Cryptocurrency From Wikipedia:: Digital Asset Medium of Exchange Strong Cryptography
Cryptocurrency From Wikipedia:: Digital Asset Medium of Exchange Strong Cryptography
Cryptocurrency From Wikipedia:: Digital Asset Medium of Exchange Strong Cryptography
The gap in the market that remains is that between traditional financial
services and cryptocurrency transactions. Bridging that gap will play a
significant role in our ability to integrate cryptocurrency into our
mainstream lives.
Cryptocurrencies are a kind of alternative currency and digital currency (of which virtual
currency is a subset). Cryptocurrencies use decentralized control as opposed to centralized
digital currency and central banking systems.[4]
The decentralized control of each cryptocurrency works through distributed ledger technology,
typically a blockchain, that serves as a public financial transaction database.
Bitcoin, first released as open-source software in 2009, is generally considered the first
decentralized cryptocurrency.[6] Since the release of bitcoin, over 4,000 altcoins (alternative
variants of bitcoin, or other cryptocurrencies) have been created.
The system does not require a central authority, its state is maintained through
distributed consensus.
The system keeps an overview of cryptocurrency units and their ownership.
The system defines whether new cryptocurrency units can be created. If new
cryptocurrency units can be created, the system defines the circumstances of their
origin and how to determine the ownership of these new units.
Ownership of cryptocurrency units can be proved exclusively cryptographically.
The system allows transactions to be performed in which ownership of the
cryptographic units is changed. A transaction statement can only be issued by an entity
proving the current ownership of these units.
If two different instructions for changing the ownership of the same cryptographic units
are simultaneously entered, the system performs at most one of them.
Blockchain
The validity of each cryptocurrency's coins is provided by a blockchain. A blockchain is a
continuously growing list of records, called blocks, which are linked and secured using
cryptography.[23][26] Each block typically contains a hash pointer as a link to a previous
block,[26] a timestamp and transaction data.[27] By design, blockchains are inherently resistant
to modification of the data. It is "an open, distributed ledger that can record transactions
between two parties efficiently and in a verifiable and permanent way".[28] For use as a
distributed ledger, a blockchain is typically managed by a peer-to-peer network collectively
adhering to a protocol for validating new blocks. Once recorded, the data in any given block
cannot be altered retroactively without the alteration of all subsequent blocks, which requires
collusion of the network majority.
Blockchains are secure by design and are an example of a distributed computing system with
high Byzantine fault tolerance. Decentralized consensus has therefore been achieved with a
blockchain.[29] Blockchains solve the double-spending problem without the need of a trusted
authority or central server.
Timestamping
Cryptocurrencies use various timestamping schemes to "prove" the validity of transactions
added to the blockchain ledger without the need for a trusted third party.
The first timestamping scheme invented was the proof-of-work scheme. The most widely used
proof-of-work schemes are based on SHA-256 and scrypt.[16]
Some other hashing algorithms that are used for proof-of-work include CryptoNight, Blake,
SHA-3, and X11.