Conceptual block-chain console app implementation using Haskell
Haskell is a purely functional programming language. Purity is the ability to prove the absence of unwanted side-effects. This property allows the Haskell compiler to produce programs that run faster and use all available CPU cores. And hence Haskell becomes one of the best choice to build block-chain.
Block-chain being decentralized software, run-time mistakes are severe. Centralized software has mechanism to undo the mistake after it happens but in decentralized software’s, losses are usually non-recoverable.
Haskell is strongly typed and that means there are no type conversion allowed like Double to Int, or follow null pointer and this makes code more disciplined and predictable. And of-course static typing means no surprises at run-time. This means the problem is detected long before the code ever ships, and in fact it’s impossible to ship the code until the mistake is corrected. Hence Haskell is better tool for building block-chain.
Haskell is also best known for it’s memory safety and data immutability. This means that you cannot accidentally modify values in your from memory that you did not intend to modify. It prevents one of the most dangerous security vulnerabilities, remote code execution by an attacker.
Immutable data is first class in Haskell, so parallel processing becomes more efficient and less error-prone and this also make Haskell more suitable for building block-chain.
This is a command line app built using Haskell by implementing basic functionalities of conceptual block-chain. Currently this block-chain app mines data as plain string, but it can be changed to anything from financial transaction to medical history of a patient.
None of exsiting block-chain framework/platform is used in this app. This is built with just Haskell code and Haskell libraries.
- Data Mining
- Connectivity among peer
- Broadcast block-chain/latest block to all connected peer
- Request block-chain/latest block from a peer
- Request block-chain/latest block from all connected peer
- Peer discovery from connected peer
- ghc - version 8.4.4
- cabal-install - version 3.0.0.0
git clone https://github.com/nitor-infotech-oss/demo-blockchain-hs.git
cd demo-blockchain-hs
cabal install # install project dependence's
cabal runor build a docker container from Dockerfile and run the container.
After successful build, app should look like this:
