العقود الذكية هي برامج حاسوبية تعمل على تنفيذ الاتفاقات تلقائيًا عندما يتم استيفاء شروط معينة مسبقًا. تُستخدم هذه العقود بشكل شائع في أنظمة البلوكشين، مثل الإيثيريوم، حيث يتم تسجيلها وتأمينها بطريقة تجعلها قابلة للتحقق وغير قابلة للتغيير. تتميز العقود الذكية بالشفافية، وتقليل الحاجة إلى الوسطاء، وتسريع العمليات، مما يجعلها أداة فعالة لإنجاز الاتفاقات في مجالات متعددة مثل التمويل، العقارات، واللوجستيات.

Definition and Example of Smart Contracts

Smart contracts are software applications that operate using blockchain technology. They can be used to issue new digital currency tokens, operate decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), and enforce other financial and legal agreements.

How Smart Contracts Work

Smart contracts work similarly to cryptocurrencies using blockchain technology. By employing the logic “if this, then that,” smart contracts resemble digital vending machines. The smart contract must go through several steps to function correctly, starting from its creation and addition to the blockchain, to its execution and public confirmation via a blockchain explorer.

How to Use Smart Contracts

Smart contracts are utilized in various applications, including financial agreements and services, legal contracts, real estate transactions, governance of autonomous organizations, trading of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), healthcare management, supply chain documentation, public record keeping in the public sector, and voting processes.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Smart Contracts

Advantages:

• Transparency: Everyone can access smart contracts on the blockchain network.
• Efficiency: Smart contracts can be programmed to execute automatically.
• Security: Smart contracts benefit from the security features of blockchain technology.

Disadvantages:

• Requires technical computer knowledge: While using smart contracts can be simple, creating them requires programming knowledge.
• Limited adoption so far: Smart contracts still have tremendous potential, but they have not yet spread widely beyond the cryptocurrency community.

Do I Need Smart Contracts?

You do not need smart contracts. These digital contracts have many important uses and advantages over traditional agreements, but smart contracts have not yet widespread acceptance. It is likely that smart contracts will become more prevalent in the future, as major digital asset platforms like Ethereum are already extensively using them.

Source: https://www.thebalancemoney.com/what-are-smart-contracts-5215826