A simple blockchain written from scratch to learn and play
Step 1: Central Server Setup Create a central server that can accept connections from different clients. This is where transactions and blocks will be managed and validated. We can use something like a simple TCP socket to accomplish this.
Step 2: Create Clients Clients will be programs that connect to the central server to send transactions and receive information about the current state of the blockchain.
Step 3: Authentication and Security (Optional) Depending on the complexity you want, you may or may not implement basic authentication between the server and clients.
Step 4: Communication Protocol Define a basic protocol for clients and the server to communicate with each other. This could include messages like "Send Transaction," "Request Blockchain," etc. Messages accepted:
- Adding a new transaction
- Requesting the blockchain
- Synchronizing the blockchain
- Validating the blockchain
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Adding a Transaction: Request from client: ADD_TRANSACTION::::<private_key> Response from server: SUCCESS or ERROR:
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Requesting the Blockchain: Request from client: GET_BLOCKCHAIN Response from server: serialized blockchain data
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Synchronizing the Blockchain: Request from client: SYNC_BLOCKCHAIN:<serialized_data> Response from server: SUCCESS or ERROR:
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Validating the Blockchain: Request from client: VALIDATE_BLOCKCHAIN Response from server: VALID or INVALID
Step 5: Consensus Protocol Implement a simple mechanism for the central server to validate transactions and blocks. This could be as simple as checking signatures and making sure balances are correct.
Step 6: Data Synchronization Ensure that all clients have a consistent view of the blockchain. This could involve sending the full chain or just updates to clients as new blocks are added.
Step 7: User Interface Create a basic interface for users to interact with the client. This could be a simple command-line interface.
Step 8: Testing Perform basic testing to ensure that everything is working as expected.
Let me know where you'd like to start, and we can dive into the technical details of that section. I'm excited to embark on this project with you!