Yaga, D.
, Mell, P.
, Roby, N.
and Scarfone, K.
(2018),
Blockchain Technology Overview, NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8202
(Accessed July 26, 2025)
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Blockchain Technology Overview
Published
Author(s)
, , Nik Roby, Karen Scarfone
Abstract
Blockchains are tamper evident and tamper resistant digital ledgers implemented in a distributed fashion (i.e., without a central repository) and usually without a central authority (i.e., a bank, company, or government). At their basic level, they enable a community of users to record transactions in a shared ledger within that community, such that under normal operation of the blockchain network no transaction can be changed once published. This document provides a high-level technical overview of blockchain technology. It discusses its application to cryptocurrency in depth, but also shows its broader applications. The purpose is to help readers understand how blockchain technology works, so that they can be applied to technology problems.Citation
NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR) - 8202
Report Number
8202
NIST Pub Series
Pub Type
NIST Pubs
Download Paper
Keywords
blockchain, consensus model, cryptocurrency, cryptographic hash function, asymmetric-key cryptography, distributed ledger, distributed consensus algorithm, proof of work, proof of stake, round robin, proof of authority, proof of identity, proof of elapsed time, soft fork, hard fork, smart contracts, data oracle
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Created October 3, 2018, Updated November 10, 2018