Explore

Blockchain fundamentals

Blockchain functions

Consensus Protocol

Bitcoin

Bitcoin Mechanism

Bitcoin transaction Inputs and Outputs

Blockchain philosophy

Blockchain in practice

Bitcoin transaction

Stories of Web3 - by the people who build it

Blockchain governance

Blockchain transactions

Crypto regulation

Bitcoin keys and addresses

Bitcoin wallets

Bitcoin consensus and mining

Bitcoin network

Bitcoin blockchain

Bitcoin private keys

Bitcoin public key

Bitcoin address

On the importance of decentralization

Blockchain ideological basis

Blockhain ecosystem

Mining

Mining and ecology

What is money

History of the Gold Standard

Wallets

Exchanges

Oracles

Smart contract platforms

Ethereum

Cryptocurrencies

Stablecoins

Ethereum design

Blockchain use cases

Tokenization: easy creation and transfer of values

Blockchain in finance

How Bitcoin works

Austrian economic school

Bitcoin governance

Proof of Work

Proof of Stake

Bitcoin security and double spending

Bitcoin block structure

Bitcoin forks

Merkle Tree

Smart contracts

Tokens

DeFi

Bitcoin mining and ecology

Blockchain underlying technologies

Bitcoin Whitepaper by Satoshi Nakamoto

BUILD/ blockchain infrastructure

CREATE / NFTs, metaverse and gaming

INSTRUCT/ crypto knowledge

ADVOCATE / crypto regulation

Web3

Web3 Music

Web3 Fashion

Top 5 DeFi protocols to illustrate the space

Dynamic information source on all things blockchain: Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, Dapps, real life use cases, crypto ecosystem, technical details, crypto regulation and more.

D.Center – All things Blockchain

Start your crypto journey by hitting the Explore button!

Bitcoinnn

Blockchain in use

Philosophy behind blockchain

Underlying technologies

Blockchain trilemma

Blockchain and DLT types

Bitcoin mechanism

Bitcoin Transaction

Bitcoin transaction inputs and outputs

Bitcoin implementations

Script

UTXO

Mainchain functions

Transaction inputs

Sidechain solutions

Cryptography

Transaction Fees

Keys and addresses

Private key

Public key

Adress

<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://web.d.center/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/explore-l-1024x402.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1255"/></figure>



Blockchain is a recent invention. It is still in early stages of its development, and yet a burgeoning new blockchain-related industry is already emerging. Improving the technology, finding new use cases, developing the ecosystem… and of course looking to change the world are some of these new endeavors.



This section is dedicated to exploring different facets of the blockchain and bringing answers to an array of questions one might have - from “Why do we need it” to “How does it work” or “What is it used for”. The structure of Explore descending from general concepts to specific notions, you are welcome to choose your own path according to your interests and go down the rabbit hole. 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://web.d.center/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Explore-1.svg" alt="" class="wp-image-1388"/></figure></div>



<h2><a href="https://d.center/explore/blockchain-philosophy" class="ek-link">Blockchain philosophy</a></h2>



Why are crypto enthusiasts so enthusiastic? Blockchain is not a trivial technology, but the one that has a potential to change the very way our societies operate. Every organization and every community rely on trusted third parties, responsible for storing and managing data, with all the related risks . Replacing these trusted third parties with a decentralized data handling mechanism would eliminate much of the system’s deficiencies, and that’s exactly what blockchain does. 



