50 Days Blockchain Marathon— Learn Blockchain for Free

I first heard the term ‘Blockchain’ in 2008 and ignored it like many other things in life. Fast forward, it’s 2024 and I wondered if I should jump to Blockchain bandwagon. Several questions popped up in my mind — What blockchain is all about? What’s Zero Knowledge Proof? Is smart contract really smart? Is bitcoin a scam, a Ponzi scheme, a new age currency? No, then what it is? And why are people buying PEPE token(with a market cap of 4.6 billion USD as on 15th May, 2024). All of these questions and several others bothered me. So, I started reading and got overwhelmed with vast material, bootcamps, courses and the technicalities very soon. I went through Reddit, Quora to see how others navigated their learning journey in this vast ocean of knowledge. I downloaded more than 20 blockchain learning apps from the Playstore. None of them were helpful! I typed on google ‘Learn blockchain’ and got 166 Million search results. By chance I found an interesting learning guide from a man called Haseeb Qureshi however it was written 6 years back and Web3 has undergone massive development since then.

I was overwhelmed with the vast information out there and totally confused on where to start. Some internet blokes recommended reading white / yellow paper of ethereum and bitcoin as a starting point! I did that and realised very soon that it’s not a wise thing to do! There is an ample of content out there but it is disorganised or outdated. For example — You may not want to read on how Ethereum proof of work operates. It is not relevant any more.

I compiled all the concepts I encountered daily while learning into an Excel sheet and then decided to tackle each one. The total number of concepts ended up being over 200! Here is that sheet.

I created my own learning path based on the current state of Web3 and challenged myself to gain knowledge about it in the next 50 days. On the 51st day, I don’t consider myself an expert in blockchain or Web3. I’m about 80% there, with the remaining 20% focused on understanding the finer details of different technologies. It’s impossible for one person to master everything in Web3, just as no one can be an expert in all of Web2. It’s like saying you want to master Web2 — no one does, and no one needs to. Just learning JavaScript, which is probably 0.1% of the entire Web2 technology ecosystem, is enough to keep you employed for the rest of your life.

A quick disclaimer before you jump on the learning journey —

• Everyday when you read/watch/listen, you would encounter a new idea, a new technology, a new mathematical concept. Do not worry if you do not understand a thing in one reading, two reading, tenth reading. It’s okay! Concepts like Elliptic Curve and Pasta Curve will require lot of background knowledge before you can digest the complex abstract maths. You don’t have to know everything! Remember, Web3 is a complex application of complex maths, economics, social systems, cryptography, computer engineering and psychology.
• Try not to frame your self into a Web 3 minimalist or maximalist zone early on, instead just go with the flow and develop your own sense once you know enough.
• In my case, I decided to first cover the breadth and then go into depth and specialise in one or more of the areas.
• I have structured the learning in 25 parts however, everyone is in a different state of knowledge. So, feel free to skip, skim or shuffle the parts as per your need.
• Lastly, if it takes you 50 or 100 or even 300 days to learn blockchain concepts. Go for it! You are not running a race. It’s a learning marathon with no finish line.

Created with Wordclouds

This guide is presented in 25 parts:

Part 1 - Why should you learn blockchain / Web3 ?

Part 2 - How is money created? Is current banking system broken?

Part 3 - Comprehensive Overview of Blockchain — A ~30 hour full fledged university course from MIT

Part 4 - Web3 EcoSystem & Architecture

Part 5 - Building blocks of blockchain — Technical Concepts

Part 6 - Ethereum and Solidity — 32 hours comprehensive course

Part 7 - Permissioned Blockchains

Part 8 - Central Bank Digital Currencies

Part 9 - Cryptoeconomics / Tokenomics / Token Engineering

Part 10 - DeFi (Decentralised Finance)

Part 11 - DAO — The evolution of Governance

Part 12 - Blockchain Protocols

Part 13 - Blockchain L2 Solutions

Part 14 - Blockchain Languages, Frameworks and Tools

Part 15 - Distributed Systems Concepts

Part 16 - Cryptocurrency regulation

Part 17 - Why Crypto is so terrible?

Part 18 - Web3 Marketing

Part 19 - VC Ecosystem

Part 20 - Startup Ecosystem

Part 21 - What Web 3 Careers are out there for me?

Part 22 - The Web3 Story by Uday Singh

Part 23 - Blockchain Moonshot Ideas

Part 24 - Web3 Masterminds to follow

Part 25 - Introspect on all your learnings

Part 1 - Why should you learn blockchain / Web3 ?

There is a good chance you must have heard the term ‘Bitcoin’ by now. Bitcoin was created by Satoshi Nakamoto, however blockchain-like-protocol was first proposed in 1982 as per Wikipedia by a University of California at Berkeley (California) doctoral candidate named David Chaum in his dissertation, “Computer Systems Established, Maintained, and Trusted by Mutually Suspicious Groups.” Later, Chaum launched a company called DigiCash in 1990, which launched one of the first digital cash. His contributions are regarded as one of the most powerful in the space of digital currencies.

Enough of history, let’s talk on why you should learn blockchain.

Here are the top reasons that compelled me to study —

1. It’s growing faster than you can imagine.

Let’s look at some of the metrics.

The total marketcap of all the cryptocurrencies globally grew from $10 Billion at the start of 2014 to $2.5 Trillion on May 15, 2024. That’s a neat 250x growth. That’s larger than the 2024 GDP(nominal) of 181 countries as per IMF data. There are only 7 countries with GDP higher than $2.5 Trillion.

Cryptocurrencies Marketcap — Source: https://www.coingecko.com/en/global-charts

Source: Wikipedia, Largest economies in the world by GDP (nominal) in 2024
according to IMF estimates, retreived on April 16,2024

The price of Bitcoin grew from $100 in 2013 to $65,000 in May 2024.

Source: https://www.coingecko.com/en/global-charts

Stablecoins have more than $160 billion locked as on May 15, 2024.

Source: https://www.coingecko.com/en/categories/stablecoins

The active developers grew 3X from 2016 to end of 2023.

Source: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/state-of-crypto-report-2023/ , https://github.com/electric-capital/crypto-ecosystems

There are more than 23,000 companies operating in Web3 space with total recorded funding of $93 billion and 96 of them being unicorns as on May 16, 2024.

Source: https://news.crunchbase.com/web3-startups-investors/

Every single valuable metric is growing at an astounding pace past decade. You can delight yourself with more comprehensive metrics from both demand and the supply side at a16zcrypto.

2. Much of the innovation is happening from apartments (I mean outside academia). It’s growing so fast that it’s really hard for academia to catchup.

Blockchain is still a relatively new technology with vast potential across several industries. By learning blockchain, you can contribute to the development of groundbreaking applications and solutions that address real-world challenges. There are very few universities that offer blockchain as a course to students studying bachelors or masters. I can say with a high probability that no university or a certification course out there is as comprehensive as this marathon guide. Further, the current education system was never designed to cater to the fast evolving industry needs. The expereinced software developers know this very well.

It is sad to see terrible blockchain certification courses sold online for hefty prices and people falling for them. The best way currently is to jump on the ship and carve your own path.

There is outstanding research happening in the protocol layer challenging Ethereum. DAOs(Decentralised Autonomous Organisations), Central bank digital currencies(both retail and wholesale) and Zero Knowledge proofs are the talk of the town presently.

Learning blockchain will empower you to understand the principles behind decentralization and contribute to the development of decentralized platforms that empower users and disrupt traditional models.

Even if you start in 2024, you can realistically become a sought after expert within a few years. Most people who did this over the last few years, are doing reasonably well. The market is still in the early development stages. It is going to take a while for Web3 to be adopted at mass in the regular industries. Supply Chain and Finance industry are among the top adopters yet.

Gone are the days when blockchain developers were considered cypherpunks, and rebels.

3. There is not just a talent shortage but severe competition with AI / Data Science / Web 2.

AI, Machine learning, data science, game development and usual Web 2 development are the popular and safer choices for new programmers. However, the regulatory shift and the research on permissioned blockchains over the past few years are paving a way for several new opportunities. There is millions of dollars worth of grants being offered to creators to use new protocols to build decentralised apps.

4. Centralisation & Lobbying will see an end one day just like autocracies

Literally, everything in Web 2 today is Centralised. When decentralisation platforms mature, you would see a replacement of facebook, tiktok and Visa emerging. Merchants paying 2.5% fees just to process debit/credit card transactions in 2024 is absolutely wicked! Imagine buying a 1000 USD iPhone and a merchant paying $25 to move the funds from the customer’s database table to merchant’s database table. There is absolutely no reason why Visa, Mastercard and other payment networks need to charge their fees in percentage and not a fixed amount just to rake in billions of dollars in profits(Visa recorded a net income of ~17.9 billion USD and Mastercard ~11.1 billion USD in 2024). There is no doubt these outrageous fees would be a thing of the past very soon. It’s already happened in India and China where paying by QR codes on new payment rails cost the merchants 1/3rd of these rates. CBDCs and stable coins will hopefully reduce these further.

Democracies replaced autocracies over the last few centuries. It took several generations of mankind, countless deaths, sacrifices and several structural iterations to make this transition. Decentralised autonomous organisation is a new age structure that challenges the centralised functioning of organisations as well as the government. Bitcoin and decentralised automated market makers like Uniswap is just a start of this revolution.

5. Women participation is really small

It’s a massive opportunity for women to enter and grab the cake men have been eating all along. There are initiatives run by people to encourage wider women participation like Global Women in Blockchain , She256, Cryptochicks and many more.

6. Learning blockchain is free and everything is open source

Believe it or not, Almost everything you need to know about web 3 and blockchain is available for free in the form of white papers, blog posts, public Slack / discord channels, youtube videos, free courses and open-source code on github. Roll up your sleeves and jump on.

7. Meme coins are cool, but protocols are even cooler

You know something good is cooking underneath when Elon musk supports Doge coin 🐶 and US SEC enables bitcoin ETFs for market speculation(I mean investments!).

All the blockchain protocols are trying to solve the 3 corners of blockchain trilemma — Security, scalability, Decentralisation.

The Blockchain Trilemma, a concept introduced by Ethereum’s founder Vitalik Buterin, posits that blockchain networks cannot simultaneously achieve security, decentralization, and scalability. The core of this trilemma lies in the fact that enhancing a blockchain’s transaction speed and capacity generally demands increased computing power and network bandwidth. This escalation in resource requirements can make node operation more costly and complex, potentially reducing the number of nodes on the network. Consequently, this reduction can lead to greater centralization, undermining both security and decentralization. Hence, the trilemma underscores the inherent trade-offs faced by all blockchains in their quest to scale while maintaining true decentralization.

Part 1.2 Prerequisites

Absolutely no technical / computer background is needed, as this guide covers all the essential concepts but it’s good if you already have some knowledge around databases and computer systems.

Part 1.3 Who is this bootcamp guide for?

This bootcamp guide is intented for anyone interested in learning about blockchain and web3. You could be a professional, a student, a developer, a teacher, a researcher or somebody who just has an interest in web3.

Part 1.4 What will I be able to acheive after this bootcamp?

