Blockchain
Definition.
Blockchain: A decentralized, distributed, and public digital ledger that is used to record transactions across many computers.
In More Detail
A blockchain gives you an append-only ledger that no single participant controls, which is genuinely useful when the participants do not trust each other and there is no neutral party they'd all accept. That is a narrower situation than it sounds.
Most requirements described as needing blockchain are really about an audit trail — who changed what, when, and can it be altered afterwards. A PostgreSQL table with append-only writes, row-level history, and restricted permissions delivers that for a fraction of the cost and complexity, and it is far easier to hire for.
In Practice
Outside of specific use cases (provenance tracking, decentralized finance), most business problems that get pitched as "needs blockchain" are solved more cheaply and reliably with a well-designed PostgreSQL ledger table — worth discussing before committing budget to it.
Related Terms
Browse the full software development glossary, or see the frequently asked questions.
If you are working out whether this applies to your own project, the case studies show where it turned up in real builds, services lists what I take on, and pricing gives the starting figures.
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