Learn Blockchain by Building One: A Concise Path to Understanding Cryptocurrencies

As cryptocurrencies and their underlying data structure, blockchains, become further intertwined in our daily lives, a full understanding of them is essential to anyone who wants to keep up and remain informed of the future of finance. There is no better learning method than a hands-on one, and Learn Blockchain by Building One offers just that.

Develop your own blockchain using Python with step-by-step instructions from author Daniel van Flymen, an expert in the field. You will come away with a confident working knowledge of popular cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum and which foundations make them work. Through helpful exercises and real-world examples, you will understand the core concepts of peer-to-peer networking, proof of work, hashing, encryption, and digital signatures.

Learn Blockchain by Building One gives you timely, real-world lessons in blockchain and cryptocurrencies that you will need as our modern society becomes increasingly digitally sophisticated. The lasting implications of such technology, including the security of personal transactions and the role of government regulation, are not to be underestimated. Stay ahead of the curve and become a confident blockchain builder now!

What You Will Learn

• Develop a fully-fledged blockchain in Python
• Obtain a ground-up understanding of of Proof of Work
• Grasp core cryptographic concepts, such as hashing, encryption, and digital signatures
• Understand how gossip protocols and peer-to-peer networking works by implementing a TCP client-server
• Realize the differences and trade-offs between popular blockchains such as Bitcoin and Ethereum

Who This Book Is For

This book is aimed at intermediate programmers in any area from finance to academia. Readers should be comfortable reading and writing basic Python.

Daniel van Flymen is currently a Director of Engineering at Candid in New York City. As a seasoned Python veteran, he’s a regular code contributor to popular open source projects, and is a guest on the Software Engineering Daily podcast, having been on popular episodes such as Understanding Bitcoin Transactions and Blockchain Engineering. He frequently writes on Medium and has a number of popular articles, such as “Learn Blockchains by Building One” and “Learn Blockchains using Spreadsheets.” He is passionate about making Bitcoin accessible to everyone through education.