Talk:Blockchain/Archive 6

This edit request to Blockchain has been answered. Set the |answered= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

A section on blockchain standardization would benefit this article and explain the ongoing adoption of blockchain by governments, corporates and the like. //VirtualKittenMittens VirtualKittenMittens (talk) 09:01, 21 June 2021 (UTC)

Suggest adding a section on blockchain standards: "

 Already done Looks like this edit was made. ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 11:50, 13 July 2021 (UTC)

This request for help from administrators has been answered. If you need more help or have additional questions, please reapply the {{admin help}} template, or contact the responding user(s) directly on their own user talk page.

Hi, it would be helpful if an admin could roll back the promotional edits of Srualajli2 on the large swath of pages (including this one) that he added his Dappscape advertisements to. Thanks! Jtbobwaysf (talk) 14:40, 14 July 2021 (UTC) @David Gerard: in case you are online. Thanks! Jtbobwaysf (talk) 14:44, 14 July 2021 (UTC)

looks like they've all been cleaned up - David Gerard (talk) 20:24, 14 July 2021 (UTC)

This edit request to Blockchain has been answered. Set the |answered= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

Add NFT's to the uses of blockchains citing the NFT page on wiki. FridgeOP (talk) 11:22, 8 September 2021 (UTC)

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Melmann 22:00, 8 September 2021 (UTC)

The article talks about blockchain as a database. While this can be ("mostly") correct from a formal point of view ( with a database understood as an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically), it ends up being misleading due to the acceptance of features expected in "conventional" (SQL, NoSQL, graph, keyvalues,...) databases. The core differences to be highlighted from my point of view are:

• Databases deal with *storage and access* of any sort of data, local or distributed, while Blockchain is focused in *geographically distributed* transmission (network) of value. In that sense, a blockchain is closer to a message bus than to a database. There are effort to create stateless blockchains based on zero knowledge probes than do not fit into the database category, since such data does not exists any more, and can not be accessed electronically, since only indirect proofs of correctness exists in the organized collection of data, but they continue to be useful as message bus of value among peers (probably as an distributed tamper proof scheduler of transactions in conventional, otherwise decoupled, databases).

• Databases are designed to offer a best effort approach, prioritizing Availability and/or Partitioning over (distributed) Consistency, while Blockchain prioritizes (distributed) (eventual or transactional) Consistency over Availability and Partitioning. This is again a consequence of their effort to *transmit value*. From a physical point of view, Blockchain is focused on creating a *virtual and distributed present* (of money or more in general of rights and obligations) with real-time restrictions and a history of past events just to warrant the non-tamperable "virtual and distributed present", while databases are focused data with or without any restriction to *physical time and or space* constrains.

• From a software architecture point, the previous point translates to the next fact: databases behave like a reactive "slave" component controlled by external applications (backend, middleware of frontend apps) while blockchain behaves like an "active" component, where applications acts as "slaves" reacting to blockchain modifications. This is the most interesting point from a practical point of view and marks the biggest difference with conventional databases. The "read" part of the blockchain is similar to a database, but the "write" part has a complex "network consensus mechanism" that does not apply to the definition of a database.

• From a security point of view, a database is a centralized component controlled by a trusted source, while a blockchain leaves trust to the decentralized consensus. (This is the only point clear in the article). Also, constrained by the effort of creating a geographically distributed transmission (network) of value, some implicit rules of value management exists. That is, an external owner has by design control only over its values (values/tokens/right/obligations) and any incoming transaction can only be use to accept a decrease in the stored values or to accept and increase of obligations (with probes-of-existence notarization being the exception to the rule).

In conclusion, the term "database" must be removed to avoid incorrect interpretation of the blockchain word. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.61.178.46 (talk) 16:03, 1 October 2021 (UTC)

Should Version Control such as Git and Github be included as precursors. Until recently, I thought I was in the minority in thinking that, but I just heard Nicholas Weaver, admittedly in an extremely critical and anti-Blockchain lecture, share my opinion. CessnaMan1989 (talk) 01:26, 5 November 2021 (UTC)

I've noticed that this was merged here after AfD in 2018 (Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Blockchain game). The section has grown since, and I think the topic has stand-alone notability now. I think we should split it into its own article, and leave a shorter summary here. Note I've created redirects GameFi, play to earn and play-to-earn targeting this section; if the split occurs those terms should be retargeted. There's also a tiny fork (NFT game->Non-fungible_token#Games). Surprisingly, all of this is totally missing from our article on video game monetization... _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 09:23, 11 November 2021 (UTC)

