# What is a Blockchain?

A blockchain is a technology revolutionizing how we store and manage digital information. \
\
Initially introduced alongside Bitcoin, the blockchain concept has since evolved beyond financial transactions.

## True Blockchain Definition

Imagine a record book that isn't under the control of a single authority but is instead distributed across multiple computers or nodes. Each transaction forms a block, and these blocks are linked in a chain, creating the blockchain.\
\
This system's extraordinary capabilities lie in how a cryptographic hash links each block to the previous one. This mechanism ensures that once a block is added to the chain and verified, altering or manipulating the information becomes virtually impossible.

The transparency and integrity add a whole new level of trust to the system.\
\
Blockchain technology also eliminates the need for intermediaries, such as relying on central institutions. This is because the blockchain operates on a network where every participant has a copy of the entire blockchain. The decentralized nature opens new possibilities for direct and trustless interactions between participants.\
\
In addition to cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology has found applications in various other sectors, including supply chain management, healthcare, voting systems, intellectual property, and many more\
\
For example, the integration of other software such as smart contracts, which are emerging with the blockchain bubble, will allow for self-executing agreements where pre-defined rules are encoded within the blockchain itself.

## Where DECENOMY Stands

DECENOMY is a project network with a common wallet codebase and blockchain infrastructure, facilitating cross-chain interoperability and governance among various DECENOMY projects.\
\
It employs a distinctive open-source cryptocurrency platform known as DSW, an acronym for Decenomy Standard Wallet. DSW serves as the core blockchain development for the entire infrastructure.\
\
DSW forked the PIVX code in 2021 to inherit blockchain features like Proof-of-Stake (POS) and Masternodes, which PIVX had originally inherited by forking DASH. As the main source of technology, DASH is also a Bitcoin fork code, thus providing all the main Bitcoin functionality and technology to the DSW blockchain code.\
\
Since then the DSW code has been developed independently from these forks, and you can track its progress in its GitHub Repository at [<mark style="color:blue;">https://github.com/decenomy/DSW</mark>](https://github.com/decenomy/DSW)\
\
Some unique developments, new features added, and upcoming ones are all documented on this website in the chapter [<mark style="color:blue;">Blockchain Development</mark>](https://docs.decenomy.net/blockchain-development)