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Knowledge mapUnderstand the layers of blockchainIndustry concepts and standards

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← Blockchain and shared state

Learning path

Understand the layers of blockchain

From shared state and consensus to chains, OCAP and DIDs.

Start with what participants agree on, then compare how systems achieve it. Afterwards, separate an application into identification, data access, execution, consensus and interface responsibilities. Each question stands alone; you need not finish the path in one sitting.

Along this path

  1. What does a blockchain let participants agree on?

    Two requests can be signed correctly and still conflict. Their order matters.

  2. Why is consensus more than PoW or PoS?

    Participation, fork choice and confirmation need separate answers.

  3. What does proof of work prove?

    A cheap-to-check result reflects a costly search.

  4. How does Bitcoin prevent an output being spent twice?

    Understand UTXOs, independent validation and accumulated work.

  5. How does proof of stake organize validation?

    Stake and protocol duties are different from identity authentication.

  6. How does Ethereum change shared state?

    Separate execution rules from consensus.

  7. What does Byzantine fault tolerance tolerate?

    Faults can include conflicting messages, not just silence.

  8. Why does “immutable” need conditions?

    Receiving a transaction, including it in a block and finalizing history provide different evidence.

  9. How do Solana programs and accounts divide the work?

    Understand a chain through data and execution.

  10. How does Proof of History differ from consensus?

    Ordering evidence and acceptance of history are related but distinct.

  11. Circle Arc: a blockchain for stablecoin applications

    Understand the network, then distinguish it from ArcBlock ARC.

  12. Which layer does OCAP unify?

    Unified chain access does not merge chains.

  13. How does ArcBlock Chain differ from ARC?

    Separate shared on-chain records from application execution.

  14. Must a DID depend on a blockchain?

    Identifiers and verifiable registries can combine without being synonyms.

  15. What is a smart contract?

    Code and state executed under a blockchain’s rules.

  16. Are dApps and Blocklets the same thing?

    Separate decentralization properties from application packaging and execution.

  17. How do crypto payments fit an application?

    Map network transaction state to an order without conflating them.

  18. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Circle Arc, Base and ArcBlock

    Compare state, execution and application responsibilities.

Referenced here

Terms

  • Blockchain

    A distributed ledger that links records cryptographically and uses shared validation and consensus rules to establish an accepted transaction history.