An in-depth guide by BlockGeeks
由BlockGeeks制作的深入指导
原文链接：https://blockgeeks.com/guides/what-is-blockchain-technology/
翻译：区块链中文字幕组 - 张奎
翻译时间：2017-11-20
The blockchain is an undeniably ingenious invention – the brainchild of a person or group of people known by the pseudonym, Satoshi Nakamoto. But since then, it has evolved into something greater, and the main question every single person is asking is: What is Blockchain?
区块链是一个无可否认的巧妙发明--一个化名Satoshi Nakamoto的人或组织的心血结晶。但是从那时起，它已经演变成更大的东西了，每个人都会问的问题是：什么是区块链？
By allowing digital information to be distributed but not copied, blockchain technology created the backbone of a new type of internet. Originally devised for the digital currency, Bitcoin, the tech community is now finding other potential uses for the technology.
通过允许数字信息分发而不被复制，区块链技术创造了一种新型互联网的支柱。比特币最初是为数字货币而设计的，现在科技界正在寻找这项技术的其他潜在用途。
Bitcoin has been called “digital gold,” and for a good reason. To date, the total value of the currency is close to $9 billion US. And blockchains can make other types of digital value. Like the internet (or your car), you don’t need to know how the blockchain works to use it. However, having a basic knowledge of this new technology shows why it’s considered revolutionary. So, we hope you enjoy this, what is Blockchain guide.
比特币被称为“数字黄金”，并有一个很好的理由。迄今为止，该货币的市值接近90亿美元。区块链可以创造其他类型的数字价值。就像互联网（或你的车）一样，你不必知道区块链的工作原理就可以使用他。但是，掌握这项新技术的基本知识会理解为什么它被认为是革命性的。所以，我们希望你喜欢这个区块链指南。
“The blockchain is an incorruptible digital ledger of economic transactions that can be programmed to record not just financial transactions but virtually everything of value.” Don & Alex Tapscott, authors Blockchain Revolution (2016)
“区块链是经济交易中不可篡改的数字账本，不仅可以被编程为记录金融交易，还可以记录任何有价值的东西。” Don＆Alex Tapscott，《区块链革命》（2016）的作者。
Picture a spreadsheet that is duplicated thousands of times across a network of computers. Then imagine that this network is designed to regularly update this spreadsheet and you have a basic understanding of the blockchain.
想象一下一个通过计算机网络被传播，并重复存储数千次的电子表格。这个网络的目的是定期更新这个电子表格，这样你对区块链就有一个基本的了解。
Information held on a blockchain exists as a shared — and continually reconciled — database. This is a way of using the network that has obvious benefits. The blockchain database isn’t stored in any single location, meaning the records it keeps are truly public and easily verifiable. No centralized version of this information exists for a hacker to corrupt. Hosted by millions of computers simultaneously, its data is accessible to anyone on the internet.
在区块链上保存的信息是保存在一个共享的、持续保持一致的数据库中。这样使用网络具有明显优点。区块链数据库不是存储在任何单节点，这意味着它保存的记录是真正公开并且容易验证的。这些信息不存在一个中心版本可让黑客破坏。数百万台计算机同时托管这些数据，互联网上的任何人都可以访问这些数据。
To go in deeper with the Google spreadsheet analogy, I would like you to read this piece from a blockchain specialist.
我们用Google电子表格做类比来深入了解区块链，我希望您能阅读这篇区块链专家的文章。
“The traditional way of sharing documents with collaboration is to send a Microsoft Word document to another recipient, and ask them to make revisions to it. The problem with that scenario is that you need to wait until receiving a return copy before you can see or make other changes because you are locked out of editing it until the other person is done with it. That’s how databases work today. Two owners can’t be messing with the same record at once.That’s how banks maintain money balances and transfers; they briefly lock access (or decrease the balance) while they make a transfer, then update the other side, then re-open access (or update again).With Google Docs (or Google Sheets), both parties have access to the same document at the same time, and the single version of that document is always visible to both of them. It is like a shared ledger, but it is a shared document. The distributed part comes into play when sharing involves a number of people.
“传统的同合作伙伴分享文档的方式是将微软的Word文档发送给对方，然后让对方进行修改。这种情况下的问题是，您需要等到收到对方修改的文件副本，才能看到修改内容或做出其他更改，因为在其他人完成之前，您已被锁定，无法编辑它。这就是当今数据库工作的方式。两个所有者不能同时修改同一个记录。这就是银行如何维持货币余额和转账;他们在进行转账时暂时锁定访问权限（或减少余额），然后更新对方，然后重新打开访问权限（或再次更新）。使用Google文档（或Google表格），双方都可以访问相同的文档同时，该文档的单一版本始终对它们都是可见的。它就像一个共享账本，但它是一个共享文档。当分享涉及许多人时，分布式部分就会起作用。
Imagine the number of legal documents that should be used that way. Instead of passing them to each other, losing track of versions, and not being in sync with the other version, why can’t all business documents become shared instead of transferred back and forth? So many types of legal contracts would be ideal for that kind of workflow.You don’t need a blockchain to share documents, but the shared documents analogy is a powerful one.”
