Learn to code for the Blockchain, where to begin ?
This is a short post about skills & resources , software developers should consider closely, if they want to keep up on Blockchain development.
The Investment in time and money to learn this technology is worth it, then despite the up and downs of the crypto market, this technology is here to stay.
Where to begin ?
One important aspect when dealing with a new and vast field like Blockchain is to focus.
To have an in-depth technical expertise and be able to implement real working solutions , developers should focus on one of the leading platforms to begin with.
Understanding the concepts ( architecture, patterns, programming languages, tools, processes) and challenges ( security, performance, scaling, limitations, known issues) throughly and how they are addressed in one platform makes a later switch to other Blockchain platform easier.
One of the leading and most popular public Blockchains today is Ethereum. Ethereum has the potential to become one of the standard platforms on the web in the future.
So lets’ look at the technical skills & resources developers should consider from the Ethereum point of view
Technical skills for Ethereum Blockchain developers
Blockchain & Smart contracts
- Understand the main concepts ( cryptography, distributed computing, Merkle Trees) and if you want to be a core Blockchain developer and not a Smart contract or Blockchain Application developer, you need to invest more time on the main concepts.
- Learn how to interact with the Blockchain through different API’S ( RPC, HTTP…), start by installing the ethereum Geth client and go through the tutorials to build you own test Blockchain
- Learn how to build a smart contract with the solidity programming language, solidity is the most popular smart contract language on Ethereum
- learn how to deploy and interact with smart contract on private and public Blockchains
- learn the security best practices for smart contracts , and understand the known issues and hacks on smart contracts
Links & Downloads:
Ethereum home
Decentralized Apps (DApps)
learn how to build frontends to access the Blockchain and smart contracts:
- Learn how to use Web3 from JavaScript and HTML /CSS
- learn how integrate JavaScript frameworks like React and Angular in you DApps ,with those frameworks you will be able to design and develop modular enterprise level DApps
Links & Downloads::
Tools
Learn the tool chain and the build process:
- Truffle: when you get the basics , learn how to use an Enterprise ready tool for the development, truffle is today the tool of choice when building enterprise Blockchain solutions
- Learn JS test Libraries ( Chai, Mocca) , which can be used to test smart contracts
Links & Downloads:
Resources
Blockchain Classroom courses, Conferences & Events
Classroom and instructor led courses, are a very efficient way to learn fast and with guidance through experienced trainers:
“Frontend Development for Blockchain” Workshop Basel
Ethereum Developer Workshop Zurich
Blockchain for RealState Workshop Zurich (DE)
Ethereum/Hyperledger Course Frankfurt
“FullStack Blockchain Developer” 3 days Workshop Barcelona(DE)
Blockchain Conferences & Events
Technology conferences can also be a resource to learn and get an overview over the development of the technology and new trends in the market
Below is a list of conferences and events in Europe:
OpenCH ETH Zurich
Unchain Conf.
Other Online resources
There are a plenty of free and paid online resources ( Youtube Videos , tutorials, blogs) where you can build up the skills around these topics on your own.
Join us on our next fast Track course
Don’t miss the opportunity to build up your Blockchain skills as a software developer before the summer holidays and join us on the 5 of July in Basel for our Hands-On Workshop “Frontend Development for the Blockchain”.
