Understanding something about Blockchain

source:google image.
Hash; smart contract; ethereum; ICO are terms that you will encounter throughout your journey in the universe “ understanding the blockchain" without forgetting of course by the famous Bitcoin.

So, and for the sake of not losing myself in this "purely technical" universe, I will begin by conveying all that I have been able to grasp about the term Blockchain and I hope not to disappoint you since I am "very new” in cryptocurrecy . The other notions will be dealt with in my next posts.
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The blockchain is defined as a distributed replicated database that allows secure transactions without a central authority.
In this context, the replicated database acts as global ledger tracking all cryptocurrency transactions between participants. A blockchain transaction is not limited to cryptocurrency, but can refer to any change in state of a digital asset defined on top of it.

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Appearing in 2008 with the creation of the Bitcoin, blockchain technology can be compared to a decentralized ledger that lists all transactions.

Transactions between network users are grouped in blocks. Each block is validated by the nodes of the network called "miners", according to techniques that depend on the type of blockchain. In the blockchain of the Bitcoin for example, this technique is called the "Proof-of-Work", and consists in the resolution of algorithmic problems.
Once the block is validated, it is time-stamped and added to the string of blocks. The transaction is then visible to the receiver as well as the entire network.

The blockchain is no longer confined to the mere realization of transactions. It was originally attached to Bitcoin, now it is considered as a technology in its own right to transmit informations in a secure, transparent and without dependence on a central control body.
Blockchain is a protocol, information storage and transmission technology, transparent, secure and operating without central control.

It allows to store data and to manage their encryption and retransmission

In short, it is a large database with the specificity of being public, secure and distributed among its various users.