Merkles Trees, Merkle Proofs & Hash functions for blockchains (whiteboard EP1) скачать в хорошем качестве

Merkles Trees, Merkle Proofs & Hash functions for blockchains (whiteboard EP1)

Merkle trees are fundamental to blockchain technology, serving as the cornerstone of transaction verification. At their core, they solve a critical problem: How can you verify your transaction is included in the blockchain without downloading the entire chain? Twitter: gogoDiegoCrypto The Problem With Traditional Verification Imagine you want to verify transaction D in a blockchain. Without Merkle trees, you'd need to: Download the entire blockchain from the first block Search through everything until you find your transaction Verify its inclusion This process is incredibly inefficient and resource-intensive. This is where Merkle trees come in, offering an elegant solution through Merkle proofs. "how do i know if my tx is included?" Understanding Hash Functions: Before diving into Merkle trees, we need to understand hash functions: Takes arbitrary-sized input data Outputs a fixed-size string (hash) Most famous: SHA-256 (outputs 64 characters) Key Properties of Hash Functions: Deterministic: Same input always produces the same output Irreversible: Can't reverse-engineer the original data from the hash Avalanche Effect: Small input changes create completely different hashes For example: Using SHA-256 Input "1" → unique hash Input "2" → completely different hash Even changing one digit in 100,000 digits of pi creates a totally different hash (instead of just 1 digit of that changing) Merkle Trees: Structure and Function A Merkle tree is structured as follows: Bottom Layer: Leaf nodes (transaction data hashes) Middle Layers: Branch nodes (combined hashes) Top: Single Merkle root The Building Process: Hash each transaction (A through H) to create leaf nodes Combine pairs of hashes (AB, CD, EF, GH) Hash these combinations Continue until reaching a single root hash Verifiability Through Cascading Changes What makes Merkle trees secure: Modifying any transaction changes its hash Changed hash affects all parent hashes Changes cascade up to the root Can't modify a transaction without changing the root hash For example: Changing transaction A to K creates a new hash New hash combines with B's hash Creates different branch hash Process continues until root Final root hash doesn't match original Real-World Applications Merkle trees, despite being slow are crucial in: Blockchain transaction verification Bridging protocols like Inter-blockchain Communication (IBC) light client proofs Proof of transaction inclusion showing how 2 blockchains can use merkle proofs to with light clients prove transaction inclusion The technology's battle-tested nature makes it a reliable choice for critical blockchain infrastructure, particularly in cross-chain communication and verification systems. This combination of mathematically robust hash functions and tree-like data structures creates a powerful system for verifying data integrity without requiring complete data downloads, making it an essential component of modern blockchain architecture.