Do You Need A Server For Blockchain?

531
FILE PHOTO: A bitcoin representation is seen in an illustration picture taken at La Maison du Bitcoin in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

Blockchain is a medium for storing the shared and trusted ledger – the ledger demonstrates the blockchain network’s history, which is why the network level is essential when considering the blockchain ecosystem. The blockchain leverages different network architectures compared to other web services that are usually used. If you’re interested in Bitcoin, you should be aware of bitcoin hard forks.  These services utilize the client-server architecture.

So, if you have been wondering if the server is needed for a blockchain, it entirely depends on your network architecture. With this article, we are shedding light on which blockchain network uses a server.

Need For Server In Blockchain

The blockchain’s peer-to-peer network utilizes the client-server architecture, and the server works as a single data source. The clients can directly connect to the server to download and upload the application data. For instance, when you use Gmail, the email won’t go directly o the recipient’s inbox. Instead, the email is uploaded to the Gmail servers, and the recipient has to download it from the server to read the email.

The system, as a whole, is pretty simple and effective, but it still depends on a server to work as a trustworthy medium in the process. Since blockchain isn’t big on third-party mediums, it utilizes the peer-to-peer network, with which every node in a network communicates with other nodes.

In most cases, a broadcast system with five peers is used – a message received from one peer is sent to the other four. As a result, the message circulates across the network, and one cannot have complete control over the communications. In addition, the peer-to-peer model depends on the underlying network for support. Also, every peer should have the capacity to connect to other peers.

Components Of Blockchain

Now that we have cleared up, that server is needed in some network infrastructures available on Bitcoin trading software. However, there are various other components of blockchain that you have to consider, such as;

Node

There are two types of nodes in the blockchain: a full node and a partial node. The full node is known to maintain the full copy of every transaction and can reject, validate, or accept the transactions. On the other hand, the partial node is also lightweight, as it cannot maintain the entire copy of the blockchain ledger.

It is responsible for maintaining the hash value of a transaction, and the entire transaction can be accessed through the hash value. The partial node has low computational power and storage.

Ledger

A ledger is a digital database that stores information, and there are three types of ledgers. First, there is a public ledger that’s open and available to everyone – anyone who is a part of the blockchain network can write or read something.

Secondly, there is a distributed ledger where every node has a local database copy, and the group of nodes is responsible for executing the job – it is responsible for adding blocks to the blockchain and verifying the transactions. Lastly, there is a decentralized ledger where no node has central control, and every node is responsible for completing a job.

Wallet

Wallets are digital and allow users to store cryptocurrency. Every node in the blockchain has a wallet, and privacy is maintained with the help of private and public key combinations. With wallets, there is no need to convert the currency because the wallet’s currency is acceptable globally. There are two types of wallets: a cold wallet and a hot wallet.

A hot wallet is used for regular transactions associated with the internet – the hackers will be able to attack the wallet as it’s connected to the internet. There are three types of hot wallets: web wallets, software wallets, and mobile wallets. On the other hand, a cold wallet is safer as it’s not connected to the internet and is protected from hackers. These include hardware and paper wallets.

Nonce

An encrypted or hashed block adds this number to a blockchain. A nonce is a 32-bit number generated once and assists in creating the block or validating the transaction. It’s a great way of securing the transaction.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that some blockchain networks have a server, including a peer-to-peer network. However, it’s not a part of every infrastructure, but nodes, wallets, nonce, and ledgers are the universal components of a blockchain.

Mexico Daily Post