• If you are looking to get a job in the blockchain / web3 space, then this guide is an absolute must-read for you.
• If you’re a crypto enthusiast looking to make quick bucks and want to learn which crypto tokens to buy and which upcoming projects to invest in, this guide will equip you with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions before investing. Rather than recommending specific tokens or projects, it provides insights that will help you critically evaluate projects and identify potential scams or poor investments.
• If you are already working in the Web 3 space then you will be able to expand your understanding of the ecosystem,.
• If you’re an expert in Web 3, this guide will prepare you for the most challenging technical and business tasks facing the industry.

Part 2 - How is money created? Is current banking system broken?

Before we jump on to understanding blockchain we need to understand what money really is and how is it created in the current system? This is because DeFi, crypto currencies and digital currencies are some of the most promising use-cases of blockchain. If you do not understand the current monetary system, you won’t understand why the world needs alternate currencies. If you think, governments print money based on Gold reserves or your bank deposits, you are mistaken. The money is simply created out of thin air. When banks give out credit, money is generated. At times, the commercial banks create it by simply typing numbers into a computer — some might call this a lie! Here are a couple of videos I recommend you to watch -

• Michael Kumhof, IMF Economist and Dirk Bezemer, Associate Professor, University of Groningen explain where money comes from — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6_SLwReMqo (1 min 40 sec)
• Bank of England — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvRAqR2pAgw ( 5 mins)
• A documentary by Michael Oswald, Produced by Mike Horwath, featuring Ben Dyson of Positive Money, Josh Ryan-Collins of The New Economics Foundation, Ann Pettifor, the “HBOS Whistleblower” Paul Moore, Simon Dixon of Bank to the Future and Nick Dearden from the Jubliee Debt Campaign — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcGh1Dex4Yo ( 2 hour 10 mins)
• Wendover Productions — Money’s Mostly Digital, So Why Is Moving It So Hard? — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xzINLykprA (20 mins)

Part 3 - Comprehensive Overview of Blockchain — A ~30 hour full fledged university course from MIT

I would recommend you to first go through this full semester ~30 hour course on blockchain. It is 6 years old as of this writing however, it provides a good overview at a high level and all the concepts still hold true. The course is taught by Gary Gensler, the Chairperson of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC). The course will present you with an overview of a part of the web3 ecosystem.

A Pro tip — Run the videos on 1.75x and 2x the speed(Gary speaks really slow) and it won’t take more than 24 hours to complete it including most of the readings. It took me around 4 days to complete including most of the readings as I skimmed some of the content because I was already familiar with it.

The complete course can be accessed here —

Video Lectures | Blockchain and Money | Sloan School of Management | MIT OpenCourseWare

It covers the following topics —

• Money, Ledgers and Bitcoin
• Blockchain Basics and Cryptography
• Blockchain Basics and Consensus
• Blockchain Basics and Transactions, UTXO, and Script Code
• Smart Contracts and DApps
• Technical Challenges
• Public Policy
• Permissioned Systems
• Financial System Challenges and Opportunities
• Blockchain Economics
• Assessing Use Cases ( Payments, Central Banks and Commercial Banking, Secondary Markets and Crypto-Exchanges, Primary Markets, ICOs, and Venture Capital, Post Trade Clearing, Settlement, and Processing, Trade Finance and Supply Chain, Digital ID )

I would also recommend watching this video explaining visually how the components within blockchain move -

And if you want to practice a little bit, these 2 articles provide a great guide for that —

Learn Blockchains using Spreadsheets

Learn Blockchains by Building One

Part 4: Web3 EcoSystem & Architecture

First I would recommend some light readings to refresh what blockchain is.

This is one of the best article out there on understanding blockchain in the simplest way —

WTF is The Blockchain?

Next, I would recommend reading a 40,000 word(115 pages) long beautiful essay written in a captivating way by Bloomberg writer Matt Levine. It took me 3 days to read and digest the story. You will remember this article for life, it’s so well written. The article is behind the paywall and it costs only 1,99 EUR/month. You will encounter several new terms but don’t worry about them. We will cover them in detail in the coming sections — https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2022-the-crypto-story/

Then I would recommend reading a whitepaper published by National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA. By now you would know several concepts at high level , so feel free to skim the content as per your convenience —

Whitepaper — https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/ir/2018/nist.ir.8202.pdf

Next, we will learn what Web 3 and its architecture is, how it differs from Web 2, the limitations of web 3 and its use cases. This is a short nicely explained free course from Rise In and would not take more than few hours to complete.

Course — https://www.risein.com/courses/transition-to-web3-course-1-web3-fundamentals/the-architecture-of-a-dApp

Just to refresh the learnings from above course, I would recommend reading this one short article by Preethi Kasireddy —

The Architecture of a Web 3.0 application

Part 5: Building blocks of blockchain — Technical Concepts

Until this point, you must have a good high level understanding of blockchain, web 3 and bitcoin. Now, we will dig deep into the individual technical components of blockchain. Note that the things will get really technical and complex in this part. If you are aiming to be a developer or an architect or a VC or a consultant then this is a necessary knowledge for you. If you are working as a Project manager, or a marketing professional then this might be too deep for you.

Part 5.1 Cryptography — Hash Functions / Digital Signatures / RSA / SHA-256

I would recommend learning the cryptography concepts via videos as opposed to text based explanations as the math can get really overwhelming for people not comfortable with maths.

What is Cryptography?

What is a Hash function?

This one explains the SHA-256 at a very high level.

This one explains the math step by step -

Difference between Encryption and Hashing -

What is RSA?

Even if you have just high school knowledge of maths, you will be able to follow what goes behind the RSA algortihm with this video -

Another easy one on RSA:

What is Elliptical Curve Cryptography?

Elliptic curve cryptography requires deeper understanding of abstract math — it’s not important to understand all the details, but know that this is the cryptography that’s used in most cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin.

Another one -

Few more (A little hard):

Exploring Elliptic Curve Pairings

Elliptic Curve Cryptography: a gentle introduction

A (Relatively Easy To Understand) Primer on Elliptic Curve Cryptography

Optional: If you are interested in further specialising in Cryptography, then I would recommend going through this course from MIT. This would take around 30hours. I went through some of the videos and they explain the core concepts really well. Note that Cryptography is a full fledged profession and many people do their PhDs on it.

This course also has few videos centered around cryptography.

Lecture Videos | Cryptocurrency Engineering and Design | Media Arts and Sciences | MIT…

How Digital Signatures work?

ELI5: How digital signatures actually work

Part 5.2 Consensus Mechanisms

This article provides a concise guide on different consensus mechanisms.

What Is Consensus? A Beginner's Guide | Crypto.com

This provides a high level overview of why consensus is needed and different types -

Proof of Work

High Level:

Detailed:

Another one:

Hashcash

Hashcash is a proof-of-work algorithm, which has been used as a denial-of-service counter measure technique in a number of systems.

Learn more at http://www.hashcash.org/

Proof of Stake

Overview:

Detailed:

Ethereum’s Proof of Stake:

Ouroboros consensus algorithm:

Part 5.3 Staking

Overview:

Another one:

Part 5.4 Zero knowledge Proofs

Overview:

Where's Waldo? How to Mathematically Prove You Found Him without Revealing Where He Is

Another one:

Understanding Zero-knowledge proofs through simple examples

ZK-SNARKs / ZK STARKs

Overview:

Zero Knowledge for Dummies: Introduction to ZK Proofs

Detailed:

Zk-SNARKs: Under the Hood

zkSNARKs in a nutshell | Ethereum Foundation Blog

Optional:

If you are interested in learning all the nitty-gritties of Zero knowledge proof, then you can go through this ~21 hours course by UC Berkeley -

Part 5.5 Wallets

Overview:

If you want to play around a little bit, and create your own wallet on a chrome browser then you can follow this short 45 min step-by-step guide -

MultiSig Wallet

https://www.coindesk.com/learn/what-is-a-multisig-wallet/

Part 5.6 UTXO Model

UTXOs are not easy to understand. This video from MIT delivered by Neha Narula has to be the best explanation of UTXOs -

And if you are just looking for an overview, watch these ones -

UTXO Model vs Account Model Overview:

Part 5.7 Game Theory

Some Readings:

https://cointelegraph.com/news/the-game-theory-of-bitcoin-and-cryptocurrencies

https://hackernoon.com/crypto-trading-mastering-markets-with-game-theory

Part 5.8 Merkle Trees

This one explains the concept succintly-

By this point, we know Bitcoin at a level enough to have an insightful and in-depth conversation with any one. At this point, I would recommend reading the bitcoin whitepaper 2nd time. You must have first read at the very beginning of Part 3 as part of the MIT course.

Part 5.9 Overall Highlevel Blockchain Review

I would recommend reading this review paper —

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772662223001844

Part 6- Ethereum and Solidity — 32 hours comprehensive course

Next, We jump on to learning Ethereum ecosystem. This part is divided into 2 sub parts — First, Learning Ethereum Ecosystem and Second, Writing Smart Contracts and building dApps on Ethereum.

Part 6.1 Ethereum ecosystem

I would recommend going through the latest overview from Vitalik(the co-founder of Ethereum) in the 2023 DEVCON.

Next, I would recommend going through this high level concept tutorial -

Inevitable Ethereum

Ethereum Basics for Developers

Detailed:

If you want to further dig deep and understand the mechanics of how Ethereum operates then I would recommend the following. Note that it gets really technical. It is like understanding how the MAC OS or Windows OS function. Majority of the developers do not need to know that because of abstraction.

Active areas of Ethereum research | ethereum.org

Ethereum Research

The Hitchhiker's Guide to Ethereum - Delphi Digital

What is Proto-Danksharding?

EIP-4844: Shard Blob Transactions

Part 6.2 Writing Smart Contracts and building dApps on Ethereum

This part is going to be highly technical as it includes writing and optimising complex Smart contracts. Instead of reading countless articles and watching adhoc videos on the internet, I recommend a free 32 hour comprehensive course by Patrick Collins. The last time I wrote any production level code was in 2011 on Java. Despite this long break, I was not just able to follow along the course but able to digest almost everything he explained. I skipped the security and the NFT part(I am NFT Minimalist :)) as I plan to learn them later. It took me 5 days to complete this course.

It covers the following topics —

Blockchain Basics, Remix, Ethers.js , Hardhat , HTML / Javascript (Full Stack / Front End), Smart Contract, ERC20s, DeFi & Aave, NFTs, Hardhat DAOs, Security & Auditing

Course:

https://github.com/smartcontractkit/full-blockchain-solidity-course-js?tab=readme-ov-file

Another course that seems good:

Earn your web3 degree

Speed Run Ethereum

Part 7 - Permissioned Blockchains

You must be already familiar with Permissioned blockchains by now as it was covered in MIT course in part 2. Here is the video in case you missed it —

A short article explaining the differences between permissioned and permissionless blockchains —

https://cointelegraph.com/learn/permissioned-blockchain-vs-permissionless-blockchain-key-differences

Hyperledger

Hyperledger Fabric is an open-source blockchain framework hosted by the Linux Foundation under the Hyperledger project. Its vision is to provide a foundation for developing enterprise-grade blockchain solutions with a focus on flexibility, scalability, and confidentiality.

