Blockchain features a shared and distributed ledger capable of making the process of recording transactions and tracking assets in a business network easier and more dynamic. This is different from Bitcoin, which is an example of an unpermissioned public ledger and defines an unregulated shadow currency with intensive resources. Blockchain is generally permissioned, private, and prioritizes endorsements, using assets based on a cryptocurrency.

The project known as Hyperledger is a collaborative effort with open source code that was created to promote blockchain technologies.

In May 2017, there were five active frameworks and five active tools:

• Frameworks: Hyperledger Burrow, Hyperledger Fabric, Hyperledger Iroha, Hyperledger Sawtooth, and Hyperledger Indy
• Tools: Hyperledger Cello, Hyperledger Composer, Hyperledger Explorer, Hyperledger Quilt, and Hyperledger Caliper

In the next chapters, we will explore in more detail how the blockchain platform can be used to solve some important challenges in the food chain, and we will discover that Hyperledger Fabric 1.4 is a strong blockchain platform.