Blockchain development requires effort. Before diving head first into a roadmap, learn the basics of computer science. Otherwise make the same mistake as me.
The famous CS50 – Fundamentals of Computer Science – Free course at Harvard – here you will be taught everything you need to know and understand about computers and data processing.
Once again, you have to learn the basics first. And only then developers undertake to study how the blockchain works, how it is useful and what are its limitations.
Blockchain Basics
As a Web3.0 developer, you need to understand what blockchain is, how it works, and why it can change the flow of goods and payments forever.
Blockchain is a distributed cloud computing system capable of running full backends to run the most advanced decentralized applications (DApps).
You can learn the basics of blockchain game development services on the Coursera Specialization course from the University of Buffalo (I took it when I wanted to find out what blockchain is).
Decentralized applications
Have you studied the basics of blockchain, nodes, consensus algorithms and all other basic components of the technology? Now let’s get down to how to build applications on it.
Applications built on the blockchain are called decentralized applications or DApps.
What do they have:
- Standard frontend built with JavaScript or frameworks/libraries like React, Vue, etc.
- Solidity/Solana/Rust backend, which is built on the blockchain.
Where to learn decentralized applications?
DApp Radar is a good resource for real examples of deFi (decentralized finance) and more.
To understand how the frontend and backend work in a decentralized application (how they communicate and how they exchange data), you need to learn frontend development and the basic principles of developing a standