult to tamper with. If I were to force a change, there would be too many people to bribe and the cost would be too high to be worth it.

This is what people often call the "non-tamperable" feature of blockchain.

Another reason why blockchain gives people a sense of trust is that it has “smart contracts”"Agreement".

A smart contract is a commitment agreement defined and automatically executed by a computer program. It is a set of transaction rules executed by code, similar to the current automatic repayment function of a credit card. If you turn on this function, you don't need to do anything Worry, the bank will automatically deduct the money you owe when it expires.

When your friend borrows money from you but doesn’t remember to pay it back, or makes excuses not to pay it back, smart contracts can prevent breach of contract. Once the contract in the contract is triggered, Terms, such as when it is time to pay back the money, or if there is a limit in his account, the code will be executed automatically, and the money he owes you will be automatically transferred back whether he wants it or not.

Let’s briefly summarize it. Block Chain technology is mainly decentralized, difficult to tamper with, and traceable, which represents more security and trustlessness. But it also brings new problems: redundancy and inefficiency, which requires many nodes to agree with the rules and actively participate.

The "drying" part is over. Next, let's talk about unofficial history, the official history of blockchain.

A new technology is often used to serve a certain task.

Or born for a purpose. So where was blockchain first used, and who came up with it first?

Let us go back to 2008.

On September 21, Wall Street investment banks collapsed one after another, and the Federal Reserve announced: The only two remaining investment banks (Goldman Sachs Group and Morgan Stanley) were converted into commercial banks; they hoped to survive the financial crisis by absorbing savings. On October 3, the Bush administration signed a US$700 billion financial rescue plan.

28 days later, on November 1, 2008, a new post appeared in a cryptography mailing group: "I am developing a new electronic currency system that is completely peer-to-peer and does not require a third-party trust agency. . "The text of the post is a paper called "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System", signed by Satoshi Nakamoto.

The paper explains this set of peer-to-peer electronic cash in a more rigorous logic The design of the system first discusses the problem that financial institutions are subject to "trust based" (based on credit), and then explains step by step how to achieve "no need for third-party institutions" and cleverly solve the technical problems left by the predecessors.

Two months later, Satoshi Nakamoto released the first version of the open source Bitcoin client and mined 50 Bitcoins for the first time. The block that generated the first batch of Bitcoins is called the "Genesis block" block), the founding block was compiled into block 0 and was not uploaded to the chain. It took Satoshi Nakamoto 6 days to dig out this block. This also triggered discussions in the bitcointalk forum, and Bitcoin "believers" thought of the Bible , "God used six days to create the heaven and earth and all things, and then rested on the seventh day."

Although concepts such as decentralized, token, and economy do not appear in the paper, But Satoshi Nakamoto explained the block and chain in detail.in) works in the network. So, there is Block Chain.

This paper later became the "Bible" of the "Bit Cult", technology became the cornerstone of faith, and developer documentation became the "Code of Hammurabi".

After that, Bitcoin realized the first real-life payment by exchanging pizza, WikiLeaks, whose account was blocked by the US government, miraculously survived by relying on Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto's "decentralization" and retirement, and the appearance of the real and the fake A series of legends such as and refutation of rumors, combined with the expectations, imagination and speculation of later generations, became "Bible stories".

There are also people who are not satisfied with the world described in the "Old Testament" and start new sects, write the doctrines into white papers, and tell the story of their faith in the ten years after Bitcoin. Just like the writing of the 66 books of the Bible spanned 1,500 years, and after 2,000 years of interpretation, Christianity has divided into 33,000 branches.

CoinMarketCap shows that there are more than 4,900 types of digital currencies, and the overall digital currency market size is nearly 140 million yuan. Bitcoin still leads the entire digital currency market with a market share of 66%, and the recent price has been hovering around US$7,200 per coin.

So many currencies have different functions and are divided into different categories: digital currencies represented by Bitcoin are positioned as "digital gold" and have certain value storage and hedging characteristics; Ethereum The digital currency represented by USDT and Libra has become the "operational fuel" in its network system; the stable currency represented by USDT and Libra has good payment properties due to its low volatility; the digital currency issued by the central bank represented by DCEP will definitely To a certain extent, it replaces M0, allowing commercial institutions and ordinary people to receive and pay without delay when they are out of cash and disconnected from the Internet.