I would recommend going through this video guide on setting up hyperledger and setting up an application. It provides a concise view of the hyperledger architecture —

This article provides a good summary of hyperledger fabric and its use-cases -

What is Hyperledger Fabric? - Know Everything About CBDC

Hyperledger is a popular permissioned blockchain for central band digital currencies. They also have a token SDK that provides a set of API and services that lets developers create token-based distributed application on Hyperledger Fabric.

The following video showcases how hyperledger technologies can help build central bank digital currencies —

Following official guide provides details on the technical setup -

A Blockchain Platform for the Enterprise - Hyperledger Fabric Docs main documentation

If you are a developer and looking for a step-by-step guide on setting up a hyperledger fabric network and deploying your smart contract(chain codes) then this guide is pretty good. I was able to follow it and setup hyperledger on AWS EC2 and also execute a chain code there —

R3 Corda

R3 is a leading company specializing in cutting-edge technology and services related to distributed ledger systems, which are like digital ledgers that securely record transactions. Corda is an open source trust technology. Individuals or corporations can communicate or transact securely and privately, without necessarily knowing each other’s identities.

The following article provides a brief overview on R3 Corda —

What is R3 Corda? - Know Everything About CBDC

The following is a good starting point for developers —

R3 Documentation

Whitepaper —

Corda Technical Whitepaper

GoQuorum

ConsenSys GoQuorum is an open-source protocol layer that enables enterprises to leverage Ethereum for their private or public production blockchain applications. ConsenSys GoQuorum consists of two open-source projects: one based on Hyperledger Besu and another on Ethereum. GoQuorum is the Enterprise Ethereum client originally developed by J.P. Morgan Chase and previously referred to as “Quorum.” It is a fork of Go-Ethereum (also known as Geth), which is a mainnet Ethereum client developed by the Ethereum Foundation.

GoQuorum, being an enterprise-focused blockchain platform with a strong emphasis on privacy, security, and scalability, is well-suited for various use cases across different industries.

I would recommend going through this short article sumamrising Goquorum —

What is GoQuorum? - Know Everything About CBDC

If you are interested in setting up a GoQuorum network, you can read the official guide —

Get started with Quorum Developer Quickstart | ConsenSys GoQuorum

Part 8 - Central Bank Digital Currencies

This is one of my specialisations and favorite topic. I strongly believe that CBDCs would be the biggest usecase of blockchain technology in the next decade. I will cover this in depth.

I would recommend starting with a digital currency course I designed for anyone interested in the future of digital currencies. It can be done in 2–4 days if you go crazy on it. It also provides a free certificate.

Certified CBDC Business Professional - Know Everything About CBDC

Next, I would recommend going through the two trackers to understand where each of the countries stand in their journey towards CBDCs -

CBDC Tracker - Know Everything About CBDC

Central Bank Digital Currency Tracker

I published 168 articles on my blog on Central bank digital currency — Tracking Central bank digial currency statuses across the globe. It’s a little outdated now because of me engaging in several things over past few months. P.S. — This is outside the 50 days period. I have been working on this last year.

Also, this is an interesting refresher on where money is moving next? — Money’s Mostly Digital, So Why Is Moving It So Hard? — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xzINLykprA

Part 9 - Cryptoeconomics / Tokenomics / Token Engineering

I would recommend starting with a comprehensive structured course from Token Engineering Academy to understanding token engineering. It is a new technical field which is an interesting mix of Maths, Economics, Computer Science, Systems Engineering and Game theory. The course may take anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks depending on how much depth you cover.

Module 1: Introduction to Token Engineering

TE Academy

Module 2: Token Engineering Process: Discovery Phase

TE Academy

Module 3: Token Engineering Process: Design Phase

TE Academy

Module 4: Token Engineering Process — Deployment Phase

TE Academy

Module 5: Introduction to Governance for Token Engineers

TE Academy

This guide by Outlier Ventures documents the process to architect and engineer viable tokens for a project -

https://outlierventures.io/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Token-Ecosystem-Creation-Outlier-Ventures-PDF.pdf

Part 10 - DeFi (Decentralised Finance)

This video provides a good overview of Decentralised Finance —

Some good reads:

https://www.coinbase.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-decentralized-finance-defi

https://consensys.io/blockchain-use-cases/decentralized-finance#trading

Part 11 - DAO — The evolution of Governance

Some good reads:

DAO launching in 2024

DAO Treasury Management

A New Mental Model for Defi Treasuries

A Pocket Guide to DAO Frameworks

When DAOs are Weaponized

https://medium.com/@web3author/unpacking-the-dao-hack-understanding-the-what-when-and-hows-738b454eda76

https://medium.com/coinmonks/what-is-real-estate-dao-how-does-it-work-b4f16dbed48d

https://legalnodes.com/article/choose-a-crypto-friendly-country-for-dao

https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/the-future-of-work-daos-crypto-networks/

https://medium.com/polkadot-news/dao-as-a-service-in-polkadot-ecosystem-43cff8aa12c3

So, what’s happening with DAOs?

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096720923000180?via%3Dihub

Bribery and Futarchy: The End or the Future of Tokenized Governance?

https://medium.com/dfinity/its-dao-or-never-3c053d1136d8

https://blog.tally.xyz/ciao-im-off-to-join-a-dao-8d4d26836505

https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/scpops/ecb.op331~a03e416045.en.pdf

Some well-known DAOs you should know -

MakerDAO

The Maker Protocol is the platform through which anyone, anywhere can generate the Dai stablecoin against crypto collateral assets.

Learn more at https://docs.makerdao.com/

ConstitutionDAO

They tried to buy the Constitution in 7 days, raised $42M, onboarded thousands into web3 and educated millions. They didn’t get the Constitution, but they made history.

https://www.theverge.com/22820563/constitution-meme-47-million-crypto-crowdfunding-blockchain-ethereum-constitution

Part 12 - Blockchain Protocols

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365136124_A_survey_of_Layer-two_blockchain_protocols

Layer 2 Scaling Survey

Part 13 - Blockchain L2 Solutions

A simple overview:

Understanding Layer-1 and Layer-2 in Blockchain

L2BEAT - The state of the layer two ecosystem

Sequencers

zkSync

zkSync is a Layer-2 protocol that scales Ethereum with cutting-edge ZK tech. Our mission is not only to merely increase Ethereum’s throughput, but to fully preserve its foundational values — freedom, self-sovereignty, decentralization — at scale.

Learn more at https://docs.zksync.io/

Starknet

Starknet is a permissionless Validity-Rollup, also known as a zero-knowledge rollup (ZK rollup) for Ethereum. As a Layer 2 (L2) blockchain, Starknet enables any dApp to achieve massive computation scale without compromising on Ethereum’s composability and security. Starknet aims to achieve secure, low-cost transactions and high performance by using the STARK cryptographic proof system. Starknet contracts and the Starknet OS are written in Cairo, a custom-built and specialized programming language.

Learn more at https://docs.starknet.io/documentation/

Aztec

Aztec is a privacy-focused layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum that uses zero-knowledge proofs to enable confidential and efficient transactions. Developed by Aztec Protocol, it aims to provide scalable, private, and cost-effective solutions for decentralized finance (DeFi) applications and other use cases on Ethereum.

Learn more at https://docs.aztec.network/

Scroll

Scroll is a swift, reliable and scalable Layer 2 blockchain, Scroll extends Ethereum’s capabilities, enabling apps to scale without any surprises. Thanks to bytecode-level compatibility, existing Ethereum apps can migrate onto Scroll as-is, and at a significantly reduced cost.

Learn more at https://docs.scroll.io/en/home/

Metis

Metis is an Ethereum Layer 2 Rollup platform that offers simple and fast smart contract deployment within the network. Metis L2 provides solutions to solve some of the big challenges present on the Ethereum network, including transaction speed, cost, and scalability. Moreover, Metis is the first Optimistic Rollup that has achieved sequencer decentralization, eliminating single points of failure and properly aligning incentives between all network participants.

Learn more at https://docs.metis.io/dev

Polygon

Polygon PoS is an EVM-compatible, proof-of-stake sidechain for Ethereum, with high throughput and low costs.

The Polygon Network is broadly divided into three layers:

• Ethereum layer — a set of contracts on the Ethereum mainnet.
• Heimdall layer — a set of proof-of-stake Heimdall nodes running in parallel to the Ethereum mainnet, monitoring the set of staking contracts deployed on the Ethereum mainnet, and committing the Polygon Network checkpoints to the Ethereum mainnet. Heimdall is based on Tendermint.
• Bor layer — a set of block-producing Bor nodes shuffled by Heimdall nodes. Bor is based on Go Ethereum.

Source: https://docs.polygon.technology/pos/architecture/

Learn more at https://docs.polygon.technology/

Solana

Solana is a blockchain built for mass adoption. It’s a high performance network that is utilized for a range of use cases, including finance, NFTs, payments, and gaming. Solana operates as a single global state machine, and is open, interoperable and decentralized.

Developer Bootcamp (Approx 7 hours) —

Tezos

Tezos is an open-source platform for assets and applications that can evolve by upgrading itself. Stakeholders govern upgrades to the core protocol, including upgrades to the amendment process itself.

Learn more at their official documentation — https://tezos.com/learn/what-is-tezos/

Aurora

Aurora is a next-generation Ethereum compatible blockchain and ecosystem that runs on the NEAR Protocol, and powers the innovations behind Aurora Cloud — the fastest path for Web2 businesses to capture the value of Web3.

Learn more at https://doc.aurora.dev/

XRP

The XRP Ledger is a blockchain that permanently records digital transactions of tokens between accounts. The XRP Ledger is a decentralized blockchain that uses its own digital currency to process and record financial transactions.

Learn more at https://xrpl.org/docs/introduction/

Base

Base is a secure, low-cost, builder-friendly Ethereum L2 built to bring the next billion users onchain.

Learn more at https://www.base.org/

Sui

Sui is a decentralized, permissionless blockchain platform designed to offer high throughput, low latency, and efficient resource management for decentralized applications (dApps). Developed by Mysten Labs, Sui aims to address scalability and performance issues commonly faced by existing blockchain platforms, making it suitable for a wide range of applications including gaming, finance, and social media.

Learn more at https://sui.io/

Aptos

Aptos is a Layer-1 community-driven network, governed by the people who build on it from around the world. It’s decentralized. It’s fast. It’s blockchain at its best.

Learn more at https://aptosfoundation.org/get-started

Filecoin

Filecoin is a peer-to-peer network that allows anyone to store and retrieve data on the internet. Built-in economic incentives ensure that files are stored and retrieved reliably and continuously.

Learn more at https://docs.filecoin.io/

Helium

Helium is a global, distributed network of Hotspots that create public, long-range wireless coverage for LoRaWAN-enabled IoT devices and cellular devices. LoRaWAN™ Hotspots produce and are compensated in IOT, the native cryptocurrency of the Helium blockchain. The Helium blockchain is a new, open-source, public blockchain created entirely to incentivize the creation of physical, decentralized wireless networks.