I think it's just a bit too early. At least for one, we don't have a good name for these types of games and as per the AFD, it would probably be something like "Blockchain use in video games" until we have a clear industry term. But the larger problem is the market in this area is still super speculative. There's a handful of examples, but no single "successful" game yet. That may change if the big publishers are throwing their hat in. And I still this would be an area we should be very careful trending into given the nature of how promotional anything tied to cryptocurrency can be - that's not to say non-crypto RSes aren't covering this, but expanding too much could be a honeypot for those types of sources. I think careful expansion here until we have a clear successful game is the right approach, and avoid CRYSTALBALL. --Masem (t) 15:11, 11 November 2021 (UTC)

I think we are past the point of this becoming notable, although most sources are still from the "crypto walled garden". But consider:

• academic papers that uses the term blockchain game: , , , ...
• news that seem outside the said walled garden (so discarding Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Cointelegraph and like...): PC Gamer: , Venturebeat: , The National News: , Financial Post: , IGN: , Rock Paper Shogun: , Yahoo Finance: , Kotaku: , Vice (magazine): ...

I think we are past the tipping point for this to be notable, and the most common term is "blockchain game", with "play to earn", "NFT game" and "GameFi" being less common terms. I know well crypto has been rather spammy on Wikipedia - I was there, AfDing a bunch of this crap - but I think it's time to start covering them better. At least some of those previously spammy concepts/projects have progressed to the point they are now notable, and we should not be knee-jerking this area due to past spam issues. _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 12:06, 12 November 2021 (UTC)

I want to point out that several of those links are plans by major publishers to look into blockchain games but by no means commitments, hence why I think we're still in crystal ball territory here, but the type of thing that can change in a few months or a year once a major studio produces a game with blockchain. We don't want to have an article on a fad that disappeared a few months after we create it. --Masem (t) 13:15, 12 November 2021 (UTC)

Masem, Some are plans, but some of those games are big (like Axie Infinity ). We have a Category:Blockchain games, might as well have the main article for it. _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 10:31, 13 November 2021 (UTC)

That's probably a fair enough reason, and given the state of when it was merged , even what's in here and video game monetization. But for purposes of following procedure, I'll ping the AFD closer and merger, @Black Kite:, to make sure they agree there's enough from the current section at Blockchain#Games to recreate and expand the article. --Masem (t) 17:41, 13 November 2021 (UTC)

Black Kite gave their okay so I'm going to start building that article out. --Masem (t) 19:38, 17 November 2021 (UTC)

@Masem If you point me to a draft or the place you've started your work, I'll be happy to chip in. _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 10:55, 19 November 2021 (UTC)

Already at Blockchain game --Masem (t) 14:35, 19 November 2021 (UTC)

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 25 August 2020 and 10 December 2020. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Lendawg2303.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 18:10, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 26 August 2020 and 2 December 2020. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Thenihalsingh. Peer reviewers: Esk00, Beril gur, Komalbadesha, Ryanliou, Candreaangulo, Go23bears, Sid900.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 18:10, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 6 September 2020 and 6 December 2020. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): 八路军被服厂李厂长.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 18:10, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 11 January 2021 and 20 March 2021. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Dlevine1996.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 18:10, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

This analysis, which appeared in Harvard Law School of Corporate Governance just this January, is the single best tour d'horizon I've seen yet, but I didn't want to marble the article with it.

https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2022/01/28/blockchain-in-the-banking-sector-a-review-of-the-landscape-and-opportunities/

kencf0618 (talk) 14:51, 16 February 2022 (UTC)

The History section of this article points out that "blockchain" is a fairly old tech, while "decentralized blockchain" is a related newer tech. The "structure" section then goes on to describe decentralized blockchains without differentiating the two. I believe this section should start out with a general description of blockchain technology, then describe decentralized blockchains, rather than confuse the issue. I do not have the expertise to do this, hence posting on the Talk page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.79.32.223 (talk) 16:57, 16 February 2022 (UTC)

This edit request to Blockchain has been answered. Set the |answered= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

The first decentralized blockchain was conceptualized by a person

should be changed to

The first decentralized blockchain appeared in 1997 as a core part of the Transient-key cryptography system, and was later adapted by a person Dmichaels999 (talk) 04:57, 6 March 2022 (UTC)

No. Change will not be done as is, as t would remove the mention of Satoshi.

