What Does This Course Offer?

This course will guide you through the process of creating a blockchain, from the initial concept to the launching of a private node.

Introduction to the technology

Blockchain technology is a revolutionary new way of recording and storing data that has the potential to revolutionize the way we do business and manage information. It is a distributed, digital ledger that can record transactions between two or more parties in a secure, verifiable, and permanent way. Blockchain technology is based on a peer-to-peer network of computers that can store and verify transactions without the need for a third party or centralized authority. Any number of users can access the blockchain, and all participants have a copy of the ledger, which is updated in real time.

Ethereum is a decentralized open-source blockchain, enabling developers to create powerful applications (smart contracts) that can store data and execute complex operations. Smart contracts are stored and replicated on the blockchain and supervised by a network of computers that can execute their code, allowing trusted transactions and agreements to be carried out among anonymous parties without the need for a central authority, legal system, or external enforcement mechanism.

Geth (Go Ethereum) is an open-source, community-driven blockchain software platform. It enables users to set up their own private blockchain networks, build decentralized applications, and interact with the blockchain networks.

The learning path

In this course, you’ll learn the basics of how to create a blockchain from scratch. The concepts presented here are split into small and easy-to-understand pieces, frequently supported by images and interactive playgrounds.

After each chapter, you'll be able to test your understanding of what yo've learned so far with a quiz. We’ll go through a well-defined learning path specially designed for beginners.

The road starts with a curious person with several questions, i.e., you. Questions are always a good thing as they give you the energy and the will to walk the path.

By the end of this course, you’ll have a solid understanding of how a blockchain works and you’ll be able to build your working blockchain and related cryptocurrency.

Key takeaway skills

During the journey, you’ll be introduced to the basics of cryptography and you’ll learn what a cryptographic hash function is, how asymmetric encryption works, and how a digital signature is created and verified.

Then, you’ll learn the blockchain technology fundamentals and gain a confident understanding of decentralization and all the key elements of a blockchain such as the security, the transactions, and consensus mechanisms. You’ll learn what a cryptocurrency is and what its role in a blockchain ecosystem is.

The journey continues on to the Ethereum blockchain, where you’ll become familiar with the Ethereum Virtual Machine, smart contracts, decentralized apps, and Ethereum clients.

Following that, you’ll create your first smart contract in Solidity language, and then you’ll deploy and test it (through the Hardhat development environment) to understand how to use blockchain to create applications and to store and change data.

Finally, you’ll set up and create a private blockchain node with Geth and put into practice everything you have learned.

Intended audience

The course is well suited for beginners interested in blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies who want to learn more about the underlying technological ecosystem.

We think that this course will be particularly appreciated by people who:

• Are fascinated by the blockchain and cryptocurrency world

• Want to truly understand the technology behind them

• Want to take a closer look at how things work with Ethereum

• Want to start developing smart contracts

• Want to be qualified when discussing blockchain

• Want the option to practice what they’re learning

Prerequisites

Prior knowledge of Javascript is not required, but it's helpful in some lessons. There are no other specific requirements.