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Blockchain Basics
  • Level Foundation
  • Duration 16 hours
  • Course by University at Buffalo
  • Offered by

About

This first course of the Blockchain specialization provides a broad overview of the essential concepts of blockchain technology " by initially exploring the Bitcoin protocol followed by the Ethereum protocol " to lay the foundation necessary for developing applications and programming. You will be equipped with the knowledge needed to create nodes on your personal Ethereum blockchain, create accounts, unlock accounts, mine, transact, transfer Ethers, and check balances. You will learn about the decentralized peer-to-peer network, an immutable distributed ledger and the trust model that defines a blockchain. This course enables you to explain basic components of a blockchain (transaction, block, block header, and the chain) its operations (verification, validation, and consensus model) underlying algorithms, and essentials of trust (hard fork and soft fork). Content includes the hashing and cryptography foundations indispensable to blockchain programming, which is the focus of two subsequent specialization courses, Smart Contracts and Decentralized Applications (Dapps). You will work on a virtual machine image, specifically created for this course, to build an Ethereum test chain and operate on the chain. This hands-on activity will help you understand the workings of a blockchain, its transactions, blocks and mining. Main concepts are delivered through videos, demos and hands-on exercises.

Modules

Blockchain

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Videos

  • Practitioner's Perspective: John Wolpert, ConsenSys

1 Readings

  • Acknowledgements: Blockchain

Bitcoin & Blockchain

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Self-Check

1 Videos

  • Blockchain Defined: Bitcoin & Blockchain

1 Readings

  • (OPTIONAL) Resources: Bitcoin & Blockchain

Blockchain Structure

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Self-Check

1 Videos

  • Blockchain Structure

1 Readings

  • (OPTIONAL) Resources: Blockchain Structure

Basic Operations

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Self-Check

1 Videos

  • Basic Operations

1 Readings

  • (OPTIONAL) Resources: Basic Operations

Beyond Bitcoin

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Self-Check

1 Videos

  • Beyond Bitcoin

1 Readings

  • (OPTIONAL) Resources: Beyond Bitcoin

Week 1 Evaluation: Blockchain Defined

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Blockchain Defined - Week 1

1 Readings

  • REQUIRED Quiz Resources and Directions: Blockchain Defined - Week 1

Smart Contracts

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Self-Check

2 Videos

  • Ethereum Blockchain: Smart Contracts
  • Practitioner's Perspective: The Enterprise

1 Readings

  • (OPTIONAL) Resources: Smart Contracts

Ethereum Structure

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Self-Check

1 Videos

  • Ethereum Structure

1 Readings

  • (OPTIONAL) Resources: Ethereum Structure

Ethereum Operations

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Self-Check

1 Videos

  • Ethereum Operations

1 Readings

  • (OPTIONAL) Resources: Ethereum Operations

Incentive Model

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Self-Check

1 Videos

  • Incentive Model

1 Readings

  • (OPTIONAL) Resources: Incentive Model

Week 2 Evaluation: Ethereum Blockchain

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Ethereum Blockchain - Week 2

1 Readings

  • REQUIRED Quiz Resources and Directions: Ethereum Blockchain - Week 2

Public-Key Cryptography

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Self-Check

1 Videos

  • Algorithms & Techniques: Public-Key Cryptography

1 Readings

  • (OPTIONAL) Resources: Public-Key Cryptography

Hashing

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Self-Check

1 Videos

  • Hashing

1 Readings

  • (OPTIONAL) Resources: Hashing

Transaction Integrity

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Self-Check

1 Videos

  • Transaction Integrity

1 Readings

  • (OPTIONAL) Resources: Transaction Integrity

Securing Blockchain

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Self-Check

1 Videos

  • Securing Blockchain

1 Readings

  • (OPTIONAL) Resources: Securing Blockchain

Week 3 Evaluation: Algorithms & Techniques

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Algorithms & Techniques - Week 3

1 Readings

  • REQUIRED Quiz Resources and Directions: Algorithms & Techniques - Week 3

Decentralized Systems

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Self-Check

1 Videos

  • Trust Essentials: Decentralized Systems

1 Readings

  • (OPTIONAL) Resources: Decentralized Systems

Consensus Protocol

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Self-Check

2 Videos

  • Consensus Protocol
  • Practitioner's Perspective: Decentralized Governance

1 Readings

  • (OPTIONAL) Resources: Consensus Protocol

Robustness

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Self-Check

1 Videos

  • Robustness

1 Readings

  • (OPTIONAL) Resources: Robustness

Forks

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Self-Check

1 Videos

  • Forks

1 Readings

  • (OPTIONAL) Resources: Forks

Week 4 Evaluation: Trust Essentials

    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Trust Essentials - Week 4

Final Course Project

    • 1 Programming
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1 Programming

  • Getting Started with Blockchain Ethereum

Blockchain Basics: Key Takeaways

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Blockchain Basics: Key Takeaways

Auto Summary

Discover the fundamentals of blockchain technology with this foundational course in IT & Computer Science. Led by expert instructors, you'll explore Bitcoin and Ethereum protocols, learning to create nodes, mine, transact, and more on your personal Ethereum blockchain. The course covers key components, operations, algorithms, and trust models of blockchain, supplemented with videos, demos, and hands-on exercises. Available on Coursera, the course offers flexible subscription options: Starter, Professional, and Paid, and spans 960 minutes. Ideal for beginners aiming to build a solid understanding of blockchain.

Bina Ramamurthy
Instructor

Bina Ramamurthy