It can be seen that after 10 years of development of blockchain technology, the first and largest application is digital currency.

Digital currency has also become an attractive reward for participants to maintain the public chain.

So besides digital currency, where else can blockchain technology be used?

Let us recall what the essence of blockchain is—a decentralized database, and its corresponding characteristics: traceability, publicity, anonymity, and tamper-proofing. In theory, you can try to use blockchain to transform traditional scenarios that use centralized databases to see if they are suitable.

Next, let’s talk about several industries and scenarios where blockchain has been successfully implemented:

Blockchain can prove the existence of a certain file or digital content at a specific time through hash timestamps, providing judicial authentication, Identity proof, property rights protection, anti-counterfeiting traceability, etc. provide perfect solutions

In the field of anti-counterfeiting traceability, blockchain technology can be widely used in various fields such as food and medicine, agricultural products, alcohol, and luxury goods through supply chain tracking.

Give two examples.

Blockchain can allow government data to be run, greatly streamlining service processes

The distributed technology of blockchain can allow government departments to be centralized on one chain, and all service processes are delivered to smart contracts, and the workers only need to be in one department Pass identity authentication and electronic signature, the smart contract can be automatically processed and circulated, and all subsequent approvals and signatures can be completed in sequence.

Blockchain invoices are the earliest use of blockchain technology in China. The tax department launched the "Tax Chain" platform for blockchain electronic invoices. The tax department, the issuer, and the payee join the "Tax Chain" network through unique digital identities, truly realizing "instant invoicing for transactions" and "instant reimbursement after invoicing" - in seconds Level invoicing and minute-level reimbursement accounting greatly reduce tax collection and management costs, and effectively solve problems such as data tampering, over-reporting of one ticket, and tax evasion.

Poverty alleviation is another practical application of blockchain technology. Utilize the characteristics of openness, transparency, traceability, and non-tampering of blockchain technology to achieve transparent use, precise investment, and efficient management of poverty alleviation funds.

Give two examples as well.

The eID network identity operation agency guided by the Third Research Institute of the Ministry of Public Security is jointly developing a "digital identity chain" with Gongyilian, which will be issued to Chinese citizens based on the citizen's identity number as the root and cryptographic algorithm. Since it was put into operation, the eID digital identity system has served the full life cycle management of 100 million eIDs, effectively alleviating the problems of personal identity information being fraudulently used, abused and privacy leaked.

Odaily Planet Daily compiled 5 identity chain projects registered with the Cyberspace Administration of China

Blockchain technology naturally has financial attributes

In terms of payment and settlement, under the blockchain distributed ledger system, there are many markets Participants jointly maintain and synchronize a "general ledger" in real time. In just a few minutes, they can complete payment, clearing, and settlement tasks that currently take two or three days to complete, reducing the complexity and cost of cross-bank and cross-border transactions. At the same time, the underlying encryption technology of the blockchain ensures that participants cannot tamper with the ledger, ensuring that transaction records are transparent and safe. Regulators can easily track transactions on the chain and quickly locate high-risk capital flows.

In terms of securities issuance transactions, the traditional stock issuance process is long, costly and complex. Blockchain technology can weaken the role of underwriting institutions and help all parties establish a fast and accurate information exchange and sharing channel. The issuer can handle the issuance on its own through smart contracts. , regulatory authorities conduct unified review and verification, and investors can also bypass intermediaries for direct operations.

In terms of digital bills and supply chain finance, blockchain technology can effectively solve the financing difficulties of small and medium-sized enterprises. It is difficult for current supply chain finance to benefit small and medium-sized enterprises in the upper reaches of the industrial chain, because they often do not have direct trade relations with core enterprises, and it is difficult for financial institutions to evaluate their credit qualifications. Based on blockchain technology, we can establish a consortium chain network covering core enterprises, upstream and downstream suppliers, financial institutions, etc. The core enterprises issue accounts receivable vouchers to their suppliers. After the bills are digitized and uploaded to the chain, they can be uploaded to the supplier Transfer between them, each level of supplier can realize the corresponding amount of financing with the digital bill certificate.

Give me an example.

