A blockchain is a digitized, decentralized, public ledger of all cryptocurrency transactions. Constantly growing as ‘completed’ blocks (the most recent transactions) are recorded and added to it in chronological order, it allows market participants to keep track of digital currency transactions without central recordkeeping. Each node (a computer connected to the network) gets a copy of the blockchain, which is downloaded automatically.

Originally developed as the accounting method for the virtual currency Bitcoin, blockchains – which use what's known as distributed ledger technology (DLT) – are appearing in a variety of commercial applications today. Currently, the technology is primarily used to verify transactions, within digital currencies though it is possible to digitize, code and insert practically any document into the blockchain. Doing so creates an indelible record that cannot be changed; furthermore, the record’s authenticity can be verified by the entire community using the blockchain instead of a single centralized authority.

How will businesses benefit from it?

Blockchains are consensus-driven. A large number of computers are connected to the network, and to reduce the ability for an attacker to maliciously add transactions on the network, those adding to the blockchain must compete to solve a mathematical proof. The results are shared with all other computers on the network. The computers, or nodes, connected to this network must agree on the solution, hence the term “consensus.”

This also makes the work of appending data to the ledger decentralized. That is, no single entity can take control of the information on the blockchain. Therefore, we need not trust a single entity since we rely on agreement by many entities instead. The beauty of this construct is that the transactions recorded in the chain can be publicly published and verified, such that anyone can view the contents of the blockchain and verify that events that were recorded into it actually took place.

So to summarize, blockchains are:

• Transaction ledgers

• Immutable

• Consensus-driven

• Decentralized

• Trustless (it’s not based on a system of trust)

• Secured by cryptography

• Can be made public

What businesses benefit?

Prior to the advent of the blockchain, there was no way to secure and validate ownership in a digital asset or verify a transaction in a trustless, public manner. Take, for example, the act of utilizing a software license to gain access to a program like Microsoft Word. To enforce the right to use the software, it must check a centralized server operated by Microsoft. If Microsoft wanted, it could deny access to the software or transfer those permissions to another user. While we consider Microsoft a trusted entity, the risk of illicit behavior increases when an untrusted party is introduced.

Perhaps a better example is ownership of a more valuable asset, such as a substantial share in a company or valuable digital asset such as a one-off piece of digital artwork. To transfer shares of ownership in a company, the current model requires stacks of paperwork, a lawyer or a centralized and trusted entity, such as the New York Stock Exchange.

What about transferring a digital asset like art? How do you prevent people from copying the digital file and sending many others a copy? If there’s no way to publicly verify the transfer of a single asset to a single entity, then there’s no way to enforce ownership or authenticity. This is why the value in art is always in the physical good.

The blockchain is the first technology that enables the transfer of digital ownership in a decentralized and trustless manner. In fact, there are companies like Polymath that are disrupting the industry by creating digital tokens that can represent ownership in a company, or DAEX, which is seeking to disrupt the world of digital art by publishing ownership on the blockchain.

Is blockchain technology the new internet?

The blockchain is an undeniably ingenious invention – the brainchild of a person or group of people known by the pseudonym, Satoshi Nakamoto. But since then, it has evolved into something greater, and the main question every single person is asking is: What is Blockchain?

By allowing digital information to be distributed but not copied, blockchain technology created the backbone of a new type of internet. Originally devised for the digital currency, Bitcoin, (Buy Bitcoin) the tech community is now finding other potential uses for the technology.

Bitcoin has been called “digital gold,” and for a good reason. To date, the total value of the currency is close to $9 billion US. And blockchains can make other types of digital value. Like the internet (or your car), you don’t need to know how the blockchain works to use it. However, having a basic knowledge of this new technology shows why it’s considered revolutionary. So, we hope you enjoy this, what is Blockchain guide.