Blockchain is often associated with cryptocurrencies and speculation. From a technical perspective, however, blockchain is a distributed system architecture designed to solve the problem of trust.
This series approaches blockchain from an architectural standpoint, focusing on design rationale, system trade-offs, and how components interact in adversarial environments.
The core problem: trust in distributed systems
Unlike traditional systems with central databases and administrators, blockchain assumes adversarial conditions where nodes do not trust each other.
What is blockchain conceptually?
At an abstract level, blockchain is a distributed ledger where data is recorded sequentially and cryptographically linked, making tampering evident and costly.
Consensus – the heart of blockchain
Blockchain exists because of consensus mechanisms that allow independent nodes to agree on a shared state without mutual trust.
Not every problem needs blockchain
Blockchain trades performance for transparency and auditability, making it unsuitable for systems requiring low latency or high throughput.
Series structure
- Blockchain Architecture – Series Overview
- Consensus & Distributed Trust
- Smart Contracts & Execution Model
- Security, Scalability & Trade-offs
What’s next?
The next article dives into Consensus & Distributed Trust, explaining how blockchains reach agreement in adversarial environments.
