Přehled o publikaci

Cryptocurrencies are decentralized payment systems in which ownership is proved cryptographically. There are thousands of cryptocurrencies. The best known cryptocurrencies are Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin, Dash and Monero. The book Cryptocurrency captures the diversity of the entire cryptocurrency ecosystem. The main parts of the book covering the most significant topics are composed by the author using a system approach. The various aspects of cryptocurrencies systems, including technical aspects, are described using Czech terminology in a language understandable to the general public. The cryptocurrency system is demonstrated from the point of view of the internal structure, network and users on the Bitcoin example. A formal definition of cryptocurrency is proposed. An overview of the approaches that cryptocurrencies achieve consensus on their state in a decentralized manner is created. The following approaches are described: proof of work, proof of stake, delegated proof of stake, proof of importance, proof of mining, proof of miner, proof of Bytecent, proof of stake velocity, proof of capacity, proof of service, proof of burn, proof of research, proof of BOINC, proof of resource, auxiliary proof of work, proof of correctness, and proof of authority. It is also shown that cryptocurrencies transactions can reach different degrees of anonymity. The reader is familiar with the ways in which cryptocurrencies achieve application in practice. Security risks are analyzed from the point of view of users, service providers, or developers and security measures are proposed to reduce these risks. For cryptocurrencies, the degree of decentralization is a key feature. Increasing the cryptocurrency decentralization increases its security, but at the same time it increases the costs associated with the usage of the cryptocurrency, the price of transactions rises, their speed decreases. Using cryptocurrencies requires users to have a greater degree of personal responsibility than using fiat currencies. Cryptocurrencies transactions are irreversible. Even if the user has obtained a court judgment stating that he is the owner of some specific units of the given cryptocurrency, this judgment is unenforceable. Cryptocurrency systems are independent of state power. The only defense in the world of cryptocurrencies is careful consideration of all possible risks arising from a business transaction before it is executed. On the basis of stock data, the economic significance of cryptocurrencies is analyzed. Cryptocurrency technology will be one of the main pillars of economic development in the years to come, similarly to the Internet after 2000. In the final passages, the author suggests what technical aspects the optimal cryptocurrency should have.