
Ask HN: Would like to learn blockchain tech, where do I start? What to build? - justaguyhere
No math or crypto background. Just a normal web programmer.<p>Where do I start? I&#x27;ve a few hundred dollars to spend on books and courses. Also, any community to join (not from investment&#x2F;currency perspective, but from tech)?<p>What do I build, to learn and as potential show offs for future jobs?
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jeffbarg
I think the most useful resource you have for understanding the foundation is
directly reading and understanding the original Bitcoin whitepaper:
[https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf](https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf)

For some of the basics, you can take a look at Anders Brownworth's web
demonstration:
[https://anders.com/blockchain/](https://anders.com/blockchain/)

I'd also recommend looking at the source code of some of the bigger
blockchains (Bitcoin Core, Geth, etc..) and look at some smaller demo
blockchain implementations:

\-
[https://github.com/Jeiwan/blockchain_go/tree/master](https://github.com/Jeiwan/blockchain_go/tree/master)

\-
[https://github.com/kendricktan/misocoin](https://github.com/kendricktan/misocoin)

\-
[https://github.com/jeffbarg/Littlecoin](https://github.com/jeffbarg/Littlecoin)
(disclaimer: I am the author of this project)

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sgtnasty
This is really fantastic, thank you very much.

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kanon11
I second this. We need good information about blockchain to help get more
people involved and move it closer to mainstream. It's still sadly, very far
away, and something needs to be done about this!

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phn
If you're really wondering what a blockchain actually is, this video is a
really good intro:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_160oMzblY8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_160oMzblY8)

If you want something a bit more hands-on, I'm currently following this
course: [https://www.udemy.com/ethereum-and-solidity-the-complete-
dev...](https://www.udemy.com/ethereum-and-solidity-the-complete-developers-
guide/)

I have only made it through the first section, and it does a really good job
of explaining the basics of Ethereum and what a smart contract actually is.

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bitoneill
I saved this link previously. I haven't been through it yet but looks
promising.

[https://medium.freecodecamp.org/the-authoritative-guide-
to-b...](https://medium.freecodecamp.org/the-authoritative-guide-to-
blockchain-development-855ab65b58bc)

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Psilidae
This may be too basic for you depending on your experience, but this is a
really great explanation of blockchains that I think even people without a
technical background could understand: [https://unwttng.com/what-is-a-
blockchain](https://unwttng.com/what-is-a-blockchain)

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cryptical
Princeton put a pre-publication draft of the book for their Coursera course.

[https://d28rh4a8wq0iu5.cloudfront.net/bitcointech/readings/p...](https://d28rh4a8wq0iu5.cloudfront.net/bitcointech/readings/princeton_bitcoin_book.pdf)

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drdrey
This Princeton course is fantastic:
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNcSSleedtfyDuhBvOQzFzQ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNcSSleedtfyDuhBvOQzFzQ)

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malux85
Hey - I have a real world blockchain product, and I have a small project that
I would like to mentor someone to build. Reach out if you wanna work in it and
I will mentor you for free, contact in my profile

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whichcoin
Jameson Lopp has put together a great list of resources for those looking to
get started in the space.

\- [https://lopp.net/bitcoin.html](https://lopp.net/bitcoin.html)

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jaequery
start looking into ipfs if you havent already. there are lots of prqctical and
useful things you can do with it.

