Blockchain: The Technology Revolutionizing Mobile App Security

If you have not heard of blockchain, you are living under a rock. This technology has taken over almost every field including healthcare, real estate, education, and more. This is due to its two main features- decentralization and security. Mobile applications are not spared either. The involvement of blockchain in the mobile app industry, be it for Android or iPhone application development offers numerous benefits to the users and businesses.

About the technology

A blockchain is a distributed and usually public digital ledger that stores transactions in the form of records called blocks. Blockchain forms a chain of interlinked transactions which are authenticated at each step with the use of private keys. The process of extracting the data and creating these blocks in a sequential format is known as mining.

Whenever data of some sort is stored, a hash is created simultaneously. The hash is used to protect the transaction block and the data inside it. This is done by converting the data into an output of a fixed length. Every block is connected to each other through references to the previous and next hash. The block itself will have a hash of the current transaction. This makes it possible to track the ledger in real-time, every time a block is added. The verification algorithm makes it possible to check if any changes have been made when compared to the original data with the hash in the system. This prevents data manipulation done with malicious intent.

Decentralization removes the need for a middleman or third party. The data about the user is only handled by the user himself/herself. Any new records or changes in the previous records do not require going to another company or government officials. This builds the trust of users in the technology. They know that their data cannot be misused and that keeps their mind at ease. Advertising campaigns do not require too many agents either.

How blockchain secures mobile apps

Blockchain technology has numerous uses when it comes to mobile app development and enhancement. The process followed by any blockchain app development company is the same. For any form of communication inside the mobile application, blockchain uses metadata that is scattered in the distributed ledger. Cryptography enables the assignment of unique encrypted keys to individuals for security reasons. These allow data transparency as the user can store and manage all the data at one place. This data is in a decentralized system and only the people involved have access to the updates, code, logs, and other related stuff anytime and anywhere.

Any changes made have an associated timestamp to avoid tampering of any form that the users themselves cannot temper with. The technology also mitigates the possibility of similar or fake transactions at once. All these factors make it impossible to hack the data.

This means that by storing data of the mobile app on the Blockchain platform, no one except the people involved can access it or perform any other actions. Authentication of users and their devices is done to ensure that no identity theft occurs irrespective of it being Android or iPhone application development. In terms of blockchain language, a smart contract is simply a program that executes when a buyer and seller agree to the terms and conditions involved during business. This is how power is exercised over assets in this distributed ledger system.

In addition, blockchain development services are highly profitable and give a maximum return on investment (ROI). There are no large investments involved initially for creating a mobile application integrated with blockchain.

Implementation process

Blockchain technology in mobile application development services secures the entire system against any possible attacks or damage of any other form. To add blockchain to your app, you need to understand the features that will be changed accordingly. That can be defined by what transactions need to be authenticated. Besides verifying the user, take the example of payments done on an app.

This would require implementing blockchain to record and store the history. Even users in remote areas will be able to use digital wallets to store their assets. This makes it easier for them to perform day to day activities such as taking loans. Another purpose would be securing the files and other forms of data that are stored in the mobile app.

Next, understand how the technology works and plan how to incorporate it for security. Numerous blockchain platforms have come up in the market to ensure the process of building for application developers is streamlined. The choice of blockchain platform depends on your purpose and requirements. You can also consult any blockchain app development company. Some of the blockchain platforms to make your application more secure than its alternatives are discussed next.

● Ethereum:

Ethereum virtual machine enables developers to launch customized blockchain services and projects in any domain including mobile applications. It has a vast community usage and support backing it.

● Hyper Ledger:

The platform follows a modular approach to building which enables designing only the necessary functionalities. It is easily scalable for enterprise-based solutions.

● R3 Corda:

Developed by the R3 Consortium, R3 Corda is an open-source blockchain platform implemented across Kotlin or Java. It follows the asynchronous Byzantine Fault tolerance algorithms. The cost of mobile app development is low with this technology.

● EOS:

EOS is a free, open-source platform that offers functionalities such as hosting, smart contracts, and enterprise storage solutions. With its huge community support and forum for developers, it is quite useful for custom mobile application development services.

Conclusion

Given the advantages of blockchain such as decentralized activities, immutability, smart contracts, and automation, it is only a matter of time before it becomes mainstream. Given the growing digital world, it is one of the best ways of mitigating cyber attacks. Numerous providers of blockchain development services will come up. Companies will undoubtedly be adding it to their applications in the coming years to beat the competition and win the trust of customers.