By now, you’ve probably heard of Blockchain (if not, you’ve been living under the rock!). Blockchain is the technology behind the cryptocurrency - Bitcoin - that revolutionized the banking and financial sector.

According to Don and Alex Tapscott, the authors of “Blockchain Revolution,”
“The Blockchain is an incorruptible digital ledger of economic transactions that can be programmed to record not just financial transactions but virtually everything of value.” In simple words, a Blockchain is a chain of records or data spread across a network of multiple peers in a system, wherein each peer holds a copy of the complete chain. This is what makes Blockchain a distributed ledger, where the information is stored and managed by a cluster of computers/peers rather than a single entity.

The Blockchain consists of blocks that store data, and the first block called the Genesis Block. Each time new data is added to a block in the chain, it is connected to other blocks in chronological order. Each of the blocks is linked to the other via cryptographic principles - it contains a timestamp and a cryptographic key that connects it to the previous block. Thus, each block is uniquely encrypted. While all the peers in a Blockchain network have a copy of the complete Blockchain database, only the user having the unique cryptographic key to a specific block can add new information to a particular chain.
Here are five core features of Blockchain that make it much more safe and transparent than conventional ledger systems:

• Distributed - As we mentioned, the Blockchain ledger is spread across the whole network instead of a centralized system, thereby making it tamperproof.
• Cryptography for security - The ledger is secured by cryptographic keys and functions to prevent the misuse and violation of data.
• Peer-To-Peer - The network isn’t controlled or managed by a central authority. Instead, it facilitates direct communication among peers in the network for greater transparency. This eliminates the need for third-parties.
• Add-Only - Peers can add data in the Blockchain only in a time-sequential order. This means that once a piece of information is added to a block, it is nearly impossible to manipulate or alter that data. So, it is practically immutable.
• Consensus - One of the most crucial aspects of the Blockchain, Consensus is what makes the ledger decentralized. The ledger can only be updated via Consensus. This means that any update or changes that have to be made to the Blockchain are first validated against the strict Blockchain protocol. The change can be added to the Blockchain only when all the after all the participating peers (nodes) on the network have reached a Consensus.

We’ll break down the mechanism of a Blockchain into five simple steps:
1. The first step begins with a peer (a node in the network) initiating a transaction by creating it and digitally signing it with a private key (created through cryptography). In a Blockchain, a transaction can pertain to various actions. However, usually, a transaction is a data structure that represents a value transfer among the peers on the network. The transaction data structure contains some logic of the value transfer, relevant rules, source and destination addresses, and other important validation information.
2. To propagate the transaction to peers who validate the transaction based on the set criteria, a flooding protocol - known as the Gossip protocol - is used. Generally, a transaction must be verified by more than one node in the network.
3. After the peers validate the transaction, it is added in a block which is then propagated to the network. This is when the transaction is deemed as confirmed.
4. The newly added block now becomes part of the ledger, and the block that will be added next in the chain has to link itself cryptographically to this block. This cryptographic link is the “hash pointer.” This is the point where the transaction gets a second confirmation, whereas the block receives its first confirmation.
5. Further on, each time a new block is added to the chain, the transactions are reconfirmed. For a transaction to become final, six confirmation within a network are a must.
This is essentially how a Blockchain operates.

Ahmedabad is the largest city in Gujarat. It has always been one of the top business and industrial hubs in the nation, and now, it is readily welcoming Blockchain tech into its industrial atmosphere. With a vast cultural and economic diversity, Ahmedabad attracts people from all across the nation and even from overseas. Alongside the thriving business sector, the city holds immense potential for disruptive technologies (AI/ML and Blockchain) as well.
Although Blockchain is an emerging and relatively new technology, it has taken the industry by storm. After its success in the BFSI sector, Blockchain is making its mark on healthcare, education, logistics, real estate, governance, and much more. Consequently, there’s a massive demand for trained and certified Blockchain professionals in Ahmedabad.
In the past five years, the star city of Gujarat has witnessed a rapid growth of Blockchain centric companies and enterprises. With Blockchain-based enterprises cropping up fast in Ahmedabad, the scope of Blockchain in the city seems to be highly promising.

Blockchain Salaries in Ahmedabad
According to Indeed stats, the average salary of a Blockchain Developer in Ahmedabad region is around Rs. 23,057-28,015 per month. While this is usually the starting salary for freshers in Blockchain, professionals having 8-10 years of Blockchain experience can make anywhere between Rs. 4-8 LPA. For professionals with over 15 years of experience in Blockchain, the salary can go as high as Rs. 15-20 LPA or more.
Blockchain Career Options in Ahmedabad
When it comes to Blockchain career options, Ahmedabad has a wide range of choices for Blockchain aspirants. Certified Blockchain professionals can bag roles like Blockchain Developer, Blockchain Web Designer, Blockchain Engineer, Blockchain Legal Consultant, and Blockchain Manager.

Since Blockchain is a relatively new field with little formal educational resources present, you will need to be patient and understand that it might take you some time. However, there are plenty of dedicated online communities and so, you aren’t completely helpless either. Begin with these steps:

Below listed are 5 revolutionary uses of Blockchain: