Understanding Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies

Whether you are a project manager looking to lead blockchain projects, a developer who would like to create blockchain-based applications, or a student with an interest, this book will provide you with the foundational understanding that you need.

You have probably noticed that blockchains are growing in popularity. Governments are investigating Digital Currencies, supply chains are adopting Digital Ledgers, games makers and artists are developing NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), and new use-cases are emerging regularly.

With such growth, many people will find themselves needing to understand how these technologies work. There will be new project teams, with technical leads managing blockchain projects and developers creating distributed applications. This book is great for them as it explains the concepts on which blockchain technologies are based, in simple terms.

We will discuss and explain topics such as hashing, Merkle trees, nodes, mining, proof of work and proof of stake, consensus mechanisms encryption, vulnerabilities, and much more. The structures and principles described will be relevant for developers and managers alike, and will be demonstrated through relevant examples throughout the text.

If you are looking to understand this exciting new technology, this is the book for you.

Akira Summers has been working in software and technological development since 2000. Starting in the related fields of web development, interactive media and software development, she has held many development roles and spent several years working as a game programmer. She now lectures in digital media technologies at Birmingham City University in the UK, teaching programming, interactive media and development where she is involved in blockchain research and projects.