What is the architecture behind the blockchain?

As I mentioned earlier, the blockchain is not just a distributed database; it includes advanced software and security techniques to create a network of nodes (peers) that are always in sync, where each node validates and verifies transactions and blocks redundantly in order to reach consensus, and it provides a platform to run decentralized applications. To achieve this, the blockchain or digital ledger technology is built upon a layered architecture. In most cases, this contains four or five layers, namely the data layer, network layer, consensus layer, incentive layer, and application layer.