Blockchain For Dummies

Blockchain For Dummies

by Tiana Laurence
Released May 2017
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781119365594

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

Find out what Blockchain is, how it works, and what it can do for you

Blockchain is the technology behind Bitcoin, the revolutionary 'virtual currency' that's changing the way people do business. While Bitcoin has enjoyed some well-deserved hype, Blockchain may be Bitcoin's most vital legacy. Blockchain For Dummies is the ideal starting place for business pros looking to gain a better understanding of what Blockchain is, how it can improve the integrity of their data, and how it can work to fundamentally change their business and enhance their data security.

Blockchain For Dummies covers the essential things you need to know about this exciting technology's promise of revolutionizing financial transactions, data security, and information integrity. The book covers the technologies behind Blockchain, introduces a variety of existing Blockchain solutions, and even walks you through creating a small but working Blockchain-based application.

Blockchain holds the promise to revolutionize a wide variety of businesses. Get in the know about Blockchain now with Blockchain For Dummies and be ready to make the changes to business that your colleagues and competitors will later wish they'd done. Discover ten ways Blockchain can change business

  • Find out how to apply a Blockchain solution
  • See how to make data more secure
  • Learn how to work with vendors

Filled with vital information and tips on how this paradigm-changing technology can transform your business for the better, this book will not only show you Blockchain's full potential, but your own as well!

Table of contents

    1. Cover
    2. Introduction
      1. About This Book
      2. Foolish Assumptions
      3. Icons Used in This Book
      4. Beyond the Book
      5. Where to Go from Here
    3. Part 1: Getting Started with Blockchain
      1. Chapter 1: Introducing Blockchain
        1. Beginning at the Beginning: What Blockchains Are
        2. The Structure of Blockchains
        3. Blockchain Applications
        4. The Blockchain Life Cycle
        5. Consensus: The Driving Force of Blockchains
        6. Blockchains in Use
      2. Chapter 2: Picking a Blockchain
        1. Where Blockchains Add Substance
        2. Choosing a Solution
      3. Chapter 3: Getting Your Hands on Blockchain
        1. Diving into the Bitcoin Blockchain
        2. Using Smart Contracts with Bitcoin
        3. Building a Private Blockchain with Docker and Ethereum
    4. Part 2: Developing Your Knowledge
      1. Chapter 4: Beholding the Bitcoin Blockchain
        1. Getting a Brief History of the Bitcoin Blockchain
        2. Debunking Some Common Bitcoin Misconceptions
        3. Bitcoin: The New Wild West
        4. Mining for Bitcoins
        5. Making Your First Paper Wallet
      2. Chapter 5: Encountering the Ethereum Blockchain
        1. Exploring the Brief History of Ethereum
        2. Ethereum: The Open-Source World Wide Computer
        3. Hacking a Blockchain
        4. Getting Up and Running on Ethereum
        5. Building Your First Decentralized Autonomous Organization
        6. Uncovering the Future of DAOs
      3. Chapter 6: Regarding the Ripple Blockchain
        1. Getting a Brief History of the Ripple Blockchain
        2. Ripple: It’s All About Trust
        3. Seeing How Ripple Differs from Other Blockchains
        4. Unleashing the Full Power of Ripple
        5. Exercising Caution with Ripple
      4. Chapter 7: Finding the Factom Blockchain
        1. A Matter of Trust
        2. Building on Factom
      5. Chapter 8: Digging into DigiByte
        1. Getting Familiar with DigiByte: The Fast Blockchain
        2. Mining on DigiByte
        3. Signing Documents on DigiByte’s DiguSign
        4. Earning DigiBytes While Gaming
    5. Part 3: Powerful Blockchain Platforms
      1. Chapter 9: Getting Your Hands on Hyperledger
        1. Getting to Know Hyperledger: Dreams of a Hyper Future
        2. Focusing on Fabric
        3. Investigating the Iroha Project
        4. Diving into Sawtooth Lake
      2. Chapter 10: Applying Microsoft Azure
        1. Bletchley: The Modular Blockchain Fabric
        2. Building in the Azure Ecosystem
        3. Getting Started with Chain on Azure
        4. Deploying Blockchain Tools on Azure
      3. Chapter 11: Getting Busy on IBM Bluemix
        1. Business Blockchain on Bluemix
        2. Watson’s Smart Blockchain
        3. Building Your Starter Network on Big Blue
    6. Part 4: Industry Impacts
      1. Chapter 12: Financial Technology
        1. Hauling Out Your Crystal Ball: Future Banking Trends
        2. Going International: Global Financial Products
        3. Squeezing Out Fraud
      2. Chapter 13: Real Estate
        1. Eliminating Title Insurance
        2. Mortgages in the Blockchain World
        3. Forecasting Regional Trends
      3. Chapter 14: Insurance
        1. Precisely Tailoring Coverage
        2. Witnessing for You: The Internet of Things
        3. Taking Out the Third Party in Insurance
      4. Chapter 15: Government
        1. The Smart Cities of Asia
        2. The Battle for the Financial Capital of the World
        3. Securing the World’s Borders
      5. Chapter 16: Other Industries
        1. Lean Governments
        2. The Trust Layer for the Internet
        3. Oracle of the Blockchain
    7. Part 5: The Part of Tens
      1. Chapter 17: Ten Free Blockchain Resources
        1. Factom University
        2. Ethereum 101
        3. Build on Ripple
        4. Programmable Money by Ripple
        5. DigiKnow
        6. Blockchain University
        7. Bitcoin Core
        8. Blockchain Alliance
        9. Multichain Blog
        10. HiveMind
      2. Chapter 18: The Ten Rules to Never Break on the Blockchain
        1. Don’t Use Cryptocurrency or Blockchains to Skirt the Law
        2. Keep Your Contracts as Simple as Possible
        3. Publish with Great Caution
        4. Back Up, Back Up, Back Up Your Private Keys
        5. Triple-Check the Address Before Sending Currency
        6. Take Care When Using Exchanges
        7. Beware Wi-Fi
        8. Identify Your Blockchain Dev
        9. Don’t Get Suckered
        10. Don’t Trade Tokens Unless You Know What You’re Doing
      3. Chapter 19: Ten Top Blockchain Projects
        1. The R3 Consortium
        2. T ZERO: Overstocking the Stock Market
        3. Blockstream’s Distributed Systems
        4. OpenBazaar’s Blockchain
        5. Code Valley: Find Your Coder
        6. Bitfury’s Digital Assets
        7. Any Coin Can ShapeShift
        8. Machine-Payable Apps on 21
        9. Anonymous Transactions on Dash
        10. ConsenSys: Decentralized Applications
    8. About the Author
    9. Advertisement Page
    10. Connect with Dummies
    11. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Blockchain For Dummies
  • Author(s): Tiana Laurence
  • Release date: May 2017
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781119365594