Learn more at https://docs.helium.com/

Avalanche

Avalanche is an open-source platform for building decentralized applications in one interoperable, decentralized, and highly scalable ecosystem. Powered by a uniquely powerful consensus mechanism, Avalanche is the first ecosystem designed to accommodate the scale of global finance, with near-instant transaction finality.

Learn more at https://academy.avax.network/

Part 14 - Blockchain Languages, Frameworks and Tools

In this section we will discuss the different blockchain languages, frameworks and tools. You must be already familiar with some of these as part of earlier learnings in this guide.

Solidity

Solidity is a high-level programming language specifically designed for creating smart contracts on blockchain platforms, most notably Ethereum. It was developed to enable the writing of decentralized applications (DApps) that run on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). It is an object-oriented, high-level, curly-bracket language inspired mainly by C++, Python, and Javascript.

Solidity allows developers to

• Write smart contracts. These are self-executing contracts where the terms are directly written into code, allowing for automated and trustless transactions and agreements.
• Build DApps that operate on the Ethereum blockchain. These applications are decentralized, meaning they are not controlled by a single entity and are resistant to censorship and downtime.
• Create new cryptocurrencies or tokens on the Ethereum blockchain. Examples include ERC-20 tokens for fungible assets and ERC-721 tokens for non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Learn more at: https://docs.soliditylang.org/en/v0.8.26/

ethers.js

ethers.js is a powerful and flexible library that simplifies many aspects of interacting with the Ethereum blockchain, making it an essential tool for Ethereum developers.

ethers.js allows developers to

• Easily deploy smart contracts to the Ethereum blockchain.
• Call contract functions, read data, and listen for events emitted by smart contracts.
• Handle ABI (Application Binary Interface) encoding and decoding, making it straightforward to interact with contract methods and parse responses.
• Generate new Ethereum wallets, including handling private keys securely.
• Connect to existing wallets, whether through mnemonic phrases, private keys, or hardware wallets.
• Sign and send transactions, including handling gas estimation and fees.
• Connect to Ethereum nodes via JSON-RPC, INFURA, Alchemy, or other providers.
• Fetch blockchain data, such as block information, transaction details, and account balances.
• Resolve human-readable names to Ethereum addresses and vice versa.

Learn more at: https://docs.ethers.org/v6/

The blockchain industry is slowly migrating towards ethers.js from web3.js.

Waffle

Waffle is a framework for testing smart contracts in Ethereum. It is designed to work seamlessly with popular Ethereum development environments like Hardhat and integrates well with testing libraries such as Mocha and Chai. Waffle focuses on providing a simple and flexible approach to testing smart contracts, allowing developers to write readable and maintainable tests.

Waffle allows developers to

• Write and run tests for Ethereum smart contracts, ensuring that the contracts behave as expected under various conditions.
• Assert that specific events are emitted during contract execution, which is crucial for verifying contract interactions.
• Check the state changes in contracts after transactions, ensuring that the contract’s state evolves correctly according to the logic defined.
• Test how the smart contracts handle errors and edge cases, ensuring that contracts revert transactions correctly when invalid conditions are met.
• Isolate the contract tests by mocking external dependencies, leading to more reliable and focused tests.

Learn more at: https://ethereum-waffle.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

Celestia

Celestia is a modular data availability (DA) network that securely scales with the number of users, making it easy for anyone to launch their own blockchain. Rollups and L2s use Celestia as a network for publishing and making transaction data available for anyone to download. For them, Celestia provides high-throughput DA that can be verified easily with a light node. And by making the blockchain stack modular, anyone can launch their own blockchain without needing a validator set.

Learn more at https://docs.celestia.org/

NEAR

NEAR is the chain abstraction stack, empowering builders to create apps that scale to billions of users and across all blockchains

Learn more at https://near.org/

Circom

Circom is a specialized programming language and compiler for writing and generating zero-knowledge circuits. Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) allow one party to prove to another that they know a value, without revealing any information about the value itself. Circom is particularly useful in the field of cryptography and blockchain technology, where privacy and security are paramount.

Circom allows developers to

• Create circuits that enable privacy-preserving transactions on blockchain platforms. For example, zk-SNARKs can be used to prove that a transaction is valid without revealing the sender, receiver, or transaction amount.
• Develop circuits that prove the authenticity of a user without disclosing their identity.
• Create circuits that enable secure and confidential data sharing. This can be useful in scenarios where sensitive information needs to be verified without being exposed.
• Enhance the privacy and security of smart contracts on blockchain platforms. By integrating zero-knowledge proofs, smart contracts can perform verifications without exposing sensitive data.

Learn more at https://docs.circom.io/

Foundry

Foundry is a development toolkit for Ethereum smart contracts, designed to streamline the process of writing, testing, and deploying contracts. It provides a range of tools that aim to make Ethereum development more efficient and user-friendly. Foundry is particularly known for its speed and robustness, offering a powerful alternative to other popular development environments like Hardhat and Truffle.

Foundry allows developers to

• Write, compile, and deploy smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain. It provides tools to streamline the entire development process.
• Write and run tests to ensure the correctness and security of their smart contracts. It also provides debugging tools to help identify and fix issues.
• Enable automation of common development tasks through scripting, making it easier to deploy contracts, interact with them, and manage the development lifecycle.

Learn more at https://book.getfoundry.sh/

Aragon

Aragon is an open-source, decentralized platform built on the Ethereum blockchain that provides tools and frameworks for creating and managing decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). It aims to enable users to create and operate organizations without needing intermediaries, providing a flexible and transparent way to manage governance, decision-making, and resource allocation.

Learn more at https://aragon.org/about-aragon

How to Create a DAO on Polygon with the Aragon App —

Moralis

Moralis is a comprehensive development platform designed to simplify and accelerate the creation of decentralized applications (dApps) on Ethereum and other blockchain networks. It provides developers with a robust set of tools and services that streamline the integration of blockchain functionalities, such as authentication, real-time data retrieval, and storage. Moralis aims to reduce the complexity of building dApps by handling many backend tasks, allowing developers to focus on front-end development and business logic.

Moralis allows developers to

• Build decentralized applications quickly and efficiently. Developers can focus on creating engaging user interfaces while Moralis handles backend operations.
• Manage and query both on-chain and off-chain data, ensuring that your dApp stays up-to-date with the latest blockchain information.
• Build applications that can interact with various blockchains, facilitating interoperability and cross-chain functionality.

Learn more at https://docs.moralis.io/

Noir

Noir is a Domain Specific Language for SNARK proving systems. It has been designed to use any ACIR compatible proving system. Its design choices are influenced heavily by Rust and focuses on a simple, familiar syntax.

Learn more at https://noir-lang.org/

Leo

Leo is a functional, statically typed programming language for private applications. Designed for intuitive Aleo blockchain development, Leo lays the foundation for a private, decentralized ecosystem.

Learn more at https://developer.aleo.org/leo/

Cairo

Cairo is a programming language specifically designed for writing efficient and scalable zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs). Developed by StarkWare, Cairo enables developers to create computationally intensive programs that can be proven and verified using STARKs (Scalable Transparent ARguments of Knowledge). STARKs are a type of ZKP that are particularly well-suited for applications requiring high throughput and transparency, such as those found in blockchain and decentralized finance (DeFi) systems.

The system is Turing Complete and highly efficient. It converts statements into polynomial equations, which are then used to generate zero-knowledge proofs. StarkNet, another product by StarkWare, utilizes the Cairo programming language for both its infrastructure and for writing StarkNet contracts.

Cairo allows developers to

• Develop layer 2 solutions such as rollups.
• Handle complex computations and ensure data privacy. It can be used to build secure and efficient financial protocols that require high throughput and robust security.
• Create applications where data privacy is paramount. This includes scenarios where sensitive information needs to be verified without being exposed, such as in identity verification systems and confidential transactions.

Learn more at https://docs.cairo-lang.org/

Scaffold-eth

Scaffold-eth is a robust development framework designed to simplify the process of building, testing, and deploying Ethereum-based decentralized applications (dApps). It provides a comprehensive toolkit that includes pre-configured environments, templates, and utilities, which help developers quickly get started with Ethereum development.

Scaffold-eth allows developers to

• Quickly prototype dApps. Developers can start building and testing their ideas immediately using the pre-configured environment and templates.

Learn more at https://docs.cairo-lang.org/

useDApp

useDApp is a comprehensive framework and library designed to facilitate the development of decentralized applications (dApps) on the Ethereum blockchain using React. It provides a set of hooks and utilities that simplify interactions with Ethereum, making it easier for developers to integrate blockchain functionalities into their React applications.

useDApp allows developers to

• Simplify the development of decentralized applications, providing the tools and hooks needed to interact with the Ethereum blockchain efficiently.
• Integrate wallet functionalities, allowing users to connect their Ethereum wallets and interact with the dApp.
• Focus on the business logic rather than the intricacies of Ethereum transactions.

Learn more at https://docs.cairo-lang.org/

Vyper

Vyper is a programming language designed for writing smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain. It is a Pythonic language that aims to provide a safer, more secure, and more readable alternative to Solidity, the most commonly used language for Ethereum smart contracts.

Vyper allows developers to

• Write Ethereum smart contracts, especially in scenarios where security and readability are prioritized. It is suitable for projects that require rigorous security standards.
• Create the backend logic of decentralized applications, ensuring that the smart contracts governing these dApps are secure and efficient.

Learn more at https://docs.cairo-lang.org/

Yul

Yul is an intermediate language designed for the Ethereum blockchain that serves as a bridge between high-level smart contract languages (like Solidity) and the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) bytecode. It is part of the Solidity compiler and is used for writing more optimized and efficient low-level code, as well as for internal optimizations within the Solidity compiler itself.

Yul allows developers to

• Write optimized code that needs to be more gas-efficient. Developers can use Yul to write parts of their contracts that require fine-tuned performance optimizations.
• write complex smart contracts that involve intricate logic and need detailed control over execution
• Appreciate the optimizations performed by the compiler and potentially leverage them in their own code.

Learn more at https://docs.cairo-lang.org/

Halo2

Halo 2 is an advanced cryptographic protocol and zero-knowledge proof system developed by the Electric Coin Company (ECC), the creators of Zcash. Halo 2 is designed to improve scalability and efficiency in blockchain systems by enabling recursive proof composition and reducing the computational resources required for generating and verifying proofs.

Halo2 allows developers to

• Enhance the scalability of blockchain networks by enabling efficient, recursive zero-knowledge proofs. This allows for compact representation of large sets of transactions or computations, reducing the on-chain data requirements.
• Implement privacy-preserving transactions, where the details of the transaction are hidden while still allowing for public verification of its validity. This is particularly relevant for cryptocurrencies like Zcash.
• Enable the construction of interoperable protocols between different blockchains, where proofs from one blockchain can be verified on another.

Learn more at https://zcash.github.io/halo2/

Apeworx

The ApeWorX framework, also known as Ape Framework or simply Ape, is a comprehensive suite of tools and libraries designed to facilitate smart contract development and blockchain interactions. Developed by ApeWorX, this framework aims to provide developers with a robust and flexible environment for building, testing, and deploying smart contracts across various blockchain platforms.

