Blockchain and Bitcoin Mining Architectures

This chapter begins with a brief introduction to the concepts associated with blockchain, a public, cryptographically secured ledger recording a sequence of transactions. We continue with an overview of the process of bitcoin mining, which appends transactions to the bitcoin blockchain and rewards those who complete this task with payment in the form of bitcoin. Bitcoin processing requires high-performance computing hardware, which is presented in terms of a current-generation bitcoin mining computer architecture. The chapter concludes with a brief introduction to some cryptocurrency alternatives to bitcoin.

After completing this chapter, you will understand the concepts of blockchain and how this technology is used. You will have learned the steps in the bitcoin mining process and will understand the key features of bitcoin mining computer architectures and the attributes of some currently popular cryptocurrencies.

The following...