Please write a paragraph to be placed before the mention of Satoshi, and do not claim it was a blockchain as this would be anachronistic, this is what we usually call a predecessor. Please check the history section of almost any technology for examples. In Computer#History see how there is no claim that an abacus was the first computer, but it's just part of a chain of technologies that lead up to the subject. When you have written the paragraph, please add a source that backs up that the system was a predecessor, or inspiration to the blockchain. Once you have done so, you can open another edit request.--TZubiri (talk) 05:22, 6 March 2022 (UTC)

Can you please add some sources for this discussion. I am also unclear as to what is being proposed here. Jtbobwaysf (talk) 07:19, 6 March 2022 (UTC)

Blockchain is a database system that securely stores and preserves data, eliminating security, privacy, and control issues while allowing many organizations and individuals to securely share data and have reliable access over time. real to the same data. Data can be quickly exchanged between companies thanks to the decentralized nature of the blockchain. The information can be stored in a ledger on a blockchain. A blockchain creates a distributed ledger and is accessible to many connected devices. Users can exchange files and values over a network. Kirti Kanan (talk) 07:27, 16 September 2022 (UTC)

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 22 September 2022 and 8 December 2022. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): BL33701 (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by BL33701 (talk) 15:41, 20 November 2022 (UTC)

@Grayfell: Thank you for improving the text on finalization. However, switching the {{sfn}} syntax to <ref></ref> with the remark that it is silly to have one single source in the 'sources' subsection () had a highly undesirable side effect: the page numbers in the cites are now lost. Ability to provide page numbers in the cite is not silly at all. Please consider reverting or let me know which technique allowing me to put the page numbers back might be acceptable to you. Викидим (talk) 10:20, 2 December 2022 (UTC)

See Template:Rp if this is absolutely necessary. The goal should be to summarize sources and to use those sources to determine encyclopedic significance, or alternately, to support specific information discussed by other, more general sources. Since this entire subsection is a summary of a single, relatively minor source, it should be possible to summarize more broadly. Since this source is only partly about "finality", and the source is defining the term as a form of industry jargon to discuss another issue, I would suggest that maybe a direct paraphrase of specific paragraphs of this source (bordering on WP:CLOSEPARAPHRASE) is not the best approach to including this information. One way to fix this issue would be to cite more than one source which directly discusses the usage of this term. Grayfell (talk) 19:54, 2 December 2022 (UTC)

Thank you! The 5-digit page numbers, used in the source and emitted by {{rp}} into the text, will look pretty bad, so I would eventually follow the second path suggested by you (additional sources). Hopefully, this will also allow me to reintroduce text that describes a well-known feature of bitcoin blockchain, very long settlement times (the mention of this feature was also deleted by your other edit). Викидим (talk) 20:31, 2 December 2022 (UTC)

For future reference, this edit removed content sourced to charts hosted on blockchain.com showing average confirmation times with almost no other context. That really seems like WP:OR to me, in addition to WP:RS issues. I think info specifically about bitcoin's long settlement times could be included in this article about blockchain in general, but hopefully reliable independent sources could contextualize why this is a feature, and also why it matters. The topic itself is already confusing enough, and is too often poorly explained by sources, so the article will benefit from restraint, IMO. Grayfell (talk) 00:38, 3 December 2022 (UTC)

This is in Category:Writing systems, but a blockchain is not a writing system. 50.107.191.81 (talk) 22:34, 9 December 2022 (UTC)

Good catch. Thanks. Grayfell (talk) 00:41, 10 December 2022 (UTC)

At #Decentralization the article states:

"One risk of a lack of decentralization is a so-called "51% attack" where a central entity can gain control of more than half of a network and can manipulate that specific blockchain record at will, allowing double-spending"

This risk of a 51% attack is caused by decentralization and not by a lack thereof. I suggest changing this part to:

"One risk of decentralization is a so-called "51% attack" where a central entity can gain control of more than half of a network and can manipulate that specific blockchain record at will, allowing double-spending"

-- Zaubentrucker (talk) 16:34, 24 December 2022 (UTC)

Is this your personal opinion? Do you have a reliable source saying this? Retimuko (talk) 23:36, 24 December 2022 (UTC)

51% attacks are a problem that Blockchains have:

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/9/9/1788

Blockchains are also decentralized, as that is their purpose.