<h2><a href="https://d.center/explore/bitcoin" class="ek-link">Bitcoin</a></h2>



The very first implementation of the blockchain, Bitcoin was created to solve the deficiencies of the monetary system and replace the so-called fiat money (dependent on Central Banks) with cryptocurrency, a completely independent alternative that runs on a decentralized peer-to-peer network.&nbsp; 



<h2><a href="https://d.center/explore/blockchain-fundamentals" class="ek-link">Blockchain fundamentals</a></h2>



A blockchain is a collection of technologies and methods that allow gathering data into a ledger, which is stored and updated by the network’s participants (which anyone can become). Data handling is its main role, although it also allows embedding more complex programs and running them in a decentralized way.&nbsp; 



<h2><a href="https://d.center/explore/blockchain-in-practice" class="ek-link">Blockchain in practice</a></h2>



Most blockchain encounters today are about cryptocurrencies - Bitcoin and many others that have appeared since. However the understanding of the technology becoming increasingly subtle, other blockchain real-world use cases appear, notably with the development of decentralized applications, or Dapps. A developed ecosystem makes these functionalities readily available and opens up previously restricted-access industries, such as finance.&nbsp;&nbsp; 



<h2><a href="https://d.center/explore/crypto-regulation" class="ek-link">Crypto regulation</a></h2>



Blockchain and its products are becoming an increasingly important part of our lives and our economies, which inevitably attracts the regulators’ attention. This is not a bad thing, though, for the right laws can support the technology and protect its users against related scams. Depending on a country however the attitude varies greatly, from progressive to autocratic. 



<h2>Beginner’s path </h2>



If you do not yet have a clear idea of what it is you would like to explore, let us suggest you a suite of 8 articles that will smoothly introduce you to the world of cryptoassets and Bitcoin in particular: it will help you to understand what it is used for, how it works and some necessary tools allowing to buy some of it.



<a href="https://d.center/explore/blockchain-philosophy" class="ek-link">Blockchain philosophy</a>



<a href="https://d.center/explore/bitcoin" class="ek-link">Bitcoin</a>



<a href="https://d.center/explore/how-does-bitcoin-work" class="ek-link">How does Bitcoin work</a>



<a href="https://d.center/explore/bitcoin-mechanism " class="ek-link">Bitcoin mechanism</a>



<a href="https://d.center/explore/blockchain-in-practice" class="ek-link">Blockchain in practice</a>



<a href="https://d.center/explore/blockhain-ecosystem" class="ek-link">Blockchain ecosystem</a>



<a href="https://d.center/explore/crypto-wallets" class="ek-link">Crypto wallets</a>



<a href="https://d.center/explore/crypto-exchanges " class="ek-link">Crypto exchanges</a>

<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://web.d.center/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/blockchain-fundamentals-l-1024x402.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1257"/></figure>



Blockchain is a tool that allowed for the first time ever to organize and store information in a decentralized way. 



Rather than be managed by a third party, the data in a blockchain is distributed across numerous independent computers - network nodes that run the [tooltip content=" set of rules or procedures that govern the transfer of data between devices"] blockchain protocol [/tooltip]. This constantly updated data composes the so-called distributed ledger - the history of all transactions that have ever taken place on a particular network. The ledger, as well as the rules that determine transaction processing, are stored within network participants’ computers, making sure that neither the ledger, nor the rules cannot be changed centrally. 



Such unique structure allows, also for the first time, to transfer digital assets from one owner to another in a decentralized fashion and without creating copies of the asset along the way. 



It is called a blockchain because ledger updates (or transactions) are combined in a data structure called a block. Each block is timestamped and cryptographically bound to its predecessor, thus creating an immutable chain of blocks.&nbsp;



<h2><a href="https://d.center/explore/blockchain-underlying-technologies" class="ek-link">Underlying technologies</a></h2>



 Blockchain functioning relies on a set of concepts and technologies from different domains, notably mathematics (such as algorithm complexity, one-way functions, elliptic curves and discrete logarithm problem), cryptography (asymmetric cryptography, digital signatures, cryptographic hash functions, digital linked time stamping and zero-knowledge proofs) and distributed computing (P2P). 



<h2><a href="https://d.center/explore/consensus-protocol" class="ek-link">Consensus</a></h2>



New transactions, i.e. ledger updates, are gathered in blocks and added to the blockchain according to a mechanism called consensus (meaning that all network nodes agree with these updates). Network nodes who add new blocks to the blockchain are remunerated in newly created coins and/or transaction fees as an incentive to keep the blockchain going.



