What Are Smart Contracts?

Smart contracts can be considered as a secure registration procedure, because its execution and coding effects (such as value transfer between parties) are strictly enforced, and transactions with specific contract details are entered into the blockchain or distributed It cannot be changed after the account book. This is because the actual execution of the contract is monitored and verified by the platform, not by any server program connected to the platform. These digital contracts are trustless, autonomous, decentralized and transparent, and once implemented, they are usually irreversible and immutable.

They are improving security through various programming languages, creating alternatives such as secret contracts, and developing methods to automatically archive the history of smart contracts in a readable format that is easier to read than using the blockchain. The role of smart contracts are complex, and their potential goes beyond simple asset transfers-they can execute transactions in a wide range of fields, from legal procedures to insurance premiums, from crowdfunding agreements to financial derivatives. However, this automation and the fact that smart contracts cannot be easily modified or terminated, unless the parties enable these features when creating smart contracts, represent some of the biggest challenges to the widespread adoption of smart contracts. Although the underlying blockchain technology supports smart contracts, they also need to be protected constructively because certain functions or errors in their code can be exploited.


This has happened many times in the past and remains one of the biggest challenges for wider adoption. The technical complexity of changes and the inability to handle complex transactions are some of the problems that smart contracts need to solve in order to achieve mass adoption. Brokers, automation, and time saving The large number of brokers and intermediaries involved in traditional contracts slows down the process that usually takes days or even weeks.

Therefore, developers can program smart contracts, although more and more organizations use blockchain for business to provide templates, web interfaces, and other online tools to simplify the structure of smart contracts. In other words, since the smart contract code runs on the public ledger of the blockchain, the rules can be applied not only to the company that encodes the smart contract, but also to other trading partners that are allowed on the blockchain.

Basically, once certain conditions of the smart contract are met—the goods arrive at the port and the two parties agree to exchange cryptocurrency—they can automatically transfer bitcoin, fiat currency, or receive a shipment of goods, which allows them to continue their journey. The blockchain acts as a kind of database, confirming that the transaction has occurred, and the smart contract meets the predetermined conditions; the smart contract is regarded as a computer programmed with operating conditions. As explained by the 22-year-old Ethereum programmer Vitalik Buterin at the DC Blockchain Summit, in the smart contract method, assets or currencies are transferred to the program, the program executes this code and automatically checks the status at some point. And Automatically determine whether the asset should be transferred to one person or returned to another person, or should be immediately returned to the person who sent it, or both. It is a decentralized system, so due to this ownership, There is no need for an intermediary when signing the contract.

It is a simple escrow agreement that is hard-coded to be deployed on the Ethereum blockchain and negotiates between buyers and sellers on behalf of an arbitrator to complete the same work as promised. The National Institute of Standards and Technology describes “smart contracts” as “a collection of codes and data (sometimes called functions and states) distributed on a blockchain network using cryptographic signature transactions.” Szabo defines a smart contract as a computerized transaction agreement that meets the terms of the contract. Szabo initially described smart contracts for various main purposes, such as reducing fraud and enforcing contract agreements, but later elaborated on the possible uses of the technology in terms of digital currency, intellectual property, etc. in a 1996 paper.

In 1994, legal scholar and cryptographer Nick Szabo realized that decentralized ledgers can be used for smart contracts, also known as auto-executing contracts, blockchain contracts, or digital contracts. This idea was proposed in the 1990s by Nick Szabo, a pioneer of modern computing, who defined it as a set of virtual promises and related agreements to achieve them. In 2008, Bitcoin cryptocurrency was developed using a blockchain platform, which consists of digital and distributed ledgers that track currency transactions.

This technology allowed the development of a smart contract code that is used to insert all the terms of the contract into the blockchain. In this format, contracts can be converted into computer code, stored and replicated in a system, and controlled by a network of computers running the blockchain. In his article, Szabo also proposed contracting for synthetic assets such as derivatives and bonds.

The working principle of the Ethereum blockchain is similar to that of the Bitcoin blockchain; a computer (or node) network runs software to confirm transactions on the network. The Ethereum platform uses a currency called Ether, which is used to pay transaction fees. Unlike most blockchain networks that are described as distributed ledgers, Ethereum is considered a distributed state machine that includes the so-called Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).

Transactions are also processed on the blockchain to realize the automation of payments and counterparties. One of the main advantages of blockchain networks is the automation of tasks that traditionally require third-party intermediaries. Blockchain authentication is a method of maintaining the security of cryptocurrency, and it will process all transactions in one contract; therefore, no intermediary is needed to complete the transaction.

Converting business rules to code does not automatically translate the result into a legally binding agreement between the parties involved (which is actually a contract). The end result is that for user agreements that are not based on an existing model, the parties may need to enter into a written agreement with the smart contract programmer, as opposed to an agreement that the parties may enter into with an electronic data service provider. Exchange Transactions (EDI) today.

In a hybrid contract that uses text and code, the text must clearly indicate the code of the smart contract with which it is associated, and the parties must have full visibility of the variables that are passed to the smart contract, their definitions and transactions. the events they will fire .. code execution. The code may be the only manifestation of an agreement between the parties, or it may complement a traditional textual contract and fulfill certain provisions, such as transferring funds from Part A to Part B. The agreement is inserted into the blockchain, making it permanent and irreversible.

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