Blockchain and NFTs 101

First things First

What is a Blockchain?

Have you used Google Docs?

Blockchain is a Decentralized Ledger

How does that relate to cryptocurrency?

Cryptography is the art of keeping things secure.

Used in Passwords, etc

1

Cryptography

It must be a type of currency that is based on cryptography

2

Cryptocurrency

Rather than the ledger being centralized, transactions are decentralized — there’s no single authority validating everything — and as secure as other encrypted data.

3

Its more than that!

So what exactly is a coin?

What is a token?

What’s the difference between coins and tokens?

Coins - All blockchain protocols have coins that represent value and can be traded.

Tokens - Tokens, are built by individual projects on top of a base blockchain protocol.

Tokens are used to actually do stuff on the blockchain through trading, including executing “smart contracts.”

Transactions

Transaction refers to an action initiated by an externally-owned account, in other words, an account managed by a human, not a contract.

Transactions

Okay, But what is a Smart Contract? 😎

Simple

A Contract which is Smart 😎

A smart contract is a contract that is written into the code of a blockchain and executed automatically when terms are met.

What are dApps?

decentralized

Applications

And what is web3?

Static Websites and Hyperlinks

Web 1

Read

Some centralized powers controlling the internet.

Web2

Write

No centralized identity controlling the internet.

Web3

Own

Consensus Mechanism

Consensus means coming to a general agreement.

Blockchain consensus typically means at least 51% of nodes are in agreement over the current global state of the network

Mining and Proof of Work

Mining is the process of creating a block of transactions to be added to a blockchain.

Proof of Stake

Isn’t an NFT just a shiny JPEG? 🎨

Non

Fungible

Token

Are NFTs just paying for a jpeg?

Can’t I just save a copy?

Not exactly!

The most important feature of NFTs is that they are unique – and the uniqueness is recognized by everyone else on the blockchain.

 

“More precisely,” says Hess, “that means a digital asset that you can own through your online identity within web3.”

Blockchain-101

By akshatsharma0023

Blockchain-101

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