2分钟知晓区块链

原作者：Phil Pruitt, Chance Seales , Chance Seales

编译：刘子悦

7:00 AM, Mar 15, 2018

You've probably heard of Bitcoin, the much-hyped cryptocurrency. But if you're like most people, you might not understand it. It's obscure. Can't be seen or touched.

你可能听说过比特币，这是炒作特别火的加密货币。但是如果你像大多数人一样，你可能不了解它。因为比特币晦涩难懂，无法看到或触摸。

Here's what youreallyneed to know. Bitcoin is built on an underlying structure called a blockchain. This technology can be used to securely share all kinds of information — yes, financial transactions, but also medical records, biographical data. You name it, it's out there.

但是这才是你真正需要知道的。比特币建立在称为区块链的底层结构上。这项技术可以用来安全地共享各种信息-是的，金融交易，还有医疗记录，自传数据。只要你能命名出来，就可以存在。

While the the tech involved is cutting edge today,blockchain can actually be tracedto 1976, when a paper suggested a group of independent systems, not just one central nerve center, keeps track of transactions. It wasn't until 2009 when Bitcoin brought blockchain to life.

尽管所涉及的技术在今天处于领先地位，但区块链实际上可以追溯到1976年，当时一篇论文提出一组独立系统，而不仅仅是一个中心神经中枢，用于跟踪交易。直到2009年，比特币才将区块链带入生活。

Honestly, when you talk about this and read about it, terms get thrown around a lot, like "hash" and "previous hash" and "validation" and "mining." But the system makes pretty good sense when you set aside the jargon.

说实话，当你谈论区块链并且阅读区块链时，将会提及很多术语，比如“hash哈希函数或散列函数”和“previous hash前哈希函数”和“validation有效值”以及“mining挖矿”。但是，当你抛开专业术语时，这个系统很有意义。

Think of a blockchain as a big city's street sewer system: lots of connected blocks where water flows, all exchanging that water (orinformation) underground.

把区块链想象成一个大城市的街道下水道系统：大量连接着水流的街区，所有这些都在地下交换水（或信息）。

If you take the case of a transaction involving, let's say, 100 Bitcoins, the blockchain would work like this: 100 gallons of water flow into the "block-shaped" tank.

如果您认为涉及交易的案例（比方说100比特币），区块链可以这样工作：100加仑的水流入“块状”箱中。

That "block" has a unique identifier — a digital fingerprint — a timestamp. Insiders call this point of origin the "genesis block."

该“块”具有唯一标识符-数字指纹-时间戳。业内人士称这一起源为“起源块”。

The 100 gallons are now ready to be transferred down the way. Luckily, there's a pipe connecting the two. This pipe is the "chain" in "blockchain."

100加仑现在已准备好转移。幸运的是，有一条管道连接这两条管道。这条管道是“区块链”中的“链条”。

The job of the second block is to confirm it received the delivery in full and then mark it again with another unique identifier. This process repeats itself over and over and over, storing the transactional data in blocks all over the city. That way, everyone has access to the information.

第二块的工作是确认它已收到完整的交付，然后再用另一个唯一标识符标记它。这个过程一遍又一遍地重复，将交易数据存储在整个城市的街区中。这样，每个人都可以访问这些信息。

Just like the sewer grid of Manhattan, above ground, computers serve as the nodes in the blockchain. They're connected all over the globe. They're all chained together, verifying the flow of information and money and data points around the clock.

就像曼哈顿的下水道网格一样，计算机充当区块链中的节点。它们连接到全球各地。全天候验证信息流、现金流、数据流。

So that's a blockchain in a nutshell. A system of blocks, each containing information, each one chained to the next. It's been called the "backbone ofa new type of internet." What it's never been called is simple.

所以这是一个简单的区块链。包含信息的一个系统块，每个链接到下一个链。它被称为“新型互联网的中坚力量”。但是从未觉得它很简单。