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by zaarn 2856 days ago
You don't need decentralization for a blockchain.

All you need is 1) a reverse linked list of entries and 2) have the list be cryptographic in nature. Even git can be used for a blockchain since it uses a cryptographic hash for commits and can use GPG signing.

Validation, consensus and decentralizations are additional properties that you can add on top that make it useful for certain use cases.
2 comments
bittcto 2856 days ago
Because the term was coined by Nakamoto to describe the technology behind bitcoin. Decentralization, proof of work and other characteristics of bitcoin are intrinsic to making the system work. Otherwise you have an inefficient database that has no reason to exist.

This is one of the problems with the generic use of “blockchain”. People think you just need Merkle roots including previous blocks, like you do, but that’s useless and pointless without the rest.

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zaarn 2856 days ago
>Otherwise you have an inefficient database that has no reason to exist.

That doesn't mean it isn't a blockchain. A inefficient or poor implementation of something is still an implementation of that thing.

>People think you just need Merkle roots including previous blocks, like you do, but that’s useless and pointless without the rest.

I'm well aware of the additional properties required to get it to behave like bitcoin or have cryptographic safety. But those are to my knowledge not a must-have for a blockchain nor defining characteristics.

As the name implies, it's a chain of blocks, the less obvious part is you link them with something cryptographic.

And just because Blockchain was first used and defined in Bitcoin doesn't mean the definition or methodology cannot be separated from Bitcoin, in fact, I consider it heavily separated from Bitcoin by now.

And again, just because they are factors in making Bitcoin work doesn't mean you need them to make a Blockchain.

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joshuamorton 2856 days ago
Except that's a merkle tree. Which we already have a word for. Git isn't a blockchain, but it is a merkle tree. Blockchains are merkle trees, but the reverse isn't true.

A reasonable definition might be that a blockchain is a decentralized merkle tree.

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