Blockchain Basics
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.
A learner will be able to recognize foundational concepts of blockchain, and apply these program concepts on the blockchain.
Syllabus
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week 1
Blockchain Defined
Week 2
Ethereum Blockchain
Week 3
Algorithms & Techniques
Week 4
Trust Essentials
FAQ
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Who is this course for?
This course is for anyone interested in obtaining a broad overview of blockchain technology. Along with the other courses of the Blockchain specialization, it provides the foundation needed for developers who seek to design and develop smart contracts (the focus of the second course) and decentralized applications (the focus of the third course) on the blockchain. Though there are no technical prerequisites for this course, motivation to learn novel techniques and essential foundations is critical to understanding blockchain concepts and interacting with the blockchain.
Are there any prerequisites?
Knowledge of at least one modern, high-level programming language is required.
Are there any hardware requirements?
A laptop or a desktop of this specification: 64 bit machine with minimum 4Gb ram, 10Gb free space and Windows 7 or above , or ubuntu 16.04 or Mac os x 10.0+.
Reviews
I find this course helpful to absolute beginner and for one who wants to grasp the basic concepts of Blockchain . The tutor tried to explain most part with simplicity and good and sufficient details.
The course was at a right pace for me and it introduced concepts at the right level of detail. Also provided lot of reading and watching material that was useful for such a evolving subject.
Amazing Course , easy to follow , in depth explanation, easy to understand , I have was amazing Experience, still learning a lot ... and for me this was the best way to start learn about blockchain
This course gave me a lot of knowledge about BlockChain. Before this course, I didn't have any knowledge about BlockChain. I learned BitCoin and Ehereum. I knew, how they work, how to apply?
