EOSUnion Blockchain 101| 07 Blockchain and Digital Currency 区块链与数字货币
Through the first six classes of the [Blockchain Lecture], we have opened up several important concepts that need to be mastered in the introduction of blockchain, namely blockchain, consensus mechanism (PoW, PoS, DPoS), fork, public chain, private chain, alliance chain, smart contract and brief history of b lockchain development, for the initial understanding of the blockchain. Next, we will introduce the blockchain and digital currency in detail in several phases. Today, the seventh class will be a good understanding of the relationship between the two.
01 What is a digital currency?
Before talking about digital currency, let's look at electronic money.
Electronic money is the electronicization of banknotes (essentially a piece of data). It is a form of circulation after the electronic exchange of legal currency. Bank cards, Alipay, and WeChat Pay are carriers of electronic money. When we use these carriers for consumption, we realize The circulation of funds, that is, the circulation of electronic money.
Digital currency is different. It is essentially a piece of data, but it is encrypted by an extremely complicated algorithm. It has the characteristics of traceability and tamper resistance, so it is also called cryptocurrency. Bitcoin is a Typical example.
However, there are also views that money should be issued by national credit endorsement, so bitcoin should not be called digital currency, but should be collectively referred to as token with ETH, EOS, etc. But in order to facilitate everyone's understanding, these tokens will be called digital currency in this class.
02 Blockchain is not equal to digital currency, but the wealth effect of digital currency has driven the public's attention to blockchain.
Regarding the relationship between blockchain, digital currency and bitcoin, I will cast a point directly:
Blockchain is a technology. Digital currency is one of the earliest applications of blockchain technology. Bitcoin is a digital currency.
Therefore, the relationship between the three is expressed by two formulas:
Blockchain ≠ digital currency, Blockchain ≥ Digital Currency ≥ Bitcoin.
At the same time, blockchain and digital currency are complementary. With the existence of digital currency, blockchain can achieve better development.
Many people mistakenly confuse digital currency with blockchain. It is because the blockchain has been known and spread in the form of Bitcoin since its inception.
Due to the skyrocketing price of Bitcoin, many people have become rich in a very short time. This has stimulated the public to invest in digital currency. So the digital currency speculations are getting bigger and bigger like snowballs.
In this process, the blockchain began to be valued as the underlying technology of digital currency. A white paper based on blockchain technology was released, and blockchain became the source of digital currency value belief, which promoted the development of blockchain technology.
03 Digital currency as an incentive for blockchain
We talked about a centralized example in the first issue of the [Blockchain Lecture]: Alipay. The maintenance costs of Alipay's transaction process, system upgrade, and hacker attack are all borne by Alibaba behind it. If one day Alibaba decided not to maintain Alipay anymore, then we can't use Alipay anymore.
The core of the blockchain project is decentralization. There is no centralized organization like Alibaba to maintain it. The entire network is voluntarily maintained by users all over the world. If there is no interest, there will be no users to do this.
Therefore, the blockchain project party will issue tokens, the user will obtain the token by maintaining the blockchain network (mining), and then the token will become the real legal income through the secondary market (exchange, private transaction, etc.) (bitcoin is in such a circulation process, the token here means the digital currency).
In this way, a complete circulation system is formed, as shown in the following figure:
In this way, blockchain and digital currency can be described as brothers. Although the two brothers are different: blockchain is a technology, and digital currency is the earliest application of blockchain technology; but they are very harmonious: the two complement each other and are moving in their respective directions to achieve better development.
区块链讲座第7期：区块链与数字货币
通过【区块链讲座】前六期，我们打通了区块链入门需要掌握的几个重要概念，分别是区块链、共识机制（PoW、PoS、DPoS）、分叉、公有链、私有链、联盟链、智能合约以及区块链发展简史，为小伙伴们构建起对区块链的初步认知。接下来我们将分几期详细介绍区块链与数字货币，那今天这第七期就先好好捋清两者之间的关系。
01 什么是数字货币？
在讲数字货币之前，先来看下电子货币。
电子货币是纸币的电子化（本质是一段数据），是作为法币电子化后的一种流通形式，银行卡、支付宝、微信红包则属于电子货币的载体，我们使用这些载体进行消费的时候就实现了资金的流转，也就是电子货币的流通。
数字货币则有所不同，它本质上虽然也是一段数据，但却是经过极为复杂的算法加密后的一段数据，具有可追踪、防篡改等特点，所以它又称为加密数字货币（cryptocurrency），典型如比特币。
但也有观点认为，货币应当是由国家信用背书发行，所以不应该将比特币称为数字货币，而应该和ETH、EOS等统称为token（译为代币或通证，关于token的译法争议我们放到下一期再做讨论），但为了方便大家对本期内容的理解，本期将这些代币都称为数字货币。
02区块链不等于数字货币，但数字货币的财富效应带动了大众对区块链的关注
关于区块链、数字货币、比特币的关系，我先直接抛观点：
区块链是一门技术。数字货币是区块链技术的最早的一个应用。比特币是一种数字货币。
所以，它们三者的关系用两条公式来表达就是：
区块链 ≠ 数字货币，
区块链 ≥数字货币 ≥比特币。
同时，区块链和数字货币是相辅相成的关系，有了数字货币的存在，区块链可以实现更好的发展。
其实不只是小白，目前还有很多人都错误地将数字货币与区块链混为一谈，这是因为区块链从诞生之初就以比特币的形式为人知晓、被人传播。
由于比特币的价格暴涨，使得很多人一夜暴富走上“财富自由之路”。这刺激了大众心理，不管是行业大佬，还是投资小白都纷纷投身币圈，炒币就像滚雪球一样越滚越大。
在这个过程中，区块链作为数字货币的底层技术开始被重视，一本本基于区块链技术之上的白皮书被发布，区块链成为数字货币价值信仰的源泉，这推动了区块链技术的发展。
03数字货币作为区块链的激励措施
我们在【区块链讲座】第一期讲过一个中心化的例子：支付宝。支付宝的交易处理、系统升级、抵御黑客攻击等产生的维护费用都是由它背后的阿里巴巴承担，假如有一天阿里巴巴耍性子说“我要去看诗和远方”，不再维护支付宝，那我们便无法使用支付宝了。
而区块链项目核心就是去中心化，其背后是没有类似阿里巴巴这样的中心化机构去维护的，整个网络由全世界用户自愿去维护，如果没有利益驱使，基本不会有用户去做这件事（毕竟吃力还不一定讨好）。
所以区块链项目方都会发行token，用户通过维护区块链网络（挖矿）获得token，再通过二级市场（交易所，私下交易等）将token变真正的法币收益（比特币就是这样一个流通过程，这里的token即数字货币）。
这样一来就形成了一个完整的流通体系，具体如下图：
如此看来，区块链和数字货币可谓是一奶同胞的亲兄弟。虽然这两亲兄弟长得不一样：区块链是一门技术，而数字货币是区块链技术最早的一个应用；但彼此之间是很和睦的：两者相辅相成，都朝着各自的方向实现更好的发展。
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