想象大量的法律文档应该通过这种方式使用。将文件传输给其他人，丢失版本的跟踪，与其他版本不同步，为什么商业文档不能被共享，而不是传来传去？这种工作流程适合很多都法律合约。你不需要通过区块链来共享文档，但共享文档类比是一个不错的方法。
William Mougayar, Venture advisor, 4x entrepreneur, marketer, strategist and blockchain specialist
William Mougayar，创业顾问，4x企业家，市场营销人员，策略师和区块链专家。
Blockchain technology is like the internet in that it has a built-in robustness. By storing blocks of information that are identical across its network, the blockchain cannot:
区块链技术向互联网一样有着内在的健壮性。通过它的网络存储区块信息，区块链不能：
1.Be controlled by any single entity.
1.被单个实体组织控制。
2.Has no single point of failure.
2.没有单点故障。
Bitcoin was invented in 2008. Since that time, the Bitcoin blockchain has operated without significant disruption. (To date, any of problems associated with Bitcoin have been due to hacking or mismanagement. In other words, these problems come from bad intention and human error, not flaws in the underlying concepts.)
比特币在2008年被发明。自从那时起，比特币区块链没有中断运行。（至今为止，比特币发生的任何问题都是因为黑客攻击或者管理不善造成。换句话说，这些问题都是由于恶意攻击或者人为错误造成，而不是概念上的缺陷。）
The internet itself has proven to be durable for almost 30 years. It’s a track record that bodes well for blockchain technology as it continues to be developed.
互联网本身持续运行了30年。这是一个有利于区块链技术持续发展的良好记录。
“As revolutionary as it sounds, Blockchain truly is a mechanism to bring everyone to the highest degree of accountability. No more missed transactions, human or machine errors, or even an exchange that was not done with the consent of the parties involved. Above anything else, the most critical area where Blockchain helps is to guarantee the validity of a transaction by recording it not only on a main register but a connected distributed system of registers, all of which are connected through a secure validation mechanism.”
“作为一个革命性的发明，区块链提供一个机制让每个人获得最大程度的责任。不再有丢失的转账，人或机器错误，甚至是没有参与方同意的交换。区块链最重要的是保证一个交易不仅仅被记录在一个主账簿上，而且还记录在互相链接的分布式帐簿里，这些账簿通过一个安全验证的机制来连接。”
– Ian Khan, TEDx Speaker | Author | Technology Futurist
- Ian Khan，TEDx演讲者，作家，未来学家
The blockchain network lives in a state of consensus, one that automatically checks in with itself every ten minutes. A kind of self-auditing ecosystem of a digital value, the network reconciles every transaction that happens in ten-minute intervals. Each group of these transactions is referred to as a “block”. Two important properties result from this:
区块链网络每10分钟会进行自检，使得其一直保持一致的状态。作为一种具有自审查机制的数字货币生态，这个网络会核对10分钟内发生的每笔交易。
1、Transparency data is embedded within the network as a whole, by definition it is public.
1、透明 网络中的数据是一个公开的整体。
2、It cannot be corrupted altering any unit of information on the blockchain would mean using a huge amount of computing power to override the entire network.
2、不能被篡改 修改任何一个节点的信息都意味着需要巨大的算力来重写整个网络。
In theory, this could be possible. In practice, it’s unlikely to happen. Taking control of the system to capture Bitcoins, for instance, would also have the effect of destroying their value.
理论上是可行的。但是实际上，不可能发生。控制这个系统来获取比特币，实际上会损害其价值。
“Blockchain solves the problem of manipulation. When I speak about it in the West, people say they trust Google, Facebook, or their banks. But the rest of the world doesn’t trust organizations and corporations that much — I mean Africa, India, the Eastern Europe, or Russia. It’s not about the places where people are really rich. Blockchain’s opportunities are the highest in the countries that haven’t reached that level yet.”
Vitalik Buterin, inventor of Ethereum
“区块链解决了篡改的问题。当我在西方演讲时，人们说他们相信谷歌，脸书或者他们的银行。但是实际上其他地方的人们并不相信公司和机构--例如非洲，印度，东欧以及俄罗斯。这和这个地区的人们是否富裕无关。在这些还没有达到那个层次的国家里，区块链存在这巨大的机会。”
Vitalik Buterin,以太坊发明者
A network of so-called computing “nodes” make up the blockchain.
