What is a Blockchain?

Imagine you and your friends have a notebook where you write down all the things you buy or sell from each other. But here's the twist: you don't trust each other fully, so whenever someone writes something in the notebook, everyone else checks to make sure it's correct before they agree to it.

Now, instead of just one notebook, imagine there are many copies of this notebook, and they're all connected to each other through a special network. Whenever someone wants to add something new to the notebook, everyone in the network gets a copy of the new entry, and they all check to make sure it's valid. If most of them agree that it's correct, they add it to their own notebook.

This special notebook system is what we call a blockchain. It's like a digital ledger that keeps track of transactions (like buying or selling things) in a secure and transparent way. Each entry in the notebook (or block) is linked to the previous one, creating a chain of blocks - hence the name "blockchain."

The cool thing about blockchain is that because it's decentralized (no one person or authority controls it), it's very hard for someone to cheat or manipulate the information in the notebook. Plus, since everyone in the network has a copy of the ledger, it's very difficult for the information to be lost or corrupted.

How Blockchains Work

So, in short, a blockchain is like a super-secure, transparent, and decentralized digital ledger that keeps track of transactions between people.