Blockchains & Ethereum: Introduction

Blockchains & Ethereum: Introduction

• Course Overview
• recall what constitutes a blockchain and how they can be used to store a sequence of records
• recognize the characteristics of the Ethereum blockchain network and how it records transaction data in a transparent and verifiable manner
• describe at a high level what the process of mining involves and the role of Ethereum's cryptocurrency - Ether
• outline the technique of sequencing records by breaking them up into blocks and arranging those blocks in a chain
• distinguish between a centralized and a distributed ledger, and recount how blockchains function as a distributed ledger of records
• identify the details required when invoking transactions in the Ethereum network
• recognize the role of mining nodes in the Ethereum network and the define the concept of gas which is used to measure the complexity of transactions
• recall the properties of blockchains in general and the Ethereum network in particular, and the concepts behind distributed ledgers

After reviewing the elements of blockchains and how they can store sequences of records, you will learn how to recognize Ethereum’s characteristics in this 8-video course. Participants will learn how to implement important concepts such as hashing, mining, miners (who successfully mine blocks of data), smart contracts, and cryptocurrencies. Familiarize yourself in depth with the process of mining; learn how mining acts to sequence records; and become able to distinguish between centralized and distributed ledgers. You will now be able to describe the role played by Ethereum’s special cryptocurrency—known as Ether—and identify the key details required when invoking transactions in the Ethereum network, which records data in a transparent and verifiable manner. By the end of this course, you will also be more proficient at recognizing the role played by mining nodes, and learn to define the special concept of gas, the term used to measure complexity of transactions.

Blockchains & Ethereum: Mining and Smart Contracts in Ethereum

Blockchains & Ethereum: Mining and Smart Contracts in Ethereum

• Course Overview
• describe the role of miners in picking up initiated transactions and then ordering and verifying them
• outline the proof of work algorithm and the work which miners need to do to claim mining rewards
• recognize the difficulty in finding the proof of work nonce and why it can only be found by trial and error
• recall when a miner can claim mining rewards and how the other nodes in the Ethereum network will validate its claim
• identify the flaws in the proof of work algorithm and how the proof of stake algorithm can address them
• describe the need for smart contracts to eliminate the need for a trusted third party in many transactions
• list the features of the Solidity programming language
• outline the concept of gas in Ethereum and the role of the gas price and gas limit fields in a transaction
• recall the steps involved in the proof of work algorithm and the flaws in this technique and identify the functions of smart contracts

Just how do data miners pick up initiated transactions, order them, and verify them using Blockchain? Learn more about the work data miners do—and the very competitive races they run against each other—in this 8-video course, which begins by outlining the useful proof-of-work algorithm in Ethereum—as well as its hidden flaws. The course explains in detail how miners go about competing for and claiming mining rewards. As you progress, you will gain significant insights into the complex trial-and-error tasks facing miners and learn how hidden flaws in the process can then be addressed by the proof-of-stake algorithm. Learn to appreciate the functions and worth of smart contracts that eliminate the need for a trusted third party in many transactions. Finally, familiarize yourself with the important features of Solidity programing language, and begin to understand the important roles played by gas price and gas fields in any Ethereum transaction.

Blockchains & Ethereum: Performing Transactions in Ethereum

Blockchains & Ethereum: Performing Transactions in Ethereum

• Course Overview
• recognize the role of cryptographic hashing in blockchain networks to ensure immutability of transaction data
• recall the benefits of storing transaction data as a chain of blocks such as quicker consistency checks and faster lookups
• describe the Merkle tree data structure and its role in storing transaction data in a manner which preserves their ordering and facilitates searches
• outline the steps involved verifying transactions initiated in the Ethereum network
• identify the role of digital signatures in authentication and non-repudiation of transactions while also ensuring their integrity
• recall the use of the Ethereum state in verifying the sender's Ether balance to ensure they possess the funds being transferred in a transaction
• describe the role of the transaction nonce in preventing replay attacks
• identify the steps involved in transaction verification and the techniques used to implement them

If you need guidance in the area of cryptographic hashing and how it ensures immutability of transaction data, this multiple-video series is an invaluable tool. Inspecting hash values of downloaded files checks whether a file has been tampered with during the download process, and in blockchains, checks for alterations in the blockchain. This 8-video course helps you learn to recognize the role played by hashing and the practical benefits—faster consistency checks and lookups—gained by storing transaction data as chains of blocks. Learn to describe the Merkle tree data structure and its unique storage method, how it preserves ordering and facilitates searches, and how to outline steps related to verifying transactions in the Ethereum blockchain network, such as identifying the role of digital signatures in authenticating transactions and ensuring their integrity. Review Ethereum’s balance verification procedures for senders, to make certain the sender possesses the funds being transferred. Learn how to prevent replay attacks by implementing the transaction nonce.

