Bitcoin and Blockchain for Pythoneers [EuroPython 2017 - Talk - 2017-07-10 - Anfiteatro 1] [Rimini, Italy] Why should a Python programmer be interested in Bitcoin and the Blockchain technology? Blockchain technology is one of the fastest moving part in the Fintech area. However, the Blockchain is not only the basis of crypto currencies. First of all it’s a decentralized registry that cannot be modified. This means that using a Blockchain, users can trust in the validity of a dataset without the need to establish a central authority. Thus, the Blockchain can be used to store records e.g. of land ownership or and other property rights in countries with weak or corrupt or otherwise incompetent authorities. Therefore, Python programmers with an understanding of this technology are especially well prepared to contribute in this area, because the agility inherent to Python makes it easy to program in a fast moving environment. The fact that various applications in the Bitcoin and Blockchain area are implemented in Python prove this notion. However, the reverse is also true: An understanding of the distributed ledger technology possibly enables you to solve problems in projects you encounter in the near future. In this talk, I will present the following topics: • The Blockchain architecture: nodes, transactions, headers. • The Bitcoin protocol and its proof of work (POW) • Smart contracts • Bitcoin alternatives: Proof-of-work (PoW) compared to Proof-of-stake (PoS