0%

Book Description

Get up and running with the fundamentals of Bitcoin and blockchain

Key Features

  • Learn quick, effective, and easy ways to master blockchain and Bitcoin
  • Understand the impact of decentralization and discover ways to tackle it
  • Explore the future of Bitcoin and blockchain and implement them in a business network

Book Description

Blockchain is a distributed database that enables permanent, transparent, and secure storage of data. Blockchain technology uses cryptography to keep data secure. Learn Bitcoin and Blockchain is the perfect entry point to the world of decentralized databases.

This book will take you on a journey through the blockchain database, followed by advanced implementations of the blockchain concept. You will learn about Bitcoin basics and their technical operations. As you make your way through the book, you will gain insight into this leading technology and its implementation in the real world. You will also cover the technical foundation of blockchain and understand the fundamentals of cryptography and how they keep data secure. In the concluding chapters, you'll get to grips with the mechanisms behind cryptocurrencies.

By the end of this book, you will have learned about decentralized digital money, advanced blockchain concepts, and Bitcoin and blockchain security.

What you will learn

  • Understand the concept of decentralization, its impact, its relationship with blockchain technology and its pros and cons
  • Learn blockchain and Bitcoin architectures and security
  • Explore Bitcoin and blockchain security
  • Implement blockchain technology and its features commercially
  • Understand why consensus protocols are critical in blockchain
  • Get a grip on the future of blockchain

Who this book is for

Learn Bitcoin and Blockchain is for anyone who wants to quickly understand and expand their knowledge of how blockchain and Bitcoin work and how they are applied commercially. No prior knowledge of blockchain and Bitcoin is required.

Table of Contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright and Credits
    1. Learn Bitcoin and Blockchain
  3. Packt Upsell
    1. Why subscribe?
    2. PacktPub.com
  4. Contributor
    1. About the author
    2. Packt is searching for authors like you
  5. Preface
    1. Who this book is for
    2. What this book covers
    3. To get the most out of this book
      1. Conventions used
    4. Sections
      1. Getting ready
      2. How to do it…
      3. How it works…
      4. There's more…
      5. See also
    5. Get in touch
      1. Reviews
  6. Introduction to Blockchain and Bitcoin
    1. An introduction to cryptography and cryptocurrency 
      1. Workings and security of fiat currencies
        1. Understanding cryptocurrency and its uses 
          1. Hash function 
          2. Digital signature 
    2. An introduction to Bitcoin
      1. History of Bitcoin
        1. Alternative cryptocurrencies to Bitcoin
          1. Bitcoin wallets
    3. An introduction to the blockchain
      1. Workings of blockchain
        1. Features of blockchain
    4. Structure of blockchain
      1. Structuring the Bitcoin block header
        1. Representing the blockchain structure
    5. Challenges with blockchain
      1. Types of blockchain
        1. Permission and permissionless blockchain implementations
          1. Platforms for blockchain
    6. Summary 
  7. Fundamentals of Decentralization
    1. Decentralized, centralized, and distributed systems
      1. How decentralized systems work
        1. Decentralized applications
    2. Decentralizing various entities
      1. Categories of assets
        1. Real-world transactions
          1. Complex agreements
          2. Decentralization of markets
          3. Centralized markets for decentralization
    3. The impact of decentralization
      1. Sectors affected by decentralization
    4. The pros and cons of decentralization
    5. Summary
  8. Advanced Blockchain Concepts
    1. Introduction to consensus protocols
      1. Properties of consensus mechanism
      2. The Byzantine Generals' Problem
        1. Solution to the Byzantine Generals' Problem
        2. Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance
    2. Types of consensus algorithms
      1. Proof of Work
        1. Challenges with PoW
      2. Proof of Stake 
      3. Proof of Elapsed Time 
      4. Comparison between PoW, PoS, and PoET
    3. Key privacy challenges of the blockchain
      1. Pseudonymous behavior of Bitcoin
      2. Solutions to privacy challenges
        1. CoinJoin
        2. Ring signatures
        3. Zero-knowledge proof
    4. Smart contracts and decentralized applications
      1. Understanding smart contracts
        1. Workings of smart contracts
      2. Decentralized applications
        1. Challenges and solutions
    5. Summary
  9. Bitcoin and Blockchain Security
    1. Securing Bitcoin and blockchain
      1. Security practices for your wallet
        1. Types of wallets
    2. Hardware wallets
      1. Workings of a hardware wallet
        1. Types of physical Bitcoins
    3. The survival of cryptocurrencies
    4. Summary
  10. Other books you may enjoy
    1. Leave a review - let other readers know what you think
18.218.93.169