README.md

btc_light

btc_light is a simplified Bitcoin-like blockchain implementation in Python, developed for educational purposes.

Features

• Blockchain Ledger

  • Block creation with index, transactions, timestamp, previous hash, nonce, and current hash.
  • Genesis block initialization.
  • Proof of Work (PoW) mining with adjustable difficulty.

• Transactions

  • Public-private key cryptography for secure transaction signing and verification.
  • Transaction signing ensures authenticity and integrity.

• Mining and Consensus

  • Mining logic to solve PoW puzzles and add new blocks.
  • Static block rewards for miners.

• Wallets

  • Key pair generation and address creation.
  • Balance inquiry and transaction creation via a Command-Line Interface (CLI).

• TO DO

  • To implement UTXO model
  • To implement networking
  • To implement peer discovery
  • To implement smart contracts

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/MaxAurelius/btc_light.git
   cd btc_light

2. Set Up Virtual Environment

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install Dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

Quick tests

• test.sh

  Executes a sequence of CLI commands to create wallets, mine blocks, send transactions, and check balances.

  ./test.sh

• clean.sh

  Cleans up the blockchain and wallet data by removing JSON files.

  ./clean.sh

Usage

Interact with the blockchain using the Command-Line Interface (CLI) or provided scripts.

Command-Line Interface (CLI)

The CLI allows you to perform various operations such as creating wallets, checking balances, sending transactions, and mining blocks.

Available Commands

• Create Wallet

  Create a new wallet with a unique label.

  python3 -m scripts.cli create_wallet <label>

  Example:

  python3 -m scripts.cli create_wallet Alice

• Check Balance

  Check the balance of a specific wallet.

  python3 -m scripts.cli check_balance <label>

  Example:

  python3 -m scripts.cli check_balance Alice

• Send Transaction

  Send a specified amount from one wallet to another.

  python3 -m scripts.cli send_transaction <from_label> <to_label> <amount>

  Example:

  python3 -m scripts.cli send_transaction Alice Bob 20

• Mine Block

  Mine pending transactions and receive block rewards.

  python3 -m scripts.cli mine_block <miner_label>

  Example:

  python3 -m scripts.cli mine_block Alice

• View Blockchain

  View the latest blocks in the blockchain.

  python3 -m scripts.cli view_chain [--num_blocks <number>]

  Example:

  python3 -m scripts.cli view_chain --num_blocks 10

• Validate Blockchain

  Verify the integrity and validity of the entire blockchain.

  python3 -m scripts.cli is_valid

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