Final Exam: Blockchain Application Developer

Final Exam: Blockchain Application Developer

• call the functions defined in your deployed smart contract using the Ethereum Wallet interface
• code a simple, smart contract and deploy it to the Rinkeby network using the Ethereum Wallet UI
• code, deploy and interact with a smart contract that includes a constructor which takes in an argument
• connect a new node to the private Ethereum network and add it as a peer of the existing node
• connect to an already deployed contract using the Ethereum JavaScript API and invoke its methods
• create a private blockchain network using the Geth CLI and connect to it as a node
• define Ethereum-specific terms such as mining, ether, and smart contracts
• describes at a high level what the process of mining involves and the role of Ethereum's cryptocurrency - Ether
• describe the functions of smart contract bytecode, opcodes, and ABI in interacting with a contract
• describe the need for smart contracts to eliminate the need for a trusted third party in many transactions
• describe the purpose of the MetaMask client for Ethereum and the techniques it uses to connect to an Ethereum network
• describe the role of miners in picking up initiated transactions and then ordering and verifying them
• describe the role of the transaction nonce in preventing replay attacks
• describe the trie data structure that is used to represent associative arrays and distinguish it from its space-optimized version, the Patricia trie
• identify the characteristics of full, light, and archive nodes in Ethereum
• identify the details required when invoking transactions in the Ethereum network
• identify the different networks available to test out smart contracts and describe their unique features
• identify the flaws in the proof of work algorithm and how the proof of stake algorithm can address them
• identify the role of digital signatures in authentication and non-repudiation of transactions while also ensuring their integrity
• identify the roles of solc-js and the Remix IDE for developing smart contracts written in the Solidity language
• identify the two types of Ethereum accounts - externally owned and contract - and the data that is needed for each of them
• install the MetaMask extension for the Chrome browser
• install the official Ethereum Wallet application and describe the UI options available
• interact with a contract deployed on the Rinkeby test network and track the mining of your transactions
• invoke a transaction on your deployed contract using the Remix interface and set transaction parameters in Metamask
• invoke a transaction with a smart contract by calling a function that changes the state of the contract
• list the features of the Solidity programming language
• outline the concept of gas in Ethereum and the role of the gas price and gas limit fields in a transaction
• outline the proof of work algorithm and the work which miners need to do to claim mining rewards
• outline the steps involved verifying transactions initiated in the Ethereum network
• outline the technique of sequencing records by breaking them up into blocks and arranging those blocks in a chain
• recall the benefits of storing transaction data as a chain of blocks such as quicker consistency checks and faster lookups
• recall the fundamentals of blockchain technology such as the storage of records across a sequence of blocks
• recall the use of the Ethereum state in verifying the sender's Ether balance to ensure they possess the funds being transferred in a transaction
• recall what constitutes a blockchain and how they can be used to store a sequence of records
• recall when a miner can claim mining rewards and how the other nodes in the Ethereum network will validate its claim
• recognize the characteristics of the Ethereum blockchain network and how it records transaction data in a transparent and verifiable manner
• recognize the difficulty in finding the proof of work nonce and why it can only be found by trial and error
• recognize the functions of branch and extension nodes in a Merkle Patricia trie
• recognize the role of an Ethereum client and list the different Ethereum clients
• recognize the role of cryptographic hashing in blockchain networks to ensure the immutability of transaction data
• recognize the role of mining nodes in the Ethereum network and the define the concept of gas which is used to measure the complexity of transactions
• recognize the role of the Ethereum Virtual Machine for running smart contract code
• script smart contract compilation and define the types of output required, including bytecode and ABI
• top up your Ethereum account with some ether on the Rinkeby network by making a social media post
• use Ganache to provision a private Ethereum network and deploy your smart contract to it
• use JavaScript and Mocha to define a process for deploying a smart contract to a private Ethereum network
• use the Chrome console and your file system to clean up unneeded contracts and accounts from your Ethereum Wallet
• use the Ethereum Wallet app to interact with a deployed smart contract by passing to it the contract address and ABI
• use the Geth console to access the various management APIs such as personal, admin, and miner
• use the MetaMask client to transfer ether from your account in MetaMask to the one in Ethereum Wallet
• use the solc compiler to compile a smart contract to generate Ethereum bytecode
• validate a token transfer operation in a smart contract by checking the token balance of the transaction initiator
• work with Geth to connect as a node to the Rinkeby test network and deploy your smart contract there
• work with Mocha to call a function on a deployed contract and test its return value
• work with the miner API to begin mining blocks and earning ether as part of mining rewards
• write a script to deploy a smart contract to a private Ethereum network
• write a simple Hello World smart contract using Solidity
• write simple test cases using Mocha, group them into a test suite, and describe a common set of actions to run before each test case
• write the code for a constructor in your smart contract and deploy it to Ethereum

Final Exam: Blockchain Application Developer will test your knowledge and application of the topics presented throughout the Blockchain Application Developer track of the Skillsoft Aspire Blockchain Application Developer to Blockchain Solutions Architect Journey.