ApeWorX allows developers to

• Write, compile, and deploy smart contracts. Its multi-chain support and modular design make it a versatile choice for developing decentralized applications (dApps) on various blockchains.
• Create plugins to extend the functionality of the ApeWorX framework. This is useful for adding support for new blockchains, integrating with other development tools, or providing custom features.
• Enjoy seamless deployment and interaction with contracts on different chains.

Learn more at https://docs.apeworx.io/ape/stable/

MetaMask

MetaMask is a popular cryptocurrency wallet and gateway to blockchain applications. It allows users to manage their digital assets, interact with decentralized applications (dApps), and execute transactions on various blockchain networks directly from their web browser or mobile device.

MetaMask allows users to

• Store, send, and receive various cryptocurrencies, including Ethereum and ERC-20 tokens.
• Users to connect to and interact with a wide range of decentralized applications, such as decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms, NFT marketplaces, games, and more.
• Execute transactions on the Ethereum network and other supported blockchains, including transferring assets, participating in token sales, and interacting with smart contracts.
• Access decentralized finance services, such as lending, borrowing, yield farming, and staking, directly from their wallet.
• Store, manage, and trade non-fungible tokens (NFTs) within their MetaMask wallet.

Learn more at https://docs.metamask.io/

Alchemy

Alchemy is a blockchain development platform that provides a suite of tools and infrastructure for building and scaling decentralized applications (dApps) on various blockchain networks. It is designed to simplify the development process, enhance performance, and offer robust solutions for interacting with blockchain data.

Alchemy allows developers to

• Simplify the development of decentralized applications by providing easy access to blockchain data and transaction services. This allows developers to focus on building their applications without worrying about the complexities of blockchain infrastructure.
• Perform detailed analysis of blockchain data, which can be used for analytics, tracking, and reporting purposes. This is useful for both developers and businesses needing insights into blockchain activity.
• Manage blockchain transactions efficiently. This includes sending transactions, tracking their status, and handling retries in case of failures.
• Scale with the needs of growing dApps, ensuring that performance remains consistent even under high load conditions.

Learn more at https://docs.alchemy.com/

Arbitrum

Arbitrum is a suite of Ethereum scaling solutions that make it easy to build and use decentralized applications. This document provides a high-level overview of the Arbitrum suite along with onboarding guidance tailored to specific audiences.

Learn more at https://docs.arbitrum.io/welcome/get-started

Gnosis Safe

Gnosis Safe is a multi-signature wallet and smart contract-based digital asset management platform designed to securely store and manage cryptocurrencies and other digital assets on the Ethereum blockchain and other compatible networks. It is particularly popular for its security features, which require multiple approvals to authorize transactions, making it ideal for individuals, teams, and organizations seeking enhanced security for their digital assets.

Gnosis Safe allows developers to

• Securely store large amounts of cryptocurrencies and other digital assets, particularly for organizations and individuals who require enhanced security.
• Manage shared funds, ensuring that no single individual has control over the assets.
• Interact with DeFi protocols, lend, borrow, and trade assets, all while maintaining high security through multi-signature approvals.
• Securely store and manage their NFT collections, ensuring that transactions involving high-value NFTs require multiple approvals.

Learn more at https://docs.safe.global/home/what-is-safe

gRPC

gRPC (gRPC Remote Procedure Calls) is an open-source remote procedure call (RPC) framework developed by Google. It allows applications to communicate with each other over a network or within the same system in a structured and efficient manner. gRPC is based on HTTP/2 and Protocol Buffers (protobuf), which provide advantages in terms of performance, scalability, and ease of use.

gRPC allows developers to

• Use in microservices architectures for inter-service communication due to its performance efficiency and support for multiple languages.
• Benefit from gRPC’s bi-directional streaming capabilities in applications requiring real-time communication, such as chat applications, live streaming, and real-time analytics.

Learn more at https://grpc.io/docs/

libp2p

libp2p is a modular network stack designed for peer-to-peer (P2P) applications. Developed originally for the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), libp2p has grown into a standalone project that provides a flexible framework for building decentralized and distributed applications.

libp2p allows developers to

• Create fully decentralized applications that do not rely on central servers. This is useful for building peer-to-peer file sharing systems, decentralized messaging apps, and more.
• Build distributed systems that can operate across different network environments, making it ideal for applications like blockchain networks, distributed storage, and real-time collaboration tools.
• Ensure that data exchanged between peers is secure and private.
• Implement custom networking protocols tailored to their specific application needs. This can include custom transport protocols, peer discovery mechanisms, and routing algorithms.

Learn more at https://docs.libp2p.io/

TypeChain

TypeChain is a TypeScript code generation tool that generates TypeScript bindings for Ethereum smart contracts. It allows developers to interact with smart contracts in a type-safe way by leveraging TypeScript’s static type checking. By using TypeChain, developers can avoid common runtime errors and improve their development experience when working with Ethereum smart contracts.

Typechain allows developers to

• Generate TypeScript typings, TypeChain ensures that developers can interact with smart contracts in a type-safe manner, catching errors at compile time rather than at runtime.
• Incorporate into existing projects and workflows.
• Reduce the likelihood of common errors such as incorrect function calls or misinterpreted data structures.

Learn more at https://github.com/dethcrypto/TypeChain

web3-react

web3-react is a library for managing and integrating multiple Web3 providers in React applications. It simplifies the process of connecting and interacting with various blockchain networks, such as Ethereum, by providing a set of hooks and utilities that allow developers to easily manage Web3 connections, handle user accounts, and interact with smart contracts.

web3-react allows developers to

• Easily connect their applications to various Web3 wallets, such as MetaMask, WalletConnect, and others.
• Manage Web3 state, including the connected account, network information, and provider status.
• Easily interact with smart contracts, perform transactions, and call contract methods.
• Configure and switch between multiple Web3 providers within their applications, providing flexibility and a better user experience.
• Integrate seamlessly with React applications, allowing developers to leverage React’s state management and component lifecycle features.

Learn more at https://docs.uniswap.org/sdk/web3-react/overview

Create-eth-app

Create-eth-app is a tool designed to streamline the process of setting up a new Ethereum-based decentralized application (DApp) development environment. It’s built upon Create React App, a popular tool for quickly setting up React-based web applications.

Create-eth-app allows developers to

• Deploy and interact with smart contracts locally without incurring transaction costs on the Ethereum mainnet or testnets.
• Create Ethereum smart contracts using popular frameworks like Solidity. These templates include basic smart contract code and testing configurations to get developers started quickly.
• Interact with the Ethereum blockchain. Create-eth-app integrates Web3.js into the project, making it easier for developers to connect their front-end applications to the Ethereum blockchain and interact with smart contracts.

Learn more at https://github.com/WalletConnect/create-eth-app

Echidna

Echidna is a property-based testing tool for Ethereum smart contracts. It allows developers to automatically generate test cases based on properties they want to verify about their contracts. These properties could include things like ensuring certain conditions always hold true, checking for potential vulnerabilities, or verifying contract functionality under various conditions.

Echidna allows developers to

• Automatically generate test cases based on properties defined by the developer, which helps in identifying bugs and vulnerabilities in Ethereum smart contracts.
• Uncover vulnerabilities such as reentrancy bugs, integer overflows, and other security issues that could potentially be exploited by attackers.
• Improve the overall security of their Ethereum applications, reducing the risk of financial losses due to bugs or vulnerabilities.

Learn more at https://github.com/crytic/echidna

Gelato

Gelato Network is an Ethereum-based protocol that offers a decentralized infrastructure for automating smart contract executions. It allows developers to create and execute automated tasks, commonly referred to as “DeFi bots,” without relying on centralized services.

Gelato allows developers to

• Automate transactions on Ethereum, such as token swaps, lending and borrowing, yield farming, and more. This automation can be based on predefined conditions, such as time triggers, price movements, or specific events.
• Reduce the need for manual intervention in executing smart contracts. This not only saves time but also reduces the potential for human error.
• Enhance the efficiency of DeFi protocols and applications by ensuring timely execution of transactions and reacting to market conditions in real-time.

Learn more at https://docs.gelato.network/

Tenderly

Tenderly is a platform designed to simplify the development, testing, and monitoring of Ethereum smart contracts. It offers a suite of tools and services tailored to the needs of Ethereum developers.

Tenderly allows developers to

• Easily identify and fix issues in their smart contracts. Developers can inspect transaction traces, debug Solidity code, and analyze contract state changes to diagnose and resolve bugs more efficiently.
• Optimize the gas usage of their smart contracts by providing insights into gas costs for individual operations and transactions. This allows developers to identify gas-intensive operations and optimize their contracts for cost-effectiveness.
• Monitor transactions in real-time and receive alerts for important events such as contract deployments, token transfers, and critical errors. This helps developers stay informed about the status of their contracts and take proactive action when necessary.
• Automate smart contract testing, including integration with popular testing frameworks like Truffle and Hardhat. Developers can easily set up and run automated tests to ensure the reliability and correctness of their contracts.
• Generate analytics and insights on smart contract performance, including transaction throughput, gas usage trends, and contract interactions. This allows developers to gain valuable insights into the behavior of their contracts and optimize them for better performance.

Learn more at https://docs.tenderly.co/

Snapshot

Snapshot is a voting platform that allows DAOs, DeFi protocols, or NFT communities to vote easily and without gas fees. The tool allows high customization of the voting process to cater to the diverse needs of the users and organizations. Customization includes different aspects like calculation of the users’ voting power, selection of the voting mechanism, proposal and vote validation, and many more.

Learn more at https://docs.snapshot.org/

OpenSea.js

OpenSea.js is a JavaScript library provided by OpenSea, one of the largest decentralized marketplaces for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the Ethereum blockchain. It allows developers to interact with the OpenSea platform programmatically, enabling them to build custom applications, integrate OpenSea functionality into existing applications, and access various features of the OpenSea marketplace.

OpenSea.js allows developers to

• Retrieve data about NFTs listed on the OpenSea marketplace, such as token metadata, owner information, and trading history.
• Create and manage NFT collections on OpenSea, including listing new items for sale, updating existing listings, and transferring ownership of NFTs.
• Perform actions like transferring tokens, approving token transfers, and interacting with custom contract functions.
• Build custom user interfaces for browsing, buying, and selling NFTs on OpenSea, tailoring the user experience to their specific needs and preferences.

Learn more at https://github.com/ProjectOpenSea/opensea-js

Slither

Slither is a popular static analysis framework for Solidity smart contracts, which are primarily used on the Ethereum blockchain. It helps developers and auditors analyze smart contracts for security vulnerabilities, design flaws, and potential optimizations.

