Digital Signatures and How It Works in a blockchain.

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The process of securing communications using cryptography back then has been replaced by digital signatures which became a reality in the year 1970 as a result of the public key cryptography development. These digital signature is a cryptographic mechanism used to verify and validate the authenticity and integrity of digital datas.

It is more like a digital code that is attached to a document which acts as proof that the documents hasn't been tampered with when it was on its way from the sender to the receiver. This is after the code has been generated. Sound may consider of view it as a digital form of signing a document compared to the one done physically using a pen. This digital signature works differently in a way that can't be understood if we don't understand the basics of public key cryptography and hash functions.

This public key cryptograph is more secure than symmetric encryption methods. It is a cryptographic system that uses pair of keys such as one private and one public key mathematically related and can also be used for the encryption of datas. It's allows for data encryption with the public key and the private key is used for decryption. The public key cryptography is also used in generating digital signatures of which hashing a message or digital data with the signer of the documents private key is involved.

When this happens, the receiver of the message can check if the signature is a valid one by using the public key of which the signer gave or provided. Digital signatures are used by bitcoin blockchains as well as the public cryptograph without an encryption process. To authenticate transactions, Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm would be deployed by bitcoin technically.

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The hash function is an important element in digital signature system and can't be done without. The process of hashing involves transformation of data by a special algorithms known as hash functions of any size into a fixed-size output. The fixed-size output generated by the algorithm called the hash function is called the hash value. When combining cryptography with hashing, the cryptographic hash function can be used to generate a hash value that acts as a digital signature or unique fingerprint so to speak, meaning that any change in the message would lead to a different output or hash value.

That is the main reason cryptographic hash functions are used in verifying and validating how authentic a digital data is.

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A digital signature consists of three basic steps which includes; verifying signing and hashing. Chronologically, the hashing comes before signing then verifying. let's see how these steps goes.

• Hashing the data: hashing the data involves submitting the data through a hashing algorithm so that the hash value can be generated. the messages can vary in size not until they are all hashed which makes there has value have same length instead of varying in sizes. The data for cryptocurrencies is always hashed because fixed length message digest enhances the whole process.

• Signing: After hashing the message or digital data, the digital data must be signed by the sender of the message. Public key cryptographic comes to play in this step. Each of the different type of signature algorithm has its particular mechanism. The signing is always done with a private key and the receiver of the signed message will then validate using the public key the sender provided. If the private key is not included when the signature is generated, the message won't be able to be assessed by the receiver as he won't be able to use the corresponding private key to validate the validity of the message.

i.e to say both private and public key at generated by the sender but the sender can only share his public key to the receiver of the message. it is more like handwritten signatures but the digital signature must have a different signature on each digitally signed message unlike and written that is always the same

In my next post, I will use a comprehensive illustration to explain the last step which is verification. In summary, we have come to understand what in digital signature is and how it works. It saves like a kind of protection to users from unauthorised users or access.

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Disclaimer :Any financial and crypto market information provided in this post was written for informational purposes only and does not constitute 100% investment advice. It's just basic knowledge every crypto trader or investor should have