Book excerpt: Embrace the new world of fiance by leveraging the power of crypto-currencies using Bitcoin and the Blockchain About This Book Set up your own wallet, buy and sell Bitcoin, and execute custom transactions on the Blockchain Leverage the power of Bitcoin to reduce transaction costs and eliminate fraud A practical step-by-step guide to break down the Bitcoin technology to ensure safe transactions Who This Book Is For If you are familiar with online banking and want to expand your finances into a resilient and transparent currency, this book is ideal for you. A basic understanding of online wallets and financial systems will be highly beneficial to unravel the mysteries of Bitcoin. What You Will Learn Set up your wallet and buy a Bitcoin in a flash while understanding the basics of addresses and transactions Acquire the knack of buying, selling, and trading Bitcoins with online marketplaces Secure and protect your Bitcoins from online theft using Brainwallets and cold storage Understand how Bitcoin's underlying technology, the Blockchain, works with simple illustrations and explanations Configure your own Bitcoin node and execute common operations on the network Discover various aspects of mining Bitcoin and how to set up your own mining rig Dive deeper into Bitcoin and write scripts and multi-signature transactions on the network Explore the various alt-coins and get to know how to compare them and their value In Detail The financial crisis of 2008 raised attention to the need for transparency and accountability in the financial world. As banks and governments were scrambling to stay solvent while seeking a sustainable plan, a powerfully new and resilient technology emerged. Bitcoin, built on a fundamentally new technology called “The Blockchain,” offered the promise of a new financial system where transactions are sent directly between two parties without the need for central control. Bitcoin exists as an open and transparent financial system without banks, governments, or corporate support. Simply put, Bitcoin is “programmable money” that has the potential to change the world on the same scale as the Internet itself. This book arms you with immense knowledge of Bitcoin and helps you implement the technology in your money matters, enabling secure transactions. We first walk through the fundamentals of Bitcoin, illustrate how the technology works, and exemplify how to interact with this powerful and new financial technology. You will learn how to set up your online Bitcoin wallet, indulge in buying and selling of bitcoins, and manage their storage. We then get to grips with the most powerful algorithm of all times: the Blockchain, and learn how crypto-currencies can reduce the risk of fraud for e-commerce merchants and consumers. With a solid base of Blockchain, you will write and execute your own custom transactions. Most importantly, you will be able to protect and secure your Bitcoin with the help of effective solutions provided in the book. Packed with plenty of screenshots, Learning Bitcoin is a simple and painless guide to working with Bitcoin. Style and approach This is an easy-to-follow guide to working with Bitcoin and the Blockchain technology. This book is ideal for anyone who wants to learn the basics of Bitcoin and explore how to set up their own transactions.