Therefore, this sentence is not correct: "One risk of a lack of decentralization is a so-called "51% attack""

That's because a lack of decentralization is not a feature of Blockchains, but Blockchains are the ones at risk of the "51% attack". Zaubentrucker (talk) 08:56, 25 December 2022 (UTC)

I see that the sources don't say this. You reach this conclusion. In Wikipedia this is called original research. Retimuko (talk) 08:09, 26 December 2022 (UTC)

The current source for that sentence is a Fortune article. It doesn't support that this was due to a lack of decentralization, so the current wording is also original research. The source arguably implies a connection, but this isn't sufficient.

MDPI is a garbage publisher regardless, but there is a valid point here anyway. "Decentralization" is being used as jargon, and it's not well-explained so this kind of thing is misleading or at least confusing. The article is already prone to presenting isolated facts as if they were connected, but this is bad form for an encyclopedia article. We need to use sources to directly explain what these terms mean and why they are connected.

For background on this specific point, Bruce Schneier, David S. H. Rosenthal, and many others in the relevant fields have made strong cases that blockchains as currently used are not decentralized, at least not in the ways which actually matter. From this perspective, the issue isn't whether or not real decentralization is there, it's something more basic. Rosenthal in particular makes the distinction between "permissioned blockchains" which predate the hype around blockchains by several decades, and "permissionless blockchains" which are what this Wikipedia article is describing. All that's mostly just background for why this term isn't as clear-cut as the current article implies, though.

Due to the glut of garbage sources, the link between (de)centralization and 51% attacks should be directly and unambiguously explained by a reliable source. The Fortune news blurb isn't sufficient for this. Grayfell (talk) 03:04, 28 December 2022 (UTC)

Grayfell, I agree, especially about the need for a unambiguous explanation.

While 'One risk of a lack of decentralization is a so-called "51% attack" may be logically incorrect, 'One risk of decentralization is a so-called "51% attack" ' is also problematic.

With decentralization, a 51% attack is possible, but without clarification, that seems to imply that decentralization is bad. I think a better perspective is that the more narrow decentralization is, the easier it is to get 51%, and the broader decentralization is, the harder it is to get 51%.

JD Lambert^(T|C) 16:05, 3 January 2023 (UTC)

This edit request to Blockchain has been answered. Set the |answered= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

A consortium blockchain is a type of blockchain that combines elements of both public and private blockchains. In a consortium blockchain, a group of organizations come together to create and operate the blockchain, rather than a single entity. The consortium members jointly manage the blockchain network and are responsible for validating transactions.

Consortium Blockchain Consortium blockchains are permissioned, meaning that only certain individuals or organizations are allowed to participate in the network. This allows for greater control over who can access the blockchain and helps to ensure that sensitive information is kept confidential. Consortium blockchains are commonly used in industries where multiple organizations need to collaborate on a common goal, such as supply chain management or financial services.

One advantage of consortium blockchains is that they can be more efficient and scalable than public blockchains, as the number of nodes required to validate transactions is typically smaller. Additionally, consortium blockchains can provide greater security and reliability than private blockchains, as the consortium members work together to maintain the network.

Some examples of consortium blockchains include R3 Corda, IBM Blockchain Platform, and Quorum. These platforms are designed to provide a secure and efficient way for organizations to collaborate and share data, while still maintaining control over their own information. Shahbaj rangrej (talk) 21:11, 4 March 2023 (UTC)

 Done but I had to find a source to confirm this. Particularly with blockchain stuff, we want to make sure high quality sources are being used. --Masem (t) 21:22, 4 March 2023 (UTC)

There are duplicate links throughout the article, some for basic terms like "cryptocurrency" and "transaction". I removed some from the History section as per MOS:DL but I wanted to bring it here before removing more, since it's semi-protected. Was there a previous consensus to keep these duplicated links? Matuko (talk) 13:16, 7 May 2023 (UTC)

Cannot add or amend Wikipedia page about Blockchain due to it being "semi-protected". What to do in this regard? Ciankinsella (talk) 14:13, 17 June 2023 (UTC)

See the instructions at WP:EDITREQ Masem (t) 14:49, 17 June 2023 (UTC)

Blockchain, like most fad technologies and marketing buzzwords, has more than it's share of criticism, but this article barely touches on any criticism outside of a brief mention of energy use for cryptocoins. Glaring omission. - Keith D. Tyler ¶ 06:49, 8 July 2023 (UTC)

Under Source there is a note on a self-published citation

"A public blockchain has absolutely no access restrictions. Anyone with an Internet connection can send transactions to it as well as become a validator (i.e., participate in the execution of a consensus protocol).[self-published source?] Usually, such networks offer economic incentives for those who secure them and utilize some type of a proof-of-stake or proof-of-work algorithm."

