Public Vs Private Blockchains

in blockchain •  7 years ago 

Private-or-Public-Blockchain.png
There is a big difference in what technology you need, depending on whether you allow anyone to write to your blockchain, or known, vetted participants. Bitcoin allows anyone to write to its ledger.

Public Blockchains
Ledgers can be ‘public’ in two senses
Anyone, without permission granted by another authority , can write data
Anyone, without permission granted by another authority, can read data
Usually, when people talk about public blockchains, they mean anyone-can-write.
Private Blockchains
Conversely, a ‘private’ blockchain network is where the participants are known and trusted: for example, an industry group, or a group of companies owned by an umbrella company.
Many of the mechanism aren’t needed – or rather they are replaced with legal contracts.
This changes the technical decisions as to which bricks are used to build the solution.

Because Bitcoin is designed as ‘anyone-can-write’ blockchain, where participants aren’t vetted and can add to the ledger without needing approval, it needs ways of arbitration discrepancies (there is no ‘boss’ to decide), and defense mechanisms against attacks (anyone can misbehave with relative impunity, if there is a financial incentive to do so). These create cost and complexity to running this blockchain.

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That clears many things, thanks for sharing this new info