blockchain

Blockchain (Golang)

Blockchain is a complete, semantically correct implementation of a blockchain protocol written entirely in Go. It draws inspiration from both Bitcoin and Ethereum.

This project includes everything you'd expect from a working blockchain system: a Proof-of-Work consensus algorithm, peer-to-peer networking, a node pool for decentralized coordination, and a fully functioning wallet system.

🚀 Why I Built This

I built this project to gain a deep, practical understanding of how blockchain protocols operate at a low level. While theoretical knowledge is widely available, few resources offer the hands-on insight that comes from building a system from scratch. This project challenged me to master concurrency, peer-to-peer networking, protocol design and cryptographically audit-able databases.

🔧 Features

✅ Proof-of-Work Consensus

• Transactions are cryptographically verified and batched into blocks.
• Blocks are mined using Proof-of-Work algorithm.
• Mined blocks are submitted back to the network for verification.

🌐 Peer-to-Peer Architecture

• Nodes connect in a decentralized mesh network.
• Automatic syncing and broadcasting of new transactions, blocks and peers.
• Fault-tolerant and designed for dynamic membership (nodes can join/leave at any time).

💼 Wallet System

• Client cryptography; generating keys, signing transactions.
• Submits signed transactions to the network.
• Pulls account information from the network.

📦 Installation & Usage

This project is designed to run out of the box with no setup. You can run a node by simply just executing the run.sh script. It will initialize the node, the node default configuration will check if there is an existing private key for this node, if not, one will be generated and the node will be started.

Once your node is running:

1. Generate a wallet/account

   go run api/cmd/wallet/wallet.go generate --key path/to/priv.key
   

2. Check wallet balance and account info

   go run api/cmd/wallet/wallet.go info --key path/to/priv.key
   

3. Transfer tokens from the genesis account

   go run api/cmd/wallet/wallet.go transfer --key ops/genesis.key --amount 1000 --to <account-id>
   

Optional

Launch an alternate node

./run.sh --run-alt

This node will automatically be started with a random port and temporary storage, allowing you to simulate a multi-node environment, once the node is stopped the node data is deleted. You can start as many of them as you want, well until you run out ports. :D

🧪 Developer Tools & Load Testing

To simulate real-world scenarios and stress test the network, you can use the included developer tools:

1. Generate multiple accounts

   go run api/cmd/dev/genload/genload.go generate -accounts 10
   

2. Seed generated accounts with initial balances

   go run api/cmd/dev/genload/genload.go seed --key ops/genesis.key --amount 1500
   

3. Create randomized transactions between accounts

   go run api/cmd/dev/genload/genload.go transfer
   

These tools help simulate network activity, test node synchronization, and validate transaction integrity across the pool.

📘 Blockchain Concepts (Quick Overview)

• Blockchain: A distributed ledger of immutable, cryptographically linked blocks.
• Proof-of-Work (PoW): A consensus mechanism where nodes solve computational puzzles to add blocks.
• Node: A participant in the network that validates, relays, and optionally mines transactions.
• Wallet: A cryptographic key pair that controls access to funds and signs transactions.
• Transaction: A signed message transferring value from one wallet to another, recorded in the blockchain.

"The best way to understand a protocol is to build it."