Blockchain

Blockchain is a narrow tool with a specific strength: proving that something existed at a point in time, verifiably and without a trusted party.

What it is good for

Anything that requires a shared record nobody can quietly rewrite: timestamps, provenance, ownership claims. The value comes from the immutability, not from the word blockchain.

Genuine use cases

• Proving when content was published, for copyright or disinformation
• Supply-chain provenance across parties who do not trust each other
• Auditable records where no single party should control the log

What it is not good for

Storing data, which is expensive and public. Replacing a database you already control, which adds cost and removes flexibility for no gain. Anything where a signed database row and an audit log would do the job for a fraction of the complexity.

The honest test

Ask whether anyone involved has an incentive to falsify the record and whether any single party is trusted to hold it. If nobody would falsify it, or one party is genuinely trusted, you do not need a chain.

Sections

Start with an introduction to blockchain, or go directly to WordPress and blockchain and plagiarism detection.