<h2><a href="https://d.center/explore/blockchain-functions" class="ek-link">Blockchain functions&nbsp;</a></h2>



The main role of a blockchain is to serve as a transactions recording ledger. Bitcoin blockchain was the first blockchain ever and it is a public record of Bitcoin transactions in a chronological order. Over time, however, more and more applications appeared, allowing the execution of more complex conditions directly on the blockchain via smart contracts, for example by issuing additional cryptoassets other than the native coins - tokens.



<h2><a href="https://d.center/explore/blockchain-governance" class="ek-link">Blockchain governance</a></h2>



Blockchain is a new and constantly evolving technology, therefore it has to deal with constant upgrades and mutations. The way these upgrades are agreed upon by the network nodes, users and the larger cryptocurrency community is called the governance. It plays an important role in blockchain's vitality and often sparkles fervent debates.

<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://web.d.center/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Blockchain-governance-1024x429.png" alt="" class="wp-image-1485"/></figure>



If blockchain is decentralized, who decides on the updates to its protocol?



 Blockchain governance can be defined as the process by which its protocol can be modified.&nbsp; Usually the blockchain governance includes all the community members, such as:



<ul><li>Nodes in charge of verifying transactions</li><li>Miners (for <a href="https://d.center/explore/proof-of-work" class="ek-link">PoW </a>consensus-base networks) or validators who add new blocks to the blockchain</li><li>Core developers responsible for implementing protocol updates</li><li>Users who initiate transactions on a blockchain&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://d.center/explore/crypto-exchanges" class="ek-link">Exchanges </a>that list a blockchain’s cryptoasset...</li></ul>



Blockchains are 
 open source 
 accessible to everyone 
 and transparent by principle, and any person can submit a protocol update proposal. Usually core developers check if it makes sense and submit it to community review.&nbsp;



From this step governance models can differ greatly from blockchain to another, notably depending on whether it is 
 off-chain 
 that happens outside the blockchain 
 or 
 on-chain 
 that happens on the blockchain 
 .



<h2>Off-chain governance</h2>



The so-called off-chain governance models work through discussions between all community members. It can be forums, core developers meetings, social networks... major updates arouse great interest and participation. The process can however be quite lengthy and chaotic. After an update has been implemented into software, there still can be divergent opinions and nodes or miners can just continue using the old version.&nbsp;



If the new and the old versions are compatible, the blockchain is said to have had a soft fork, and anyone can choose the version they are working with.&nbsp;



If, however, the update is not compatible with the old version, all nodes have to start running the new version at a certain point in time. Those who wish to continue implementing old rules will find themselves isolated from the rest and will be de facto working on another blockchain - the situation called hard fork.&nbsp;



It can happen that an update isn’t adopted by the network’s majority, but a minority is willing to use it - it will also be a hard fork. In any case, a hard fork leads to the creation of a new blockchain, whether it is because of the opposition of a part of the network (like Ethereum Classic forked from <a href="https://d.center/explore/ethereum" class="ek-link">Ethereum</a>), or as an intention to create a new blockchain using the basis of an existing one (like Litecoin, a hard fork of <a href="https://d.center/explore/bitcoin" class="ek-link">Bitcoin</a>). Many 
 altcoins 
 cryptoassets other than Bitcoin 
 were born thanks to a hard fork and off-chain governance is still the most common form of blockchain governance. 



<h2>On-chain governance</h2>



On-chain governance relies on voting rules inscribed into the protocol. Usually voting right is proportional to the voter’s stake in the blockchain (amount of native cryptocurrency they own), with additional rules designed to incentivize voters to take an active and positive part in the bockchain’s evolution. Updates are thus voted on-chain and the risk of a hard fork is minimal. This model, however, is more prone to concentration of power (big stakeholders) and can be seen as contrary to decentralization principles.&nbsp;



The blockchains using on-chain governance include Decred, Tezos and EOS.