Immutability in blockchain

The immutability of the blockchain, which effectively means that data on the blockchain cannot be modified, is one of the most frequently debated characteristics of blockchain technology.

Here we will discuss how this immutability is possible and what are its benefits and drawbacks.

So when we say that blockchain is immutable, we mean that data on the blockchain remain permanent once it is added to the blockchain in form of a block. We have discussed how the block is added by mining in our previous blog. To read about mining and minors click here.

So once mined, a block can not be changed according to the theoretical concept of immutability. But that’s not how it works on a practical level.

Technically, it could be modified, but doing so would take a lot of resources. In such an instance, the network is no longer immutable if one entity has control over 50% of it. However, doing so would cost an almost insurmountable amount of resources, making a credible blockchain essentially unchangeable.

To analyze the given case, let’s suppose there is a node/ person which controls over 50% of resources, then as he holds a majority, he can approve any change making it mutable, but then it is very much hypothetical and almost impossible for a large blockchain system.

To answer the question of why it is immutable in the first place, the answer is that changing the data would necessitate the consensus of numerous, independently operating nodes, which is not in their best interest. The nodes are encouraged to act honorably.

So this system is immutable not because it can not be changed, however, it is because it is impossible to change the data through the way it can be consented to change, hence it is very secure yet decentralized.

Another reason for its immutability is that each block of data containing information about transactions has a hash, which is an alphanumeric representation of a cryptographic idea. A unique hash value is generated for each block. Every block that follows carries a hash for both itself and the block before it in order to guarantee that connections are made backward. Changing the hash value between the first and last blocks is now necessary for any incursion, which is virtually impossible.

So to sum up the entire discussion so far, the term “immutable data” refers to information that is permanently stored on a blockchain and cannot be altered. A blockchain ledger’s immutability refers to its capacity to maintain consistency. For instance, if I make a transaction with some data and my name is included, the transaction will go to the miners. If everything goes according to plan, the transaction will then be published in a block and the information will be distributed and stored in all nodes that support this network. This transaction will theoretically remain in the blockchain forever or until all nodes in this network are gone if there is no chain organization, which is the typical scenario.

Immutability has the potential to increase the trust and integrity of the data that businesses use and share every day while also streamlining the auditing process and making it more cost-effective.

Immutability of blockchain has the following benefits

Efficiency gains — Keeping a complete historical record is helpful for audits, but it also opens up new possibilities for analytics, queries, and other business activities. For example, FlureeDB makes use of the idea of time travel for business applications, allowing users to specify queries as belonging to any block, or point in time, and instantly recreate that moment’s version of the database.

Full Data Integrity — Blockchain-powered ledgers can ensure the complete history and data trail of an application since once a transaction is added to the blockchain, it remains there as a representation of the ledger up to that point in time. The block hashes can be calculated again at any moment to verify the chain’s integrity; if there is a difference between the block data and its matching hash, the transactions are invalid. As a result, businesses and the industry’s authorities can swiftly spot data manipulation.

This capability enables a variety of time and money saves, such as pinpointing the origin of significant issues, auditing particular application data, and backing up and restoring database state changes in order to retrieve data. The most recent data issues that afflict enterprise applications may become irrelevant due to immutability.

Proof of Fault — Business disagreements about fault are all too frequent. Even while this vast category of judicial actions won’t be entirely eliminated, blockchain might be used to resolve most disagreements about the provenance and integrity of data (essentially proving who did what and at what time). Blockchain finality enables a jury and us to completely believe all of the evidence.