ИСТОРИЧЕСКИЙ РАКУРС ТЕХНОЛОГИИ «BLOCKCHAIN». «ВСЁ НОВОЕ – ХОРОШО ЗАБЫТОЕ СТАРОЕ»

Abstract

Blockchain technologies (BC) are immutable distributed systems of digital ledgers (i.e., without central repository) and, as rule, without central authority. Currently, there is a lot of excitement around the use of BC technology, although the technology itself, on the one hand, is still not quite clear to many ones, and on the other (and this is the main thing) is not new. Superficial understanding of the BC as a phenomenon with «magical properties» leads to numerous predictions about the possibility of revolutionary transformations based on its application to entire sectors of the economy and, above all, in the credit and financial sphere. In this regard, this article presents a systematized analysis, the history of the BC emergence, leading from the international standards ISO 7498-2 of 1989 and ITU-T X.800 of 1991, as well as a brief informal definition of BC and considered are the basic principles and components of this technology, including cryptographic one-way functions (hashes), transactions, addresses and their retrieval, «digital wallets», ledgers, blocks, blockchain in operations. Representation of the BC as a sequence of blocks bounded base on known mechanisms of the data integrity with using asymmetric cryptography allows us to conclude that only its evolutionary development is possible, although at a rapid pace in real time. This is a characteristic feature of establishing modern stage of and all other IT types. In conclusion, attention is drawn to the need for additional research to assess the security and reliability of the BC in terms of assessing the prospects for its use in specific business applications and critical information infrastructure systems.