Like the name indicates, a blockchain is a chain of blocks that contains information. This technique was originally described in 1991 by a group of researchers and was originally intended to timestamp digital documents so that it is not possible to backdate them or to tamper with them, working almost as a notary.

 

It went unused until 2009, when Satoshi Nakamoto adapted it to create the digital cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. A blockchain can be defined as a distributed ledger that is completely open to anyone. Once some data has been recorded inside a blockchain, it becomes very difficult to change it.

"Blockchain.com got its start as an early pioneer of key infrastructure for the bitcoin community," reads the blockchain.com website.

 

Are you looking to request bitcoin from a friend? You can either generate a payment request or send them an address following the steps below.

1. Click on Request in the top of your wallet and select Bitcoin from the Currency drop-down menu.
2. In the Receive To drop-down menu, choose the wallet that you want to receive bitcoin.
3. Click Copy to copy the newly generated address to your clipboard and share with the sender OR click View QR Code so the sender can scan your address’ QR code directly from your phone.

Please note: your Blockchain wallet will generate a unique bitcoin address each time you want to receive funds.

To create a bitcoin payment request instead, follow the steps below.

1. Click on Request in the top of your wallet and select Bitcoin from the Currency drop-down menu.
2. Enter the amount you’re requesting and a description for the request, then click Next to generate a payment request link.
3. To modify the details of your payment request, click Back to return to the previous steps.

Otherwise, click Copy Link to copy the payment request link to your clipboard and share it with the sender. Please note: anyone with this link will be able to see your address and the amount you have requested.

1. Once you’ve shared the payment request link, click the X in the upper-right corner to close your Request window.
2. To monitor any incoming and outgoing bitcoin transactions, visit your Bitcoin tab in the left side navigation of your wallet.