Blocks and chains : introduction to Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and their consensus mechanisms /
The new field of cryptographic currencies and consensus ledgers, commonly referred to as blockchains, is receiving increasing interest from various different communities. These communities are very diverse and amongst others include: technical enthusiasts, activist groups, researchers from various d...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[San Rafael, California] :
Morgan & Claypool Publishers,
[2017]
[San Rafael, California] : Morgan & Claypool, 2017 |
| Series: | Synthesis digital library of engineering and computer science
Synthesis lectures on information security, privacy and trust ; #20 Synthesis lectures on information security, privacy, and trust ; #20 |
| Subjects: |
Table of Contents:
- 1. Introduction
- 1.1 Aspects of cryptocurrencies
- 1.2 Cryptocurrency community
- 1.3 From cryptocurrency to blockchain
- 1.4 The analog stone-block-chain
- 1.4.1 Security model of the stone-block-chain
- 1.5 Structure of this book
- 2. Background
- 2.1 Cryptographic primitives
- 2.1.1 Cryptographic hash functions
- 2.1.2 Asymmetric cryptography
- 2.2 Notation, symbols, and definitions
- 3. History of cryptographic currencies
- 3.1 Before Bitcoin
- 3.1.1 The early beginnings of digital cash
- 3.1.2 The cypherpunk movement
- 3.1.3 The rise of cryptocurrencies
- 3.2 Bitcoin
- 4. Bitcoin
- 4.1 Bitcoin at a glance
- 4.1.1 Components of cryptocurrency technologies
- 4.2 Core data structures and concepts
- 4.2.1 Block
- 4.2.2 Blockchain
- 4.2.3 Address
- 4.2.4 Transaction
- 4.3 Consensus management
- 4.3.1 The idea of proof-of-work (PoW )
- 4.3.2 Proof-of-work in general
- 4.3.3 Proof-of-work in Bitcoin
- 4.3.4 Mining
- 4.3.5 Blockchain forks
- 4.3.6 Double spending
- 4.3.7 Double spending success probability
- 4.4 Network and communication management
- 4.4.1 Seeding and connecting
- 4.4.2 Network structure and overlay networks
- 4.5 Digital asset management
- 4.6 Altcoins
- 4.6.1 Namecoin and merged mining
- 4.6.2 Other examples
- 5. Coin management tools
- 5.1 History and categorization of CMTs
- 5.2 Metaphors
- 5.3 Usability
- 5.3.1 Bitcoin management strategies and tools
- 5.3.2 Anonymity
- 5.3.3 Perceptions of usability
- 5.4 User experiences with security
- 5.5 Cryptocurrency usage scenarios
- 6. Nakamoto consensus
- 6.1 The problem Bitcoin strives to solve
- 6.1.1 Trusted third parties
- 6.1.2 Placing trust in a distributed system
- 6.1.3 Decentralizing trust
- 6.2 Consensus and fault tolerance in distributed systems
- 6.2.1 Consensus
- 6.2.2 System models and their impact
- 6.2.3 Byzantine fault tolerance
- 6.2.4 Randomized consensus protocols
- 6.3 A closer look at Nakamoto consensus
- 6.3.1 Defining Nakamoto consensus
- 7. Conclusion and open challenges
- 7.1 Conclusion
- A. Glossary
- Bibliography
- Authors' biographies