Chapter 6: Blockchain Architecture
Difficulty Level: 🟡 Intermediate
Estimated Learning Time: 4-5 hours
Chapter Objectives:
- Understand blockchain system technical architecture
- Learn P2P network architecture
- Master node types and their roles
- Understand blockchain trilemma
6.1 P2P Network Architecture
Blockchain operates on a peer-to-peer network where all nodes are equal participants.
6.2 Node Types
- Full Nodes - Store complete blockchain history
- Light Nodes - Store only block headers
- Archive Nodes - Store all historical states
6.3 Network Propagation and Synchronization
How blocks and transactions spread across the network.
6.4 Mempool and Transaction Ordering
The memory pool holds pending transactions before they’re included in blocks.
6.5 Fork Types
- Soft Forks - Backward-compatible protocol changes
- Hard Forks - Non-backward-compatible changes
6.6 Blockchain Trilemma
The fundamental challenge: balancing Scalability, Security, and Decentralization.
6.7 State Management and Storage
How blockchain systems manage and store state data efficiently.