Slither allows developers to

• Identify common vulnerabilities and security issues in Solidity smart contracts, such as reentrancy bugs, integer overflows, unchecked external calls, and more. By detecting these vulnerabilities early in the development process, developers can mitigate potential security risks.
• Generate insights into gas usage and contract complexity, helping developers optimize their smart contracts for efficiency and cost-effectiveness. This can lead to reduced gas costs and improved performance on the Ethereum blockchain.
• Integrate into continuous integration (CI) pipelines and development workflows, allowing developers to automate the analysis of their smart contracts. This ensures that contracts are regularly checked for vulnerabilities and issues as part of the development process.
• Generate detailed reports with information about identified vulnerabilities, gas usage, and contract metrics. These reports can be used to communicate findings to developers, auditors, and other stakeholders, facilitating collaboration and decision-making.

Learn more at https://github.com/crytic/slither

Sourcify

Sourcify is an initiative aimed at enhancing the transparency and trustworthiness of smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain. It provides a platform for verifying and storing the source code of smart contracts, making it accessible and comparable with the deployed bytecode on the blockchain.

Sourcify allows developers to

• Verify the source code of their smart contracts by matching the deployed bytecode on the blockchain with the provided source code. This verification process ensures that the source code corresponds exactly to what is deployed, fostering trust and transparency.
• Access and review the source code of verified contracts, promoting openness and accountability in the smart contract ecosystem.
• Inspect the code to identify potential vulnerabilities and ensure that the contract behaves as intended.

Learn more at https://docs.sourcify.dev/docs/intro/

cadCAD

cadCAD (complex adaptive dynamics Computer-Aided Design) is a Python-based modeling framework designed for research, validation, and Computer-Aided Design of complex systems, particularly those involving blockchain and decentralized applications. It allows developers, researchers, and system designers to simulate, analyze, and model the behavior of complex systems, including economic and social systems, to understand their dynamics and interactions.

cadCAD allows developers to

• Create and run simulations of complex systems. This can include modeling the behavior of decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, blockchain networks, and other multi-agent systems to observe how they evolve over time under various conditions.
• Analyze the dynamics of systems, understanding how different components interact and influence each other. This helps in identifying potential issues, inefficiencies, or vulnerabilities within the system.
• Test different scenarios by tweaking parameters and observing the outcomes. This is useful for stress testing systems, exploring edge cases, and understanding the impact of different variables on the overall system behavior.
• Generate insights on how systems behave under various conditions, cadCAD helps developers optimize the design and configuration of their systems. This can lead to more efficient, resilient, and effective implementations.

Learn more at https://cadcad.org/

TokenSpice

TokenSpice is a simulation framework specifically designed for modeling and analyzing tokenized ecosystems and blockchain-based economic systems. It leverages agent-based modeling to help developers, researchers, and system designers understand and predict the behavior of various participants within a tokenized economy.

TokenSpice allows developers to

• Create detailed models of token economies, capturing the interactions between different types of agents (e.g., users, investors, developers) and the rules that govern the token ecosystem.
• Simulate how various factors, such as token supply, demand, and incentive mechanisms, affect the overall dynamics of the token economy. This helps in understanding how changes in one part of the system can influence the entire ecosystem.
• Simulate the behavior of individual agents within the system. This allows developers to study how different strategies and behaviors impact the system’s performance and stability.
• Experiment with different token mechanisms, such as staking, voting, and rewards, to see how they perform under various conditions. This helps in identifying potential vulnerabilities and optimizing the design of token mechanisms.
• Generate insights on the performance and behavior of the token economy, TokenSpice helps developers optimize the design of their tokenized systems. This can lead to more efficient and robust implementations that better meet the needs of users and stakeholders.
• Run various scenarios and stress tests to understand how the token economy would behave under different conditions, such as market shocks, regulatory changes, or shifts in user behavior.

Learn more at https://github.com/tokenspice/tokenspice

Machinations

Machinations is a platform designed for designing, simulating, and balancing game economies and systems. Originally aimed at game developers, Machinations has found applications beyond gaming, including the modeling of blockchain-based economies and other complex systems.

Machinations allows developers to

• Create visual models of game economies, defining the relationships and interactions between different game elements, such as resources, players, and rules.
• Run simulations of the designed systems, allowing developers to see how the economy behaves over time. This helps in understanding the dynamics and identifying potential issues before they arise in the actual implementation.
• Simulate different scenarios, thereby balance game mechanics to ensure fair play, rewarding experiences, and sustainable economies. This is crucial for maintaining player engagement and game integrity.
• Simulate various player behaviors and strategies, helping developers understand how different types of players might interact with the game economy. This can inform decisions on game design and monetization strategies.
• Model and simulate blockchain-based economies, including tokenomics, staking mechanisms, and decentralized finance (DeFi) systems. This helps in designing robust and sustainable blockchain ecosystems.

Learn more at https://machinations.io/docs

Infura

Infura is a suite of tools and infrastructure services that provides developers with easy access to the Ethereum blockchain and other decentralized networks. It offers scalable, reliable, and secure APIs to interact with these networks without needing to run and maintain their own nodes. Infura is a product of ConsenSys, a well-known blockchain software technology company.

Infura allows developers to

• Instantly access the Ethereum blockchain through its API endpoints, allowing developers to read data from and write data to the blockchain. This eliminates the need for developers to set up and maintain their own Ethereum nodes.
• Send transactions, call smart contract functions, and listen for events emitted by smart contracts.
• Use Infura’s IPFS API to store and retrieve files in a decentralized manner.
• Handle large volumes of requests, providing scalability for applications that require high throughput. This is especially beneficial for decentralized applications (dApps) with a large user base.

Learn more at https://docs.infura.io/api

OpenZeppelin

OpenZeppelin is an open-source framework and library of smart contracts for building secure and reliable decentralized applications (dApps) on Ethereum and other blockchains. It is widely used by blockchain developers for its robust, audited, and reusable code.

OpenZeppelin allows developers to

• Use pre-built smart contracts. It provides a library of pre-built, standardized smart contracts that cover a wide range of use cases, such as token standards (ERC-20, ERC-721), access control, governance, and more. This saves developers time and effort as they don’t need to write these contracts from scratch.
• Significantly reduce the risk of deploying insecure code.
• Implement features like multi-signature wallets, admin roles, and other access control mechanisms.

Learn more at https://docs.openzeppelin.com/

Here is a ~50 mins tutorial on OpenZeppelin —

Aave

Aave is a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol that allows users to lend and borrow cryptocurrencies without needing to go through a centralized intermediary. It operates on the Ethereum blockchain and has become one of the leading DeFi platforms in terms of both functionality and total value locked (TVL).

Aave allows developers to

• Deposit assets into liquidity pools to earn interest or borrow assets by providing collateral.
• Build sophisticated financial products and services. Aave pioneered the concept of flash loans, which are uncollateralized loans that must be borrowed and repaid within the same transaction. This can be used for arbitrage, refinancing, and other advanced DeFi strategies.
• Offer both stable and variable interest rates to borrowers. Developers can allow users to switch between these rates depending on market conditions and their preferences.
• Manage collateral for users, including features such as collateral swaps (exchanging one type of collateral for another) and margin trading.

Learn more at https://docs.aave.com/hub

EigenDA

EigenLayer is a protocol built on Ethereum that introduces restaking, a new primitive in cryptoeconomic security. This primitive enables the reuse of ETH on the consensus layer. Users that stake ETH natively or with a liquid staking token (LST) can opt-in to EigenLayer smart contracts to restake their ETH or LST and extend cryptoeconomic security to additional applications on the network to earn additional rewards.

Learn more at https://docs.eigenlayer.xyz/eigenlayer/overview/

Chainlink

Chainlink is a decentralized oracle network that provides reliable, tamper-proof inputs and outputs for complex smart contracts on any blockchain. It aims to bridge the gap between blockchain-based smart contracts and real-world data, enabling smart contracts to interact with external data sources, APIs, and traditional banking systems securely and reliably.

Chainlink allows developers to

• Fetch data from off-chain sources (such as financial markets, weather data, sports scores, etc.) and use it within their smart contracts. This enables the creation of more complex and useful decentralized applications (dApps).
• Access decentralized data feeds (price oracles) for various assets, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. These data feeds are aggregated from multiple sources and validated by the network to ensure accuracy and reliability, which is crucial for DeFi applications.
• Trigger external events or execute commands outside the blockchain, such as sending a payment through a traditional financial system or initiating an action in an off-chain service.
• Minimize the risk of manipulation or failure, ensuring the integrity and trustworthiness of the data provided. Chainlink operates a network of independent node operators that retrieve and validate data from external sources.

Learn more at https://docs.chain.link/

Geth

Geth, short for Go Ethereum, is one of the most popular and widely used implementations of the Ethereum protocol. Written in the Go programming language, Geth is a command-line interface (CLI) tool that allows developers, miners, and users to interact with the Ethereum blockchain.

Geth allows developers to

• Run a full Ethereum node. This means downloading the entire Ethereum blockchain and participating in the network as a peer. Running a full node allows users to validate transactions and blocks, contributing to the security and decentralization of the network.
• Interact with the Ethereum blockchain. Geth provides a comprehensive set of APIs that allow developers to interact with the Ethereum blockchain. These APIs enable operations such as sending transactions, deploying and interacting with smart contracts, querying blockchain data, and more.
• Develop smart contracts. Developers can use Geth in combination with other tools (such as Solidity and Truffle) to write, test, and deploy smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain. Geth provides the necessary infrastructure to broadcast transactions and interact with deployed contracts.
• Connect to different Ethereum networks, including the mainnet, testnets (such as Ropsten, Rinkeby, and Goerli), and private networks. This flexibility is useful for development, testing, and deploying decentralized applications (dApps) in various environments.
• Set up and run a private Ethereum network. This is useful for testing and development purposes, as it provides a controlled environment where developers can experiment without interacting with the public Ethereum network.

Learn more at https://geth.ethereum.org/docs

Pinata

Pinata is a service that simplifies the process of storing and managing files on the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), a decentralized storage network. Pinata provides tools and infrastructure for developers to easily upload, pin, and manage their files on IPFS, making it easier to integrate decentralized storage into their applications.

Pinata allows developers to

• Upload files to IPFS. Pinata provides a user-friendly interface and APIs to upload files to the IPFS network. This makes it easy for developers to add their data to the decentralized storage system without needing to run their own IPFS nodes.
• Pin files, ensuring they remain accessible and stored on the IPFS network reliably.
• To view, organize, and manage their pinned files, making it easier to handle large amounts of data.

Learn more at https://docs.pinata.cloud/introduction

RemixIDE

RemixIDE is a powerful, open-source integrated development environment (IDE) for writing, testing, debugging, and deploying smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain. It is widely used by Ethereum developers due to its ease of use, comprehensive feature set, and web-based interface, which makes it accessible directly from a browser.

RemixIDE allows developers to

• Write smart contracts. RemixIDE provides a code editor specifically designed for writing Solidity smart contracts. It includes features like syntax highlighting, auto-completion, and error detection to enhance the development experience.
• Compile and deploy smart contracts. The IDE includes a built-in Solidity compiler that can compile smart contracts written in Solidity. It provides real-time feedback on the code, highlighting errors and warnings, and generating the bytecode and application binary interface (ABI) needed for deployment. It supports multiple environments, including the Ethereum mainnet, testnets (such as Ropsten, Rinkeby, Goerli, and Kovan), and private networks.
• Interact with Deployed Contracts. Once a contract is deployed, RemixIDE provides a user interface for interacting with it. Developers can call functions, send transactions, and view the state of the contract, making it easier to test and debug.
• Perform static analysis that scan the smart contract code for common vulnerabilities and best practice violations. This helps developers improve the security and quality of their code before deployment.

Learn more at https://remix-ide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

Uniswap

Uniswap is a decentralized exchange (DEX) protocol built on the Ethereum blockchain that allows users to trade cryptocurrencies without the need for a centralized intermediary. It uses an automated market maker (AMM) model, which facilitates the exchange of ERC-20 tokens using liquidity pools.

Uniswap allows developers to

• Trade tokens. Uniswap enables the decentralized exchange of ERC-20 tokens. Users can trade tokens directly from their wallets without relying on a centralized exchange, thus maintaining control over their funds.
• Provide liquidity to Uniswap pools by depositing pairs of tokens. In return, they earn fees generated from trades that occur in those pools. This incentivizes users to supply liquidity, ensuring there are sufficient funds for trading.
• Create new trading pairs for any ERC-20 tokens. This facilitates the listing and trading of new tokens without needing approval from a centralized entity.

Learn more at https://docs.uniswap.org/

WalletConnect

WalletConnect is an open protocol that allows decentralized applications (dApps) to securely connect to cryptocurrency wallets using QR codes or deep linking. It provides a bridge between dApps and mobile wallets, enabling users to interact with dApps from their mobile devices while maintaining control over their private keys.

WalletConnect allows developers to

• Integrate a wide range of cryptocurrency wallets with their dApps. Users can choose their preferred wallet to interact with the dApp, providing flexibility and convenience.
• Establishe a secure connection between the dApp and the user’s wallet using end-to-end encryption. This ensures that transaction data is transmitted securely, protecting the user’s private keys and sensitive information.
• Sign transactions directly from their mobile wallet. WalletConnect sends transaction requests to the wallet, where users can review and approve them. This ensures that private keys never leave the wallet and remain secure.
• Build multi-chain dApps. This means that users can connect to different networks and interact with various assets from a single interface.

Learn more at https://docs.walletconnect.com/

Yearn Finance

Yearn Finance is a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol built on the Ethereum blockchain that focuses on yield optimization. It automates the process of finding the best yield farming opportunities by moving user funds across different DeFi protocols to maximize returns. Yearn Finance offers various products, including vaults, yield farming strategies, lending aggregation, and more.

Yearn Finance allows developers to

• Integrate Yearn Finance’s protocols and strategies into their own DeFi applications. This allows them to offer optimized yield farming and lending services to their users without developing their own strategies from scratch.
• Create and propose custom yield farming strategies to be included in Yearn’s vaults. These strategies are reviewed and, if approved, can be used by the entire Yearn community, potentially earning fees for the strategy creator.

Learn more at https://docs.yearn.fi/

Etherscan

Etherscan is a widely-used blockchain explorer for the Ethereum network. It provides a comprehensive set of tools and features that allow users, developers, and researchers to interact with, analyze, and understand the Ethereum blockchain.

Etherscan allows developers to

• Interact programmatically with Ethereum blockchain data. This includes accessing transaction details, wallet balances, block information, and more.
• Verify and publish the source code of their smart contracts on Etherscan. This enhances transparency and trust, as users can review the code and understand how the contract works.
• Query event logs for specific smart contracts, which is useful for monitoring contract activity and debugging.
• Manage and track the performance of their ERC-20 or ERC-721 tokens. Etherscan provides detailed insights into token transfers, holders, and contract interactions.
• Analyze and debug transactions and smart contracts by providing detailed information on internal transactions, gas usage, and execution traces.
• Monitor multiple wallets for incoming and outgoing transactions, which is particularly useful for dApp developers who need to track user interactions with their applications.

Learn more at https://docs.etherscan.io/

Filecoin

Filecoin is a decentralized storage network built on blockchain technology, designed to enable users to store, retrieve, and share data in a secure and efficient manner. It leverages unused storage space from users worldwide, creating a marketplace for storage where providers are incentivized to offer their storage capacity and users can store data at competitive prices.

Filecoin allows developers to

• Integrate into their decentralized applications (dApps) to provide decentralized storage solutions. This allows dApps to store user data in a decentralized manner, enhancing security and resilience.
• Enable smart contracts to interact with decentralized storage. This opens up new possibilities for decentralized applications that require reliable data storage.

Learn more at https://docs.filecoin.io/

Paraswap

ParaSwap is a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform that provides a multi-chain liquidity aggregator for swapping tokens. It sources liquidity from various decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and other liquidity providers to offer users the best possible price for their token swaps. By aggregating liquidity from multiple sources, ParaSwap aims to minimize slippage and optimize trading efficiency.

ParaSwap allows developers to

• Leverage ParaSwap’s liquidity aggregation and trading features.
• Embed ParaSwap’s swap widget into their websites or applications, enabling users to perform token swaps directly within the developer’s interface.
• Split trades across multiple liquidity sources. Developers can leverage this feature to ensure that their users get the best possible execution for their trades.

Learn more at https://developers.paraswap.network/

Fuzz Testing

Fuzz testing, also known as fuzzing or fuzz testing, is a software testing technique used to discover vulnerabilities and defects in software applications by providing invalid, unexpected, or random inputs to the program. The goal of fuzz testing is to identify bugs, crashes, or security vulnerabilities that may not be found through traditional testing methods.

Fuzz testing allows developers to

• Systematically generate a large number of inputs and feed them into the software under test. By doing so, it can uncover bugs, crashes, and unexpected behavior that may occur when the software encounters unexpected inputs or conditions.
• Uncover security vulnerabilities such as buffer overflows, input validation errors, and memory corruption issues. By providing unexpected or malicious inputs, fuzz testing can trigger these vulnerabilities and expose potential security risks.
• Explore edge cases and boundary conditions that may not be covered by traditional testing approaches. This includes testing input ranges, data types, and error-handling scenarios to ensure robustness and resilience of the software.
• Efficiently test large codebases and complex systems. Automated fuzzing tools can generate inputs, execute tests, and analyze results automatically, saving time and effort compared to manual testing.

Learn more at https://github.com/google/fuzzing/blob/master/docs/intro-to-fuzzing.md

NatSpec

Natspec, short for “Natural Specification,” is a documentation standard used in the Ethereum ecosystem to write human-readable documentation and descriptions for smart contracts. It allows developers to annotate their Solidity smart contracts with natural language comments and descriptions, making the code more understandable and accessible to other developers, auditors, and users.

Natspec allows developers to

• Document their smart contracts by adding comments directly within the Solidity code. These comments can include explanations of contract functionality, method descriptions, input parameters, return values, and usage examples.
• Improve code readability. By adding human-readable descriptions and explanations to smart contracts, Natspec improves the overall readability and understandability of the code. This makes it easier for other developers to review, understand, and contribute to the codebase.

Learn more at https://docs.soliditylang.org/en/latest/natspec-format.html

zk-SNARK

Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge (zk-SNARK) is a cryptographic technique used to prove the validity of computations without revealing the inputs or intermediate steps of the computation. It enables one party (the prover) to convince another party (the verifier) that a statement is true without revealing any additional information beyond the validity of the statement itself.

zk-SNARK allows developers to

• Create privacy-preserving transactions on public blockchains. With zk-SNARKs, users can prove ownership of certain assets or execute transactions without revealing sensitive information such as account balances or transaction amounts.
• Enable the verification of complex computations in a succinct and efficient manner. This can improve the scalability of blockchain networks by reducing the computational overhead required to validate transactions and execute smart contracts.
• Secure Authentication and Identity Management. zk-SNARKs can be used for secure authentication and identity management systems. Users can prove their identity or authenticate themselves without revealing sensitive personal information, enhancing privacy and security.

Learn more at https://arxiv.org/pdf/2202.06877

zk-STARK

Zero-Knowledge Scalable Transparent Argument of Knowledge (zk-STARK) is a cryptographic technique similar to zk-SNARK but with some distinct characteristics. While both zk-SNARK and zk-STARK are used for proving the validity of computations without revealing any sensitive information, zk-STARKs offer certain advantages such as transparency, scalability, and post-quantum security.

zk-STARK allows developers to

• Enable transparent verification. Unlike zk-SNARKs, which require a trusted setup phase, zk-STARKs do not rely on any trusted setup. This makes zk-STARKs transparent and eliminates the need to trust a centralized entity with generating the initial parameters.
• Be highly scalable, allowing for the verification of large computations with minimal overhead. This scalability makes zk-STARKs suitable for use cases where large amounts of data need to be processed and verified efficiently, such as blockchain transactions and data analysis.
• Build decentralized applications (dApps) that require privacy, scalability, and security. Developers can leverage zk-STARKs to create privacy-preserving transactions, secure voting systems, verifiable credentials, and more.

Learn more at https://starkware.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/STARK-paper.pdf

Chainlink

Blockchain oracles are entities that connect blockchains to external systems, thereby enabling smart contracts to execute based upon inputs and outputs from the real world. With an entire suite of services that enable developers to build advanced, secure, cross-chain, and verifiable applications, the Chainlink platform is set to help scale blockchain technology to billions of users.

Learn more at https://chain.link/education

Cosmos

Cosmos is a decentralized network of independent, scalable, and interoperable blockchains. It aims to create an “Internet of Blockchains,” where multiple blockchains can communicate with each other in a decentralized manner. Cosmos provides the tools and protocols necessary to build and connect these blockchains, addressing scalability and interoperability challenges in the blockchain ecosystem.

Learn more at https://tutorials.cosmos.network/

Polkadot

Polkadot is a next-generation blockchain protocol designed to enable multiple blockchains to interoperate, share security, and scale. Developed by the Web3 Foundation and initially conceptualized by Dr. Gavin Wood, co-founder of Ethereum, Polkadot aims to create a decentralized web where users are in control. The protocol facilitates the creation of interconnected and customizable blockchains, known as parachains, that can seamlessly communicate with each other.

Learn more at https://polkadot.network/development/docs/

Part 15 - Distributed Systems Concepts

Fault Tolerance

Overview:

Optional: If you wish to learn the concept in depth, then there is a ~24 hour course from University of California.

Part 16 - Cryptocurrency regulation

Regulatory approaches to cryptocurrencies vary significantly worldwide, reflecting different priorities and concerns. While some countries embrace cryptocurrencies and seek to integrate them into their financial systems, others impose strict regulations or outright bans. This diverse regulatory landscape continues to evolve as governments balance the benefits of innovation with the need for oversight and consumer protection.

The regulations evolve periodically and it’s hard to track and understand the current state. Here are some links which presents the current state -

Cryptocurrency Regulations and Laws Shaping 2024

Cryptocurrency, Digital or Virtual Currency and Digital Assets 2024 Legislation

Regulation - 2023/1114 - EN - EUR-Lex

Cryptocurrency regulations are changing across the globe. Here's what you need to know

MAS Finalises Stablecoin Regulatory Framework

How the UAE has become a global crypto hotspot amid 'regulatory winter'

Part 17 - Why Crypto is so terrible?

Despite thousands of best brains working on blockchain technologies, Crypto currencies are still terrible to transact. They are great to gamble and speculate! I wrote a separate article on this here.

Part 18 - Web3 Marketing

Marketing web3 requires different approach than traditional marketing as the products are highly technical and so is the audience more or less.

The following course provides a good overview of marketing web 3 projects —

Web 3 Community building -

Building communities in web3: Tips and strategies - Landvault Blog

Part 19 - VC Ecosystem

In this part, we will talk about different VCs operating in the segment, and how they are shaping the web 3 ecosystem.

Here is a list of 350 VCs compiled by me who invest in Blockchain / Crypto / Web 3 companies — here.

Part 20 - Startup Ecosystem

Before I even started to compile my own, I found this wonderful list compiled by Dan Okhlopkov (Thanks Dan!) —

web3 startups list by okhlopkov.com

Part 21 - What Web 3 Careers are out there for me?

If you are looking to enter the blockchain/web3 space and are confused what jobs are out there, read this article here -

What web3 careers are out there for me?

Part 22 - The Web3 Story by Uday Singh

If you have read everything above this line, you must know by now what blockchain really is and what all is happening in the space. However, there is still no clear story which depicts how the overall web3 space is evolving. My story is inspired by Matt Levine. If you haven’t read it yet ,please read it here.

Here is an attempt from my end to depict the Web 3 evolution story. Please read it here —

The Web3 Story

Part 23 - Blockchain Moonshot Ideas

I am a strong believer in the power of blockchain technology and decentralisation and how it will shape the course of future transactions. The way value is exchange in the society, the way corporations are run, the way governments commit frauds and get away with them will undergo a massive transformation with the enablement of decentralisation technologies. Here is a list of those crazy ideas.

1. Peer to Peer Decentralised Electricity Grid

I see a future where several households would generate electricity via natural resources — wind, solar; and then transmit the spare electricity to the decentralised grid where other users can buy the electricity from.

Here are some attempts being made on the same globally -

• Project Tapestry — A project by Google’s X Moonshot Factory, it aims to make the world’s electric grid visible so everyone can access clean, reliable energy. More details can be found here.
• Autonomous Energy Grids — “Autonomous Energy Grids” (AEG) is an initiative by U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory to ensure the grid of the future can manage a growing base of intelligent energy devices, variable renewable energy, and advanced controls. More details can be found here.
• Energy Web Decentralized Operating System (EW-DOS) — It is a public, open-source stack of technologies (including the Energy Web Chain) for connecting customers, assets, and existing energy-sector IT and OT systems with energy markets and programs. More details can be found on this whitepaper.
• Brooklyn Microgrid (LO3 Energy) — Brooklyn Microgrid is a community-driven initiative that launched in April 2016 in Park Slope, where two residents on President Street conducted the first peer-to-peer energy transactions. Created by LO3 Energy, BMG seeks to reinvent the traditional energy grid model by introducing a communal energy network. This network enables residential and commercial users in New York to buy and sell locally-generated renewable energy. The project aims to benefit society, workers, the community, and the environment. More details can be found here.
• Power Ledger — A blockchain-based platform that facilitates peer-to-peer energy trading, enabling users to buy and sell surplus renewable energy within their local communities. It’s mission is to lead the global democratization of the energy market so people have access to energy, can participate directly in energy markets and can improve their lives and the lives of others. More details can be found here.

2. Decentralised Public Governance

I foresee a future where all the government revenues and spendings would be made available on a blockchain for the public to view. Every local council or municipality funds and spendings would be available for the public to view. Citizens will be able to vote for the referendums either locally or nationally. This will generate more transparency and build stronger trust between citizens and government officials. There are several DAOs being built which allow participants to vote and democratise the decision making.

I published a whitepaper focusing on referendums leveraging blockchain here.

3. Elections on Blockchain

Blockchains possess the powerful property of immutability, which is essential for secure voting in elections. Many developed and developing countries have experienced various electoral malpractices, with some even facing completely fabricated election results. In such scenarios, leveraging technology becomes crucial to ensuring fair and transparent elections.

Several voting-based systems have been developed on blockchain to enhance transparency, security, and trust in electoral processes. Here are some notable blockchain-based voting systems:

• Follow My Vote
• Voatz
• Votem
• SecureVote
• Agora
• VoteWatcher
• ElectionGuard

4. Global money transfers on Blockchain

The current technology supports this however, the process is tedious. A user has to covert Fiat to USDT, then the receiver converts the received USDT into his/her fiat. This requires opening an account on one of the centralised crypto exchanges.

5. Decentralised Social Media Platform

Current social media platforms are heavily censored and biased, with founders and their bunch of employees setting policies and determining what is permissible. The recommendation and feed algorithms are kept secret, leading to the suppression of certain voices. The future of social media lies in decentralization, where every user has the right to express and share their thoughts freely. In such a system, the community members themselves decide what is good for them and what is not.

Some notable initiatives being taken -

• Farcaster — A protocol for building sufficiently decentralized social networks.
• Steemit — A blockchain-based blogging and social media website.

6. Decentralised Identity

Current identity systems are highly inefficient, requiring users to repeatedly enter their details and perform KYC procedures whenever they open a new social media account, bank account, or buy a SIM card. Although there have been improvements with login options via Facebook, Google, and Apple ID, these solutions still rely on centralized intermediaries. In a truly decentralized system, users would store their personal data on their own devices — such as phones, laptops, or smartwatches. They alone would possess their data and control access to it through data-sharing protocols. When an application requests access to identity documents, the user would receive a request and, with their consent, the application would be granted access to the necessary data.

Part 24 - Web3 Masterminds to follow

Staying connected with the right people and experts in the blockchain world is crucial for keeping up-to-date with the latest trends and innovations in the industry. Twitter is the platform of choice for Crypto creators & enthusiasts.

Here are some prominent blockchain experts and influencers on Twitter along with their handles:

1. Vitalik Buterin (@VitalikButerin) — Co-founder of Ethereum.
2. Andreas M. Antonopoulos (@aantonop) — Bitcoin advocate and author of “Mastering Bitcoin”.
3. Naval Ravikant (@naval) — Entrepreneur and angel investor with interests in blockchain.
4. Changpeng Zhao (CZ) (@cz_binance) — CEO of Binance.
5. Elizabeth Stark (@starkness) — Co-founder and CEO of Lightning Labs.
6. Adam Back (@adam3us) — CEO of Blockstream.
7. Gavin Wood (@gavofyork) — Co-founder of Ethereum and founder of Polkadot.
8. Charlie Lee (@SatoshiLite) — Creator of Litecoin.
9. Joseph Lubin (@ethereumJoseph) — Co-founder of Ethereum and founder of ConsenSys.
10. Laura Shin (@laurashin) — Journalist and host of the Unchained podcast.
11. Nick Szabo (@NickSzabo4) — Cryptocurrency and smart contracts pioneer.
12. Anthony Pompliano (@APompliano) — Investor and host of “The Pomp Podcast”.
13. Balaji S. Srinivasan (@balajis) — Entrepreneur and former CTO of Coinbase.
14. Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) — CEO of Coinbase.
15. Fred Ehrsam (@FEhrsam) — Co-founder of Coinbase and Paradigm.
16. Jameson lopp (@lopp) — Co-founder & Chief Security Officer of CasaHODL.
17. Arianna Simpson (@AriannaSimpson) — General Partner at a16z.
18. Dan Morehead (@dan_pantera) — Founder, Managing Partner at PanteraCapital.
19. Charlie Shrem (@CharlieShrem) — Partner at DruidVentures.
20. Barry Silbert (@BarrySilbert) — Founder/CEO at DCGco

Part 25 - Introspect all your learnings

This is the final part of the 50 days marathon where you prepare a short Web3 CV on the skills you acquired in the last 50 days. Note that it took me exactly 50 days to study and extra 10 days to publish 5 artices. You might take 30, 50, 80, 100 or 200 days. It all depends on how much depth you cover and which areas you specialise in.

It would be great to build your own report card as only you know what you know. Come up with all the skill sets you intended to acquire. A developer would focus on different skill sets than a VC Analyst or a Web3 marketer.

Here is how I would prepare my learning report card -

Scale: 1 to 10 (10 being the highest)

What does Skill rating mean?

Rating 1 to 3 - Have very little knowledge, not enough to qualify for a job

Rating 4 to 5 - Have decent knowledge, not enough to qualify for a job yet

Rating 6 to 7 - Have average level of knowledge which is the bare minimum to perform a job.

Rating 8 - Has adequate skills to perform most of the jobs

Rating 9 - Has good skills to perform best in most of the jobs

Rating 10 - Has exceptional knowledge, and consider yourself among the top 1% in the world

Skill 1: Critical thinking | Score - 08/10

Can you critically think about any blockchain protocol / technology / solution? Can you analyse a protocol or a blockchain system both technically and operationally to determine the benefits and limitations of it?

Apply critical thinking to most of the things I learned. For me this is one of the most important skill sets. It implies that one understands the technology enough to critic the present and the future state of it.

I still do not know many of the things in detail enough to think critically about them.

Skill 2: Coding Skills | Score — 06/10

Can you create a Dapp on your own or write smart contract of a production grade?

P.S.- I wasn’t learning to be a coder.

I can write simple smart contracts in solidity. I can setup hyperledger fabric blockchain and run a chain code on AWS. I can create my own DAO and play around with different blockchain ecosystems. Move tokens around different blockchain systems. Just 3 weeks more of practice, and I should be able to write average quality smart contracts. That’s because I did programming for 4 years!

Skill 3: Architecting Skills| Score — 08/10

Can you architect a blockchain solution to solve a real world problem?

I can do this because I have been architecting and designing solutions and product features since last 10 years. Blockchain is just a different technology.

I tried architecting a solution for a blockchain based referendums system -

A Proposal for Citizen Inclusiveness in Referendums: Leveraging Blockchain for Transparent…

Skill 4: Investment Decision Skills| Score — 08/10

Can you make a decision confidently whether to invest in a protocol or a crypto coin or DAO? The decision should be based on the fundamental and technical analysis of the token, and not the technical trading charts.

Congratulate yourself and thank all the wonderful people who made all of their content available for free for the society to benefit!

• I created a Discord community for blockchain learners. We post all cool things about blockchain here! No trading tips! — JOIN HERE.
• I would like to chat with 20 random professionals/learners/entrepreneurs working in the web 3 space to talk on anything web 3 or blockchain related. No agenda, just talk, network and learn from each other. Here is my calendar link.
• A VC scout Platform — If you are a Web 3 entrepreneur and looking for cofounders or funds, join here(coming soon).

About Me: I studied Computer Science, Finance and Operations Management in the University. Worked as a Java developer, Business Analyst, Product Manager in the past for eBay, Forbes, Cisco, Starbucks and more. Worked on a couple of my own startup ideas in past. I have traveled a little bit, I can dance salsa and bachata a bit, and I can play a little bit of guitar and ukulele.

You can find me here -

LinkedIn — Here

Blog — Here