  Blockchain technology, beyond cryptocurrencies, is called to be the new
information exchange ecosystem due to its unique properties, such as
immutability and transparency. The main objective of this work is to introduce
the design of a decentralized rental system, which leverages smart contracts
and the Ethereum public blockchain. The work started from an exhaustive
investigation on the Ethereum platform, emphasizing the aspect of cryptography
and all the technology behind this platform. In order to test the proposed
scheme in a realistic use, the implementation of a web application for the
rental of vehicles has been carried out. The application covers the entire
vehicle rental process offered in traditional web applications, adding more
autonomy and ease of use to users. Following Ethereum application development
guidelines, all business logic is located in the smart contracts implemented in
the Ethereum network, where these contracts control the entire vehicle rental
system of customers. While this is a work in progress, the results obtained in
the first proof of concept have been very promising.
