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Mastering Blockchain

You're reading from   Mastering Blockchain Distributed ledger technology, decentralization, and smart contracts explained

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Product type Paperback
Published in Mar 2018
Publisher Packt
ISBN-13 9781788839044
Length 656 pages
Edition 2nd Edition
Languages
Concepts
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Author (1):
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Imran Bashir Imran Bashir
Author Profile Icon Imran Bashir
Imran Bashir
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Toc

Table of Contents (21) Chapters Close

Preface 1. Blockchain 101 FREE CHAPTER 2. Decentralization 3. Symmetric Cryptography 4. Public Key Cryptography 5. Introducing Bitcoin 6. Bitcoin Network and Payments 7. Bitcoin Clients and APIs 8. Alternative Coins 9. Smart Contracts 10. Ethereum 101 11. Further Ethereum 12. Ethereum Development Environment 13. Development Tools and Frameworks 14. Introducing Web3 15. Hyperledger 16. Alternative Blockchains 17. Blockchain – Outside of Currencies 18. Scalability and Other Challenges 19. Current Landscape and What's Next 20. Another Book You May Enjoy

Definition

There is no consensus on a standard definition of smart contracts. It is essential to define what a smart contract is, and the following is my attempt to provide a generalized definition of a smart contract:

A smart contract is a secure and unstoppable computer program representing an agreement that is automatically executable and enforceable.

Dissecting this definition further reveals that a smart contract is, in fact, a computer program that is written in a language that a computer or target machine can understand. Also, it encompasses agreements between parties in the form of business logic. Another fundamental idea is that smart contracts are automatically executed when certain conditions are met. They are enforceable, which means that all contractual terms are executed as defined and expected, even in the presence of adversaries.

Enforcement is a broader term that...

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