Bitcoin time stamping: How does it work?
Seal data integrity in dated blocks
General principle
Bitcoin’s timestamp makes it possible to build a cryptographic link between the digital fingerprint of a piece of data and a block of the blockchain that can be verified in any circumstance after the fact.
This principle, called anchoring, allows the data to be time-stamped, because each block has a timestamp that results from the decentralized autonomous consensus of the protocol.
What is the purpose of time stamping?
Time stamping is used to prove the integrity of data over time. If you have time-stamped a piece of data, you can prove to any external auditor that it has not been modified since a given date. Time stamping can be particularly useful for financial data of any kind: invoices, financial reports, etc.
How to time-stamp data with Woleet?
Woleet offers a very simple system that integrates seamlessly with all information systems that produce data or document flows. For all these tools, the process of creating opposable evidence always respects the following steps:
- Calculation of the local file fingerprint
- Send the fingerprint to the Woleet API for anchoring
- Download and archive the proof
Timestamp automation tools
Woleet offers tools to simplify the automation of time stamping of files:
- woleet-cli : is a command line tool, allowing to automate the creation of timestamp proofs when coupled with a tool like CRON.
- ProofKeeper : which is its equivalent in graphic mode, allowing you to configure specific directories to monitor on your workstation.
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