ProtoSchool | Decentralized Data Structures - Data Structures

Before we dive into the code challenges, let's take a moment to look at some of the concepts behind the decentralized web. Unlike our other tutorials, this one is code-free and is specifically designed to introduce you to some of the key terms you'll encounter in ProtoSchool.

Let’s get started!

Whether you are a programmer or not, you are surrounded by data structures every day. Lists, dictionaries, and directories all help us organize information and think about the relationships between various data.

From Wikipedia:

In computer science, a data structure is a data organization, management, and storage format that enables efficient access and modification. More precisely, a data structure is a collection of data values, the relationships between them, and the functions or operations that can be applied to the data.

In programming, data structures are everywhere. The way data is organized into variables so that they can be used in a program involves hundreds of thousands to millions of data structures. If you are a developer, you are probably familiar with common data structures like arrays, objects, graphs, etc.

On a decentralized web, where we access data directly from peers rather than from a central authority, we need specialized data structures that allow us to verify and link various content.

Data structures shared through decentralized systems must be verifiable. On a single system (such as your own laptop), you have a higher level of trust in the data structures you use in memory or on disk. But in a decentralized system, trust between peers is less, or even zero.

Large data structures must also be able to be distributed among many peers and linked together to achieve decentralization. Just as any web page can link to another web page at another location, decentralized data structures make interconnected data networks possible.

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