What is a Smart Contract?

Parcl
8 min readJun 16, 2022

Whether you’re just getting into crypto, or are a seasoned “OG”, chances are high you’ve come across the term “smart contract.” Smart contracts play an incredibly important role in blockchain technology and crypto as a whole.

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about what a smart contract is, and why smart contracts play a critical role in the further adoption of cryptocurrency.‍

What is a smart contract? An inside look at the blockchain technology‍

Smart contracts are simply code stored on the blockchain that run when certain conditions occur. In general, the code is open and transparent, and functions without the need of approval from any additional party. Smart contracts can automate and verify a wide variety of tasks and functions, and help “decentralize” everything from finance, and to insurance, and more.

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Smart contracts were first proposed in the early 1990s by Nick Szabo, who coined the term and continued play an essential role in crypto today.‍

Essentially, you can write a protocol (smart contract) that’ll execute an agreement or verify a piece of…

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Parcl
Parcl

Written by Parcl

A Blockchain-based digital real estate protocol — delivering real estate to everyone.

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