I would like to suggest a few superior sources.

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Blockchain_Foundations_and_Applications/-KyDEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

- The next statement about ethereum and bitcoin is supported here on page 45

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Blockchain_Consensus_Mechanisms/GJVlEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=public+blockchain+consensus+protocols&printsec=frontcover FrostFlower984 (talk) 11:31, 17 July 2023 (UTC)

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 7 September 2023 and 14 December 2023. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Jasminezapple (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Jasminezapple (talk) 18:52, 21 October 2023 (UTC)

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 27 February 2022 and 5 May 2022. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Bunnyw0123 (article contribs).

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Bunnyw0123 (talk • contribs) 20:12, 30 April 2022 (UTC)

The article says "A blockchain is a decentralized, distributed, and often public, digital ledger consisting of records called blocks that are used to record transactions across many computers so that any involved block cannot be altered retroactively, without the alteration of all subsequent blocks."

The 9th edition of Introduction to Management Systems by Rainer and Prince (Wiley) says "A blockchain is a decentralized, distributed, encrypted, secure, anonymous, tamper-proof, unchangeable, and often public digital ledger (a database, if you will) consisting of transactions bundled into blocks. Blocks contain details such as transaction timestamps and a link to the previous block. These links form the blockchain. The blockchain records transactions across many computers so that blocks cannot be altered retroactively without the alteration of all subsequent blocks." (Section 7.2, pg. 213)

There are two sources linked by the wiki quote [3] and [20] but neither even remotely contains the quote from the textbook. The italics is present in the textbook too. I'm not putting it past the textbook to have copied from Wikipedia, but I wanted to document my findings. Babushkasara (talk) 20:32, 8 September 2023 (UTC)

I think you mean Introduction to Information Systems. (ISBN 9781119761464) Google Books says the book came out in 2021, while Worldcat says 2022. The wording is more-or-less the same in versions of this article going back to at least 2020. If, however, this wording is also in older versions of the textbook, more investigation would be needed as this could be plagiarism. Grayfell (talk) 00:19, 9 September 2023 (UTC)

Oops, yes. My copy is missing the cover and initial pages so I can't check the copyright date. I know it was *written* around April - June of 2020, because of all the "as of [date]" comments about current states of technology. The 5th edition (2014) (available on the Internet Archive) doesn't mention blockchain or bitcoin. I don't have access to the text of the 8th edition (claims 2020 as copyright date), but I do have access to the instructor resources. In the slides, there's 1 line of notes about bitcoin, nothing about blockchain or bitcoin in the instructor manual, and only 3 questions mentioning blockchain in the test bank ("____ are/is the underlying technology for digital currencies such as Bitcoin", a distractor answer for a question on another topic, and "Which is not true regarding blockchain? a) It is virtually impossible to alter its records. b) It circumvents the need for banks or brokers for some consumers. c) It is a form of Bitcoin that can be used internationally. d) It can be lifesaving in the instance of certain bacterial outbreaks.") Meanwhile, in the 9th edition test bank, blockchain is mentioned 31 times. Unfortunately, my campus library only has an edition from 2001 which won't be helpful, but I might be able to get a copy of the 8th. Babushkasara (talk) 14:32, 11 September 2023 (UTC)

Browsing the article's history, it seems like the wording developed organically. The specific phrase "...without the alteration of all subsequent blocks and the collusion of the network." was added in this edit in May 2017, but it was adjusted in this edit in November 2018 and the "the collusion of the network" was subsequently removed. I think I prefer that older wording, actually. These incremental changes suggest to me that this isn't plagiarism, but it's possible.

Browsing Worldcat (OCLC 1381208133), it appears the the Sixth edition came out in 2016, while the 4th Canadian edition came out in 2017, and a "Seventh edition. EMEA edition" came out in 2018.

Grayfell (talk) 21:31, 11 September 2023 (UTC)

That quote seems like it's from the article introduction - the quote I was referring to occurs right at the beginning of the Structure and Design section. That being said, the 2018 diff you linked does have substantially different wording from the current version. I'm not very familiar with navigating edit history or I'd attempt to track down when/if the quote materialized wholesale. Babushkasara (talk) 21:39, 11 September 2023 (UTC)

The May 2017 quote was added to the body, but that edit also included a minor change to the lead, which makes the diff a bit confusing. Grayfell (talk) 21:51, 11 September 2023 (UTC)

The 8th edition, copyright 2020, most likely written before July 2019 based on citations within the text, mentions blockchain briefly, but with very different language than the 9th edition/the article. (I can post the quote if desired). That leads back to 'either the article copied from the 9th or the 9th copied from the article', but it does at least narrow down the date range. Babushkasara (talk) 13:32, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

So from this, the disputed wording was added to this article over a period of time starting in 2017, and the textbook did not include this until the 2020 edition. Since the Wikipedia wording predates the similar wording found in the textbook, this does not appear to be a copyright violation on Wikipedia's part. Grayfell (talk) 20:18, 21 October 2023 (UTC)

Yet another reason I'm using an open-source textbook next semester. Thanks for helping close the loop on this. Babushkasara (talk) 15:10, 23 October 2023 (UTC)

The redirect Non-crypto Public Chain has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2024 April 19 § Non-crypto Public Chain until a consensus is reached. Utopes _{(talk / cont)} 00:58, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

Blockchain does not imply currency, it is a single use of the technology.

Removal, rewrite or relocation of this articles sections specific to currency are in order to favor of a more generic article. The Non-crypto_Public_Chain does not exist nor should it. Parents feeding their children food with a given source chain should be able to understand the topic... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2603:6081:3b08:b440:8931:b2dc:6aef:c3df (talk) 19:24, 25 July 2024 (UTC)

Is it correct to say "A blockchain is a distributed ledger with growing lists of records". Should it be "a growing list" instead? 119.82.139.102 (talk) 01:31, 30 September 2024 (UTC)

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 5 September 2024 and 13 December 2024. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Mak9991 (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Sp7930 (talk) 05:10, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

The redirect Data structure (blockchain) has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2025 May 18 § Data structure (blockchain) until a consensus is reached. Shhhnotsoloud (talk) 13:13, 18 May 2025 (UTC)

This edit request to Blockchain has been answered. Set the |answered= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

The statement that "blockchain transactions are irreversible in that, once they are recorded, the data in any given block cannot be altered retroactively without altering all subsequent blocks" is misleading. Blockchain records can be altered, typically through consensus achieved by the network via a consensus mechanism. I recommend revising the statement to clarify that blockchains, in conjunction with their consensus mechanism or decentralized network, prevent illegitimate alterations to past data, thereby preventing malicious activity, such as double spending, transaction reversal, fraudulent blocks, transaction censorship, and counterfeiting digital assets. HistorianAtNight (talk) 22:07, 10 December 2024 (UTC)

Hi @HistorianAtNight, do you have any good, high quality sources that describe this and exact proposed text? Skynxnex (talk) 23:01, 19 December 2024 (UTC)

A blockchain is the collective blockchain that the network agrees to. Generally speaking, if a blockchain's network chooses to alter past transaction data it can do so through its consensus mechanism. For a PoS, this just requires a certain amount of nodes agreeing to a new version of the blockchain. This can be done for legitimate or malicious purposes called a 51% attack. For an example, if an entity controls more than half of the nodes in the network, it can rewrite blockchain data by getting the majority of nodes to adopt the altered version, and updating the network's blockchain. Any version of the blockchain that does not conform to the new version will be ignored. It can be done on PoW consensus mechanisms as well, but through mining power.

Sources:

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/1/51-attack.asp

https://beincrypto.com/learn/51-attacks-explained/ HistorianAtNight (talk) 00:10, 20 December 2024 (UTC)

I would say something similar to this:

Consequently, blockchain transactions are resistant to alteration because, once recorded, the data in any given block cannot be changed retroactively without altering all subsequent blocks and obtaining network consensus to accept these changes. This protects blockchains against nefarious activities such as creating assets "out of thin air", double-spending, counterfeiting, fraud, and theft. HistorianAtNight (talk) 00:26, 20 December 2024 (UTC)

 Done After I finished I noticed you now have WP:AUTOCONFIRM status so in future you can edit semi-protected articles yourself. Ultraodan (talk) 04:16, 27 December 2024 (UTC)

For future reference, neither WP:INVESTOPEDIA nor beincrypto.com are high quality sources. Grayfell (talk) 20:29, 18 May 2025 (UTC)