Get the weekly summary of crypto market analysis, news, and forecasts! This Week’s Summary The Crypto Market ends the week at a total market capitalization of $1,071 trillion. Bitcoin is up by over 3% after a successful week. Ethereum decreased by almost 2% over the past seven days. XRP gained nearly 2% in value this week. Almost all altcoins are trading in the green, with very few exceptions. The DeFi sector decreased the total value of protocols (TVL) to around…
What Is a Blockchain Hash?
A blockchain hash is a unique digital fingerprint or code created by a mathematical algorithm to identify and verify transactions on a blockchain network. The hash is generated by taking the data of a transaction, running it through the algorithm, and producing a fixed-length output. This output, known as the hash, is unique to the specific transaction and cannot be replicated or altered without detection.
The process of creating a blockchain hash is known as hashing. The algorithm used to create the hash is called a hash function. The blockchain’s most commonly used hash function is SHA-256 (Secure Hash Algorithm 256-bit).
When a transaction is added to a blockchain network, it is grouped with other transactions into a block. Each block is then hashed, creating a unique hash for that block. This hash is then added to the next block, creating a chain of hashes that links all the blocks together. This chain of hashes is what makes a blockchain secure and tamper-proof.
Because each block’s hash depends on the previous block’s hash, any attempt to alter a previous block would cause the entire chain of hashes to change and be detected. This ensures that the data on the blockchain is accurate and cannot be tampered with.
How Does It Work?
Here is a practical example of how a blockchain hash works:
Imagine Alice wants to send 1 BTC (Bitcoin) to Bob. So she creates a transaction on the Bitcoin network that includes her address, Bob’s address, and the amount of 1 BTC. This transaction is then grouped with other transactions into a block.
The block is then hashed using the SHA-256 algorithm. The algorithm’s output is a unique code known as the block hash. This block hash is then added to the next block in the chain, creating a chain of hashes that links all the blocks together.
Once the transaction is added to the blockchain, it cannot be altered or deleted without detection. This is because any alteration to the transaction would change the block hash, and thus the entire chain of hashes would be affected.
For example, if someone were to try to change the amount of the transaction from 1 BTC to 2 BTC, the new block hash would be different from the original block hash, and the alteration would be detected and rejected by the network.
As a result, the transaction is verified, and Bob receives 1 BTC from Alice. In addition, the Blockchain Hash proves that the transaction happened and can’t be altered.
In this way, the blockchain hash ensures the integrity and security of the transaction on the blockchain network.
In Summary
A blockchain hash is a unique code created by a mathematical algorithm to identify and verify transactions on a blockchain network. It is a critical component of the security and integrity of a blockchain network.