The China Enterprise Cloud Chain, jointly launched by ICBC, Postal Savings Bank of China, 11 central enterprises, etc., has covered 48,000 companies since its establishment in 2017, with the amount of rights confirmed on the chain reaching 100 billion yuan, and factoring financing of 57 billion yuan. , cumulative transactions reached 300 billion yuan. Financial institution receives loan applicationAfter requesting, the authenticity of the contract and whether the contract has been verified multiple times (multiple loans) can be verified on the chain; the smart contract is automatically cleared and settled, reducing costs and increasing efficiency; at the same time, the core enterprise's accounts payable can have corresponding vouchers and be managed by First-tier suppliers are split and handed over to second- and third-tier suppliers in the same chain to help them with financing; core enterprises can also use this to understand whether the entire chain is operating normally and avoid the pressure of emergency payment.

Blockchain technology will greatly optimize the existing use of big data and play a huge role in data circulation and sharing

The aforementioned areas are areas that we are relatively familiar with. As more new technologies develop, blockchain may be able to be combined with them and play a role in unexpected cross-fields and new scenarios that are currently unforeseen.

In the future, the Internet, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things will generate massive amounts of data. The existing centralized data storage (computing model) will face huge challenges. Edge storage (computing) based on blockchain technology is expected to become a future solution. Furthermore, the non-tampering and traceability mechanism of blockchain ensures the authenticity and high quality of data, which becomes the basis for the use of all data such as big data, deep learning, and artificial intelligence.

Finally, blockchain can realize multi-party collaborative data calculations while protecting data privacy, and is expected to solve the problems of "data monopoly" and "data islands" and realize the value of data circulation.

In response to the current blockchain development stage, in order to meet the blockchain development and use needs of general business users, many traditional cloud service providers have begun to deploy their own BaaS ("Blockchain as a Service") solutions. The combination of blockchain and cloud computing will effectively reduce enterprise blockchain deployment costs and promote the implementation of blockchain usage scenarios. In the future, blockchain technology will also play an important role in many fields such as charity, insurance, energy, logistics, and the Internet of Things.

During this trial process from traditional technology to blockchain, we found that when certain scenarios have stronger demands for traceability, tamper-proofing, and decentralization, they also have problems with the weaknesses of blockchain (such as performance). , the requirements are not high, and this field is quite suitable for combining blockchain.

At the same time, in the process of blockchain evolution, it has also developed from a highly decentralized public chain accessible to everyone to a consortium chain with different permissions and maintained by multiple centers. Balances the advantages and disadvantages of the two systems.

Typical examples of alliance chains include: FISCO BCOS jointly developed by WeBank and the Golden Alliance Open Source Working Group, Fabric, a major contribution from IBM, and Ant Alliance Chain led by Ant Blockchain, etc.

These trustless systems represent more secure data authentication and storage mechanisms, where data is effectively authenticated and protected. Businesses or individuals can exchange or enter into contracts digitally, where these contracts are embedded in code and stored in transparent, shared databases where they cannot be deleted, tampered with, or revised.

Bold prediction that in the future, contracts, audits, tasks, and payments will all be digitized with unique and secure signatures, and digital signatures will be permanently identified, authenticated,Legalized and stored, and cannot be tampered with. There is no need for an intermediary to guarantee each of your transactions. You can conduct transactions without knowing the basic information of the other party. While improving information security, it effectively reduces transaction costs and improves transaction efficiency.

Generally speaking, there has been a lot of progress in the implementation of blockchain compared to two years ago.

Many improvements are at the bottom of the system, and users cannot directly see that blockchain is used, but they have actually benefited from it; some applications are still in pilot mode, and users have not yet been able to experience it. In the future, blockchain is expected to be used on a large scale and become one of the Internet infrastructure.

I hope that after reading this, you have a general understanding of what blockchain is and what blockchain can do.

Related Q&A: What is blockchain

Blockchain is actually equivalent to a disintermediated database, which is composed of a series of data blocks. Each of its data blocks contains information about a Bitcoin network transaction, which is used to verify the validity of the information and generate the next block.

In a narrow sense, blockchain is a chain data structure that combines data blocks in a sequential manner in chronological order, and is cryptographically guaranteed to be non-tamperable and non-forgeable. distributed ledger.

In a broad sense, blockchain is actually a distributed infrastructure and computing method, which is used to ensure the security of data transmission and access.

Blockchain infrastructure:

Blockchain is composed of six infrastructures: data layer, network layer, consensus layer, incentive layer, contract layer and usage layer.