Simple Blockchain Implementation in C++

Overview

This project is a simple implementation of a blockchain with basic wallet functionality. The blockchain contains blocks, where each block contains multiple transactions. Wallets can perform transactions, sending and receiving funds, which are then added to the blockchain.

Features

1. Basic Blockchain: Create a blockchain and add blocks to it. Each block has a hash, a timestamp, and a list of transactions.

2. Mining: Blocks have a mineBlock() function that solves a proof-of-work problem.

3. Wallets: Wallets with unique IDs can send and receive funds.

4. Transaction Validation: Transactions are only valid if the wallet has sufficient balance.

5. Blockchain Integrity Check: Check if the blockchain is valid based on previous and current block hashes.

6. Wallet Balance Notification: After mining a block, wallet balances can be updated based on the transactions in the blockchain.

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How to Build and Run the Project

This project uses a Makefile to automate the build process. Follow these steps to build and run the project:

Prerequisites

• Make sure you have g++ and make installed on your system.
• OpenSSL library is required for cryptographic functions. Install it if you haven't done so already:
  • Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt-get install libssl-dev
  • macOS with Homebrew: brew install openssl
  • Windows: You may need to download and install it manually from OpenSSL's website.

Building the Project

1. Clone the repository to your local machine:

   git clone https://github.com/BlockchainProphet/SimpleBlockchainImplementation.git
   

2. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd SimpleBlockchainImplementation
   

3. Run the Makefile:

   make
   

   This will compile all the necessary files and create an executable named blockchain_app.

Running the Project

After successful build, you can run the project by executing:

./blockchain_app

Cleaning Up

If you want to remove all the compiled files and the generated executable, run:

make clean

Code Structure

1. main.cpp: The driver program that demonstrates blockchain and wallet functionalities.
2. Blockchain.cpp and Blockchain.h: Contains the Blockchain class that manages blocks and transactions.
3. Block.cpp and Block.h: Defines the Block class for individual blocks in the blockchain.
4. Transaction.cpp and Transaction.h: Contains the Transaction class that represents transactions between wallets.
5. Wallet.cpp and Wallet.h: Contains the Wallet class that can send funds and update balances.

Recent Updates

• Added wallet functionality for sending and receiving funds.
• Wallets are notified and updated after each block is mined.
• Improved the integrity check for the blockchain.

Dependencies

• C++ Standard Library
• OpenSSL for SHA-256 Hashing