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Blockchain & Crypto vocabulary · Blockchain Basics

Hash

Meaning in blockchain & crypto, with examples

/hæʃ/nounCore term

In blockchain & crypto, hash means: A short, fixed-length code produced from any piece of data by a mathematical function. Even a tiny change to the data produces a completely different hash, which makes tampering easy to detect.

In Turkish: özet değeri, hash değeri, karma değer

How it is used

Used as a noun (the block hash, the transaction hash) and as a verb (hash the data). The function is called a hash function; Bitcoin uses SHA-256. In daily work hash often means a transaction ID: 'Can you send me the hash?'

Example sentences

  1. Each block stores the hash of the block before it.

  2. Can you send me the hash so I can look up the transfer?

Common collocations

  • hash function
  • block hash
  • transaction hash
  • hash the data
  • SHA-256 hash
  • blockA batch of confirmed transactions that is added to a blockchain at one time. Each block contains the hash of the previous block, which links the blocks together into a chain.
  • transaction hashA unique code that identifies one transaction on a blockchain. You can paste it into a block explorer to see the sender, receiver, amount, fee and status.
  • hash rateThe total computing power that miners use to secure a proof-of-work network, measured in hashes per second. A higher hash rate makes the network harder to attack.
  • immutableImpossible to change or delete once recorded. Blockchain records are called immutable because rewriting a confirmed block would require taking control of most of the network.
  • proof of workA consensus mechanism in which miners use computing power to solve a puzzle before they can add a block. It makes attacks very expensive but uses a lot of energy. Bitcoin uses it.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Blockchain Basics

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