A client is software that can access and process blockchain transactions on a local computer. A common application of this is a cryptocurrency software wallet.
In computer science, a client is a piece of software or hardware (or an individual using such tools) that connects to the server in a client-server relationship, or to the rest of the network in a
peer-to-peer environment. It allows end-users to remotely interact with other entities over the Internet.
In the
cryptocurrency industry, software clients are used to connect to and interact with the
blockchain network. As part of their operation, clients communicate with other
nodes on the network.
Cryptocurrency clients are employed in numerous use cases. One of these is for
miners, software that manages the operation of its user’s
mining equipment and communicates the calculated
hashes to the blockchain network.
Another example is a
wallet, which allows users to deposit, store, send, receive and withdraw cryptocurrency coins and tokens. These often come with streamlined graphical user interfaces (GUIs) which allow even relatively unsophisticated users to easily manage their crypto funds.
There are also
block explorers, which are used to access blockchain data, such as
block height, current
hashrate, overall transaction
volume and individual
transactions and more in a format that is easily readable by a human.