所谓的计算节点网络构造了区块链。
Node (computer connected to the blockchain network using a client that performs the task of validating and relaying transactions) gets a copy of the blockchain, which gets downloaded automatically upon joining the blockchain network.
节点（连接在区块链网络中的计算机使用一个客户端运行验证和分发交易的任务）保留一个区块链的副本，在这个节点加入区块链网络时会自动的下载下来。
Together they create a powerful second-level network, a wholly different vision for how the internet can function.
他们一起创造了一个强大的与互联网完全不同的二级网络。
Every node is an “administrator” of the blockchain, and joins the network voluntarily (in this sense, the network is decentralized). However, each one has an incentive for participating in the network: the chance of winning Bitcoins.
每个节点都是区块链的“管理者”，并且自愿的加入网络（因此，这个网络是去中心化的）。然而，每个人都有加入这个网络的动机：获取比特币的机会。
Nodes are said to be “mining” Bitcoin, but the term is something of a misnomer. In fact, each one is competing to win Bitcoins by solving computational puzzles. Bitcoin was the raison d’etre of the blockchain as it was originally conceived. It’s now recognized to be only the first of many potential applications of the technology.
节点被称作“挖矿”，但这种说法并不准确。事实上，每个节点都在通过解决一个计算谜题的竞争来赢得比特币。比特币就像这个区块链最初构想的那样。现在已经认识到，这只是众多潜在用途中的第一个应用。
There are an estimated 700 Bitcoin-like cryptocurrencies (exchangeable value tokens) already available. As well, a range of other potential adaptations of the original blockchain concept are currently active, or in development. 目前有着多达700种的类比特币的加密货币（可交换的代币）。此外，一大批潜在的基于原始区块链概念的应用正在运行或者在开发中。
“Bitcoin has the same character a fax machine had. A single fax machine is a doorstop. The world where everyone has a fax machine is an immensely valuable thing.” Larry Summers, Former US Secretary of the Treasury
“比特币具有传真机相同的特征。单个传真机就是一个大门，让这世界每一个人都拥有传真机是极具价值的事情。” 前美国财政部长拉里·萨默斯（Larry Summers）
By design, the blockchain is a decentralized technology.
区块链被设计成是去中心化的技术。
Anything that happens on it is a function of the network as a whole. Some important implications stem from this. By creating a new way to verify transactions aspects of traditional commerce could become unnecessary. Stock market trades become almost simultaneous on the blockchain, for instance — or it could make types of record keeping, like a land registry, fully public. And decentralization is already a reality.
在整个网络上发生的任何事情都只是其中一个功能。一些重要的含义源于此。不再必要通过创建一个新的方式来验证传统商业的交易。股票市场交易几乎同时在区块链上存在，或者它可以做各种公开记录，例如土地注册。去中心化已经是一个现实。
A global network of computers uses blockchain technology to jointly manage the database that records Bitcoin transactions. That is, Bitcoin is managed by its network, and not any one central authority. Decentralization means the network operates on a user-to-user (or peer-to-peer) basis. The forms of mass collaboration this makes possible are just beginning to be investigated.
网络中的全部计算机都在利用区块链技术同时在维护记录着比特币交易的数据库。这意味着，比特币是被它的网络所维护，而不是一个中心化的组织。去中心化意味着网络通过点对点的方式进行操作。这种形式的群众合作刚刚开始被探讨。
“I think decentralized networks will be the next huge wave in technology.”
Melanie Swan, author Blockchain: Blueprint for a New Economy (2015)
"我认为去中心化的网络将是技术上的下一个潮流。"
Melanie Swan，区块链：新经济蓝图（2015）的作者
As web infrastructure, you don’t need to know about the blockchain for it to be useful in your life.
作为网络基础设置，你不需要知道区块链在你生活中的用处。
Currently, finance offers the strongest use cases for the technology. International remittances, for instance. The World Bank estimates that over $430 billion US in money transfers were sent in 2015. And at the moment there is a high demand for blockchain developers.
当前，金融为这项技术提供了强有力的场景。例如，国际汇款。世界银行估计，在2015年产生了超过4300亿美元的资金转移。这对区块链开发者提出了很高的要求。
The blockchain potentially cuts out the middleman for these types of transactions. Personal computing became accessible to the general public with the invention of the Graphical User Interface (GUI), which took the form of a “desktop”. Similarly, the most common GUI devised for the blockchain are the so-called “wallet” applications, which people use to buy things with Bitcoin, and store it along with other cryptocurrencies.
