Blockchain technology, explained plainly

What you will find here

The site treats blockchain technology as a field of engineering. Each subject is explained without assuming prior knowledge. Articles cover the field broadly rather than one system or one use.

The subject areas below are a guide to the scope of the site rather than a reading order. Articles are added to these areas over time, and each article can be read independently.

• Distributed ledgers. A distributed ledger is a record kept as identical copies by several independent participants rather than in one central system. Articles describe how entries are recorded and placed in an agreed order.
• Cryptographic hash functions. A cryptographic hash function converts data of any size into a short value of fixed length that identifies that exact input. Articles show how such a value makes a later change to a stored record easy to detect.
• Consensus mechanisms. A consensus mechanism is the procedure that decides which candidate block the network accepts next. Articles describe the rules that allow separate participants to reach the same result without a central authority.
• Keys and self-custody. A private key is a secret value that authorises transactions from one blockchain address. Articles compare, at the level of concepts, holding a key oneself and leaving it in the care of another party.
• Vocabulary. The field uses words such as block, node, ledger and protocol in a precise sense. Articles define each word in plain English and then use it consistently.

How we write

The four rules below apply to every article. The editorial method and the company that publishes the site are described on the about page of Metaexplorer.

• Every article opens with a summary of what it covers and what it does not cover.
• Every factual claim is checked against a named public document, and that document is identified in the text of the article.
• Every article carries the name of the person responsible for it.
• Nothing on the site is investment, financial, tax or legal advice.

What this site is not

Metaexplorer is independent. BEKTAS DİJİTAL İÇERİK STÜDYOSU ANONİM ŞİRKETİ has no connection, affiliation, endorsement, sponsorship, partnership or agency relationship with any organisation, brand or product mentioned in its articles.

• The site is not a shop, an exchange, a wallet or a custodian.
• The site is not a support channel for any product or service.
• The site is not a source of price data, forecasts or market analysis.
• The site is not an advice service of any kind.
• The site is not a place that asks for personal data.

Reading from Japan

Particular attention is given to readers in Japan who read English as a second language. Sentences are short, and each term is defined once. A settled Japanese term such as ブロックチェーン is given beside the English on first use. The site sets no cookies of its own.