TECHNOLOGIES

Blockchain

A shared, append-only ledger that a network of computers agrees on without a central operator. Nobody can quietly edit the history.

Last reviewed: 2026-06-02 byKevin Riedl wiki β†—

A blockchain is a database with two unusual properties. First, it is append-only: you can add records but you cannot rewrite the ones already there without every participant noticing. Second, no single party controls it. A network of nodes runs the same software and agrees on the next block through a consensus mechanism (proof-of-work, proof-of-stake, or a permissioned variant). The result is a ledger multiple parties can trust without trusting each other.

There are two broad kinds. A public blockchain (Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana) is open: anyone can read it, run a node, or transact. A private or permissioned blockchain restricts who participates, which usually means you have rebuilt a slower, more complex version of a normal database with extra steps. If one company controls all the nodes, you do not have a blockchain advantage, you have a distributed system you now have to operate.

The honest stance: most projects pitched as needing a blockchain do not. A blockchain earns its complexity only when you need assets that survive the operator’s bankruptcy, shared state between parties who do not trust each other, or permissionless composability. Everything else is a database. We have shipped real blockchain systems and we have talked clients out of more than we built. Our blockchain work starts with whether you need one at all.

// FAQ

FAQs

FAQs

A shared ledger that many computers keep a copy of and agree on through consensus, so no single party can rewrite history. It trades speed and simplicity for the ability to operate without a trusted central authority.
Public chains give you censorship-resistance and permissionless access at the cost of fees and transparency. Private chains drop those benefits and usually end up as a slower database. If one entity controls the nodes, a normal database is almost always the better engineering choice.
Three tests: must assets survive the company’s bankruptcy, do untrusted parties need shared state without a central operator, do you need permissionless composability? If none apply, you need a database, not a blockchain.