Blockchain account
--
What are blockchain accounts?
In other to interact with a blockchain you need an account but these are a different type of account from what you might be used to.
In web2.0 the client-server architecture dominance where a single entity which is usually a company runs a set of computers called server, users connect to them from their own device called clients for example; their phones or web browsers.
Now we are entering the web3.0 era the Peer-to-Peer architecture dominance where nobody is a client and nobody is a server, instead everyone are each others peers.
Instead of access to an account being authorized by username and password, in web3 you use a private key and a public key, instead of storing data in a database that is controlled by single entity in web3 you store it in a distributed ledger.
Since there is no entity in charge of managing or administering username and password; the way that you create an account is fundamentally different.
First an extremely large number is generated at random, this number needs to be so large for entropy reasons but it is practically impossible to guess, the difficulty of guessing this number is what keeps your account secure. This very large number is your private key keep it secret at all times.
The private key is converted into another number and this is the public key. It is done using a process that can only occur in one direction meaning you can not guess the private key if you know the public key and the one direction process also keeps your account secure.
Finally your public key is converted from a number into a string or text representation, this is your address and it is done purely for convenient.
This might sound intimidating but not to worry you only need to understand how this work in detail if you are creating wallet software or developing some other aspect of blockchain technology otherwise the main takeaway here is you must never reveal your private key, think of it similarly to a password that you can never reset, your public key and address on the other hand you can reveal them to anyone who wishes to interact with you they do not need to be kept secret.
