go-blockchain

This project demonstrates a basic blockchain implementation in Go. It includes features such as SHA-256 hashing for blocks, a simple proof-of-work (PoW) mining system, TCP connections for node communication, and a REST API for interacting with the blockchain. The REST API allows adding transactions and mining new blocks.

Features

SHA-256 hashing for blocks, similar to Bitcoin.
Simple proof-of-work algorithm for mining blocks.
REST API for managing transactions and mining.
Merkle tree calculation for transactions within a block.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Go (1.20 or later recommended)
Postman (for testing the REST API, optional)

Installation

Clone the repository to your local machine.
Navigate to the project directory.
Use go get -u github.com/gin-gonic/gin to install the Gin framework, which is required for the REST API.

Running the Project

Build the project with go build -o go-blockchain.
Run the server specifying the port (e.g., ./go-blockchain -port=8080).

REST API Usage

You can interact with the blockchain using the following REST endpoints:

POST /transactions/new: Add a new transaction to the blockchain.

Example request body:

{
  "Sender": "sender_address",
  "Recipient": "recipient_address",
  "Amount": 10
}

GET /mine: Mine a new block with the current transactions.

Use a tool like Postman or curl to make requests to these endpoints.

Testing

A Postman collection is included for easy testing of the REST API. Import the collection into Postman and adjust the port as necessary.

Customization

You can customize the blockchain parameters, such as difficulty level and port number, by modifying the source code.

Contributing

Contributions to this project are welcome. Please fork the repository and submit a pull request with your changes.

License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

rafaelescrich/go-blockchain