What is a Merkle Tree?. A Merkle tree is a structure that summarizes many items with one root hash, enabling efficient inclusion proofs.
How it works
Leaves are hashed, then combined pairwise up the tree. Verifiers check a short path rather than the entire dataset.
Why it matters
Merkle trees make light clients and scalable proofs practical.
Common pitfalls
- Misordering leaves and invalidating proofs
- Using different hashing schemes without noting it
- Exposing private data when publishing leaves
Quick example
An exchange proves user balances with a Merkle root so each customer can verify inclusion privately.
See also
- Hashing
- Proof of Reserves
- Light Client
TL;DR: What is a Merkle Tree? defined in plain English with practical next steps.
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