区块链潜在的消除了这类转账的中间商。由于用户图形界面的使用，个人电脑在大众中普及起来。同样的，为区块链设计的通用用户图形界面就是“钱包”程序，人们可以用比特币来购物，也可以存储其他类型的加密货币。
Transactions online are closely connected to the processes of identity verification. It is easy to imagine that wallet apps will transform in the coming years to include other types of identity management.
在线交易和身份验证紧密关联。很容易想象，钱包应用未来几年会包含其他类型的身份验证。
“Online identity and reputation will be decentralized. We will own the data that belongs to us.”
William Mougayar, author The Business Blockchain: Promise, Practice, and Application of the Next Internet Technology (2016)
“在线身份和信用将去中心化。我们将拥有属于我们自己的数据”
William Mougayar，著有《区块链商业：下一代互联网技术的承诺，实践和应用（2016）》
By storing data across its network, the blockchain eliminates the risks that come with data being held centrally.
区块链通过将数据存储在网络中，来避免数据集中存储的风险。
Its network lacks centralized points of vulnerability that computer hackers can exploit. Today’s internet has security problems that are familiar to everyone. We all rely on the “username/password” system to protect our identity and assets online. Blockchain security methods use encryption technology.
它的网络没有黑客可以攻击的中心节点。每个人都知道当今网络存在的安全问题。我们都依赖“用户名/密码”的系统来保护我们在线身份和资产。
The basis for this are the so-called public and private “keys”. A “public key” (a long, randomly-generated string of numbers) is a users’ address on the blockchain. Bitcoins sent across the network gets recorded as belonging to that address. The “private key” is like a password that gives its owner access to their Bitcoin or other digital assets. Store your data on the blockchain and it is incorruptible. This is true, although protecting your digital assets will also require safeguarding of your private key by printing it out, creating what’s referred to as a paper wallet.
这个机制的基础是公钥和私钥。“公钥”（随机生产的一长串数字）是用户在区块链上的地址。通过网络发送的比特币被记录属于这个地址。“私钥”像一个密码，人们用来管理他们的比特币或者其他数字资产。存储在区块链上的数据是不可篡改的。保护你的数字资产需要将你的私钥打印出来安全保存，创建所谓的纸钱包。
With blockchain technology, the web gains a new layer of functionality.
互联网利用区块链技术获得来一个新的能力层。
Already, users can transact directly with one another — Bitcoin transactions in 2016 averaged over $200,000 US per day. With the added security brought by the blockchain new internet business are on track to unbundle the traditional institutions of finance.
人们已经可以直接转账给另一个人 -- 比特币在2016年平均一天有20万美元的交易。随着区块链带来的安全性增强，新的互联网商业正在瓦解传统的金融机构。
Goldman Sachs believes that blockchain technology holds great potential especially to optimize clearing and settlements, and could represent global savings of up to $6bn per year.
高盛认为，区块链技术具有巨大的潜力，特别是在优化清算和结算方面，全球每年可以节省高达60亿美元。
“2017 will be a pivotal year for blockchain tech. Many of the startups in the space will either begin generating revenue – via providing products the market demands/values – or vaporize due to running out of cash. In other words, 2017 should be the year where there is more implementation of products utilizing blockchain tech, and less talk about blockchain tech being the magical pixie dust that can just be sprinkled atop everything. Of course, from a customers viewpoint, this will not be obvious as blockchain tech should dominantly be invisible – even as its features and functionality improve peoples’/business’ lives. I personally am familiar with a number of large-scale blockchain tech use cases that are launching soon/2017. This implementation stage, which 2017 should represent, is a crucial step in the larger adoption of blockchain tech, as it will allow skeptics to see the functionality, rather than just hear of its promise.” – George Howard, Associate Professor Brown University, Berklee College of Music and Founder of George Howard Strategic
2017年将是区块链技术关键的一年。这个领域的许多初创公司要么开始产生收入 - 通过提供产品的市场需求/价值，要么由于用完现金而出局。换句话说，2017年应该是利用区块链技术实现更多产品的一年，而区块链技术就是可以洒在任何东西之上的精灵之尘。当然，从客户的角度来看，区块链技术应该是不可见的 - 即使它的特性和功能可以改善人们的生活。我个人熟悉2017年即将启动的大量区块链技术应用。这个2017年应该代表的实施阶段，是大规模采用区块链技术的关键一步，因为它可以让怀疑论者看到功能，而不只是听到它的承诺。
- 乔治·霍华德，布朗大学副教授，伯克利音乐学院和乔治·霍华德战略创始人
致力于前沿区块链知识和信息的传播，为中国融入全球区块链世界贡献一份力量。
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本文译者简介
张奎 区块链技术爱好者，热衷于区块链相关技术研究，欢迎加微信号:mazeboy
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