Blockchain & What does Blockchain mean?

Blockchain is a decentralized digital ledger (a continuously growing list of electronic records) of transactions kept over time and secured using cryptography (a kind of algorithmic code). Blockchain ledger data is distributed across a network of computers. Its users can directly interact with stored data in real-time without the need for an intermediary (a “middle-man” or distributor) to authenticate transactions. The technology provides an independent, tamper-resistant, and transparent platform for parties within the blockchain to securely store, transmit, and process sensitive information.

““One way to think about the blockchain is like layers in a geological formation or glacier core sample. The surface layers might change with the seasons, or even be blown away before they have time to settle. But once you go a few inches deep, geological layers become more and more stable. By the time you look a few hundred feet down, you are looking at a snapshot of the past that has remained undisturbed for millions of years. In the blockchain, the most recent few blocks might be revised if there is a chain recalculation due to a fork. The top six blocks are like a few inches of topsoil. But once you go more deeply into the blockchain, beyond six blocks, blocks are less and less likely to change. After 100 blocks back there is so much stability that the coinbase transaction—the transaction containing newly mined bitcoins—can be spent. A few thousand blocks back (a month) and the blockchain is settled history. It will never change.””

ANDREAS ANTONOPULOS – MASTERING BITCOIN