20 Topics.
0 of 11 Concepts Done
Asked in UPSC PrelimsUPSC 2018
What to Study: What is blockchain, and in what way is it one kind of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)? Understand what a "distributed ledger", a "node" and a "block" mean. Is every DLT a blockchain? Understand why such a system needs no central database.
What to Study: Understand the order of steps from a requested transaction to a block joining the chain: who creates the block, to whom it is sent, and what the nodes do. Is the "reward for proof of work" step part of every blockchain?
What to Study: What is a hash? Understand how each block carries the hash of the block before it, and why changing one block exposes tampering. Be clear about what a Merkle tree does, in outline.
Asked in UPSC PrelimsUPSC 2020UPSC 2026
What to Study: Remember the five features of blockchain (decentralisation, immutability, transparency, security, energy intensity) and the reason behind each. Do all of them hold for every blockchain? Is a permissioned chain visible to all, and does it use as much energy as a public one? Does any single user control a public blockchain? Must all blockchain data be about cryptocurrency? Can anyone build an application on an open chain without permission?
Asked in UPSC PrelimsUPSC 2026
What to Study: Who may join and validate in a public, a private, a consortium and a hybrid blockchain? Understand the split between permissioned and permissionless chains, and why governments often prefer permissioned ones. Is India's National Blockchain Framework permissioned or permissionless?
What to Study: Who introduced blockchain, in which year, and for which digital currency? Remember the earlier idea, and the scientist behind it, that inspired the design.
What to Study: What did Ethereum add to blockchain? Understand what a smart contract is and what it does on its own, and what decentralised applications (DApps) and decentralised finance (DeFi) are.
What to Study: Remember the main sector uses of blockchain (finance, healthcare, copyright, supply chain, voting), with one example for each. What is Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS), and who provides it?
What to Study: What does the national strategy on blockchain (2021) aim to do? Understand the role of the National Informatics Centre's Centre of Excellence, and remember which states have set up blockchain centres or incubators.
What to Study: When was the National Blockchain Framework launched, and what is it? Remember what each part does: Vishvasya, NBFLite, Praamaanik and the National Blockchain Portal. Was it built by one ministry alone, or by a group of institutions?
What to Study: What is a regulatory sandbox, and what has the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) used one for? May cryptocurrency services be tested in the RBI's sandbox, or only other blockchain applications? Remember named public uses of blockchain: TRAI's use for commercial SMS, the National Informatics Centre's certificate, document and property chains, and Karnataka's drug supply chain.