Blockchain : hype or innovation This book focuses on the innovation of blockchain technology and the advantages it offers. It provides a clear and comprehensive overview of blockchain technology and its possibilities and thereby helps readers to form an opinion and draw their own conclusions about its potential exploitations. The book begins with a chapter on the topic of decentralized networks which familiarizes readers with their challenges by using the example of an online trading platform. Hereinafter it is then detailed what blockchain technology is where it comes from and how it works. The necessary underlying technologies are explained and various individual approaches as well as their composition are presented. Using well known examples such as Bitcoin and Ethereum as an illustration the book looks at the architecture of blockchain technology and focuses on the challenges such as security and scalability. The options available when introducing blockchain technology are also outlined and best practice examples are presented to get a better idea of what areas benefit from this technology. Numerous examples and detailed explanations will accompany the readers throughout the book. By the time they have reached the end they will be able to decide for themselves what is truly innovative about blockchain technology and what is nothing more than hype.