What is Blockchain and how is software development related to it?
Tags: blockchain, devops, beginners, programming
Published: 2021-11-17 20:56:23

Probably at some point, you have heard the term blockchain, and regardless of whether or not you are familiar with the IT world, sooner or later it will be integrated into your life since it means a change in the way of understanding the digital world.

**Blockchain was born from the bitcoin revolution as the coding system** or the technology that supports the entire structure of the virtual currency, and thanks to the great potential that has been identified in this system, other applications have been developed in addition to the financial one, which we will talk about later.

In simple words, blockchain is a distributed and secure database where all types of transactions can be applied. The great difference between the blockchain with any other type of codification is its operation.

Explained briefly: the first thing is to be clear that this system is made up of the following elements:

-Blocks containing information.
-Records (the information).
-Linkage or hash, which joins the blocks with the next.
-Timestamp.
-Transaction, which is the value of block mining that allows the -verification of information.

In short, Blockchain works as a **sophisticated system where information transfers are made without the need for a centralized intermediary,** but are distributed in multiple nodes creating chains that are independent of each other, which register and validate the information.

The certification of the information is the validation of all the nodes and of which the records will be verified and later, secured. In this process, called mining, when two blocks have the same previous block, the first one that the majority of the network decrypts wins.

**Why is it safe?**

The security of this system is that **once the information is inside, it cannot be deleted,** and it can only be added and legitimized if the majority of the multiple nodes (which are anonymous) agree to do so. In other words, having the data on different computers guarantees that even if the network went down, and that with only one of many nodes, it did not, the information would remain intact.

**Blockchain Applications**

The financial application of Blockchain is not the only possibility in this technology, let's see some examples of some of the commercial, political, business, or other forms in which it can be applied:

-Certification of contracts, patents, company documents, and even wills.
-Property registration.
-Cloud storage.
-Validation of digital identities.
-Transparency of public and government services.
-Traceability of donations and resources.
-Voting systems and greater democracy.
-Software development and Blockchain.

Thanks to the improved security and quality provided by Blockchain, it is used to cross data in peer-to-peer networks, so the creation of blockchain-oriented software systems has increased strongly.

The characteristics that guarantee data security are
Data replication: each node has a code that is stored and replicated in thousands of systems.

**Transaction recording:** a consensus algorithm records transactions sequentially.
**Verifications:** before each validation, all transaction data is verified.
**Cryptography.**
**BOS engineering** the base operating system.

**Blockchain and the figure of the software developer**

One of the most in-demand positions within the software development industry is the Blockchain developer, and it is probably also one of the reasons why you have reached this part of the article. However, any software developer can be a Blockchain developer because this is a skill that we must study as professionals; in fact, most of the blockchain professionals were programmers, who later specialized in Blockchain with courses.

The main requirements for most jobs in the area are to be an expert in C++, Java, JavaScript, and Python, several years of experience in software development, training in computer science, experience in developing smart contracts, and with cryptocurrencies.

**Some of the leading positions in the industry are:**

-Smart contract engineer, someone who makes agreements in the form of computer codes).
-Back-end or core blockchain developer, responsible for creating the blockchain structure.
-Decentralized app developers, creators of apps that avoid having a single network, but build the app stored in different nodes of the network

Having knowledge, experiences, and interest in software development puts us in a leading position to enter the Blockchain, therefore we must embrace all the opportunities that this technology brings to our sector, as it is increasingly popular.

On the other hand, our data is the most valuable asset that exists in the world, so it is not surprising when companies, governments, and people play with it and take advantage of it unjustifiably. 

Blockchain allows the security and veracity of the information since it does not allow the exchange of interests and opacities are removed within its operation, but it is an anonymous and purely technological system.

**Are you interested in developing for this type of tech area? What are some of your favorite resources to learn about this topic?**

Let your answers in the comments or tweet me your thoughts through **@BarnuevoLeo.** You can also find me on LinkedIn as **Leo J. Barnuevo.**