Become a Blockchain developer today and you’ll never have to worry about finding a job
If you want to kickstart your career in a field that has a lot of potential for growth and cutting-edge tech, then becoming a Blockchain developer is a good option for you.
There is a huge demand for certified Blockchain developers, but there are not many of them. Here are some tips, guiding questions, and resources to get you started going down the rabbit hole:
What is Solidity?
Solidity is an object-oriented, high-level programming language released in 2014 by the contributors of the Ethereum Project. It is used to create Smart Contracts and automate transactions on the blockchain. This is a must-learn language to get into blockchain development.
FreeCodecamp has a great into course for free. But here’s some other things you can quickly learn about solidity.
How does Solidity look like?
Solidity is a slimmed-down, statically typed programming language, supporting inheritance, libraries, and complex user-defined data.
It is similar to ECMAScript (JavaScript) with some C++ and Python flavors.
How does Solidity Run?
Solidity language itself is a tool that, when compiled, is translated into machine-level byte code that can execute on the Ethereum Virtual Machine(EVM) running on blockchain nodes.
Another language that can do the same is Serpent.
What is the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)?
The EVM can’t be described in the same way that one might point to a cloud, but it does exist as one single entity maintained by thousands of computers running an Ethereum client.
Read more here:
The Ethereum Virtual Machine is Deterministic
Given an input, a Solidity Smart Contract running on an EVM, will always produce the same output.
This requirement for determinism is the reason you won’t see the “random()” function in Solidity language.
Why is Determinism essential?
Because the Blockchain to function needs all blocks to agree on the results of a Smart Contract, and reach consensus.
Things such as random numbers would vary the result, breaking consensus and causing the network to halt.
Where does Solidity Stores Data?
The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) gives us access to:
- The Stack.
- The Memory.
- The Storage.
Let’s explore them briefly 👇
Storing data in the Stack
The stack is an internal place where temporary variables are stored in 32bits slots.
It is usually used for value types functions, and for variables which values are necessary for immediate processing.
Storing data in the Memory
The Memory is a byte array with slot sizes of 256bit (32bytes).
Used to store temporary data only during function execution, after which, it is deleted.
Storing data in the Storage.
Storage is a key-value store, where data is kept permanently.
Data in the storage is written on the Blockchain and is available between function calls and transactions.
Writing data to the storage has a cost.
Developing in Solidity has a cost?
Yes and no.
When deploying smart contracts you’ll have two choices:
- Deploying on a Testnnet (FREE).
- Deploying on the Mainnet (Costs GAS).
Let’s see what are the differences and what the GAS is.
Mainnet vs Testnet
Mainnet (main network) is the functional blockchain where actual transactions take place
Testnet (test network) — is an alternative blockchain used for testing. Testnet tokens are separate and distinct from actual tokens and have no value.
The Price of Solidity — Gas.
There are extra costs that are paid for using Solidity on the Ethereum mainnet.
Some are based on the Ethereum gas system which requires payment to miners for securing the blockchain network so that code can run safely on it.
What is the GAS?
In Solidity, Gas is a fee that is required to conduct a transaction on the Ethereum blockchain.
Every operation in Ethereum, be it a transaction or smart contract execution, requires some amount of gas.
How is GAS priced?
Gas prices are specified in gwei.
Gwei is a denomination of a fraction of Ether, instead of saying that your gas costs 0.000000001 ETH, you can say your GAS costs 1 gwei.
GAS price is determined by supply and demand on the blockchain.
Gas Determine How Perfomant a Smart Contract Is.
Fees are paid for every storage slot used, hence actions executed with Solidity on the mainnet cost gas.
An expensive Smart Contract, one that performs many transactions, is unlikely to be used in the long term.
How much Gas do I need to pay?
It depends on how cluttered the network is.
By default:
- To occupy a 256 Bit storage slot -> 20k Gas.
- Changing a value of an already occupied slot -> 5k Gas.
- Writing a word to memory -> 3 Gas.
Are Testnets free from Gas?
No.
You’ll still need to pay, but you’ll use fictitious tokens with no value that you can get with faucets like:
A great way to learn Solidity and Web3 in general is by joining a community.
Buildspace is a good one and simply any Development DAO you can find on Twitter.
One of the best resources to learn about Solidity is a Gamified Programming course
Learn how to develop Smart Contracts while creating a Zombie factory to start your world domination plan.
Conclusion
Learning Solidity and Smart Contacts is pioneering and probably the best investment you can make in 2022.
Start small, develop projects, and be consistent.
You won’t learn Solidity after reading this article and neither after saving the resources here, but you can do it rather quickly if you have the development background and with patience if you are new to development.
Do you have any other blockchain development learning resources or guides?
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