Merkle tree

A Merkle tree is a data structure that organizes data into a network of hashes (unique digital fingerprints). Each piece of data is hashed, then combined with other hashes and re-hashed, forming a tree-like structure. The top hash, called the root, summarizes all the data beneath it. This allows efficient and secure verification of large amounts of data, because you can confirm that a specific piece of data is part of the tree by checking its hashes up to the root, without needing to review all the data. Merkle trees are commonly used in cryptocurrencies and data integrity systems.