Merkle tree
termcryptographyprogramming
A tree of hashes that lets you verify one item belongs to a large set efficiently.
Introduced by Ralph Merkle in 1979, a Merkle tree hashes data in pairs up to a single root, so a small proof can confirm any leaf without rehashing everything. It underpins version control, blockchains, and many integrity systems.
Also known as: merkle-tree, hash tree
Sources
- Ralph Merkle, 1979