A blockchain is a shared, tamper-resistant digital ledger that records transactions across many computers so no single party controls the data.
A blockchain is a distributed digital ledger that records transactions in linked blocks across a network of computers. Each block is cryptographically connected to the previous one, making the history very hard to alter.
Because copies of the ledger are held by many participants, there is no single point of control or failure. This decentralisation is what allows cryptocurrencies to operate without a central bank or administrator.
New transactions are validated by network participants through a consensus mechanism such as proof-of-work or proof-of-stake, then permanently added to the chain.
Beyond cryptocurrency, blockchain technology underpins smart contracts, DeFi, NFTs, and supply-chain tracking. Its core strengths are transparency, security, and resistance to tampering.
When you send Bitcoin, your transaction is broadcast to the network, grouped with others into a block, validated by miners, and then linked to the previous block. Thousands of computers each keep a copy of this chain, so altering a past transaction would require rewriting every later block on most of them.
Each block is cryptographically linked to the one before it, and copies of the ledger are held by many participants. Changing a past record would mean altering every later block on the majority of those copies, which is practically infeasible.
No. While it began with cryptocurrency, blockchain technology also underpins smart contracts, decentralised finance, NFTs and supply-chain tracking. Its transparency and tamper resistance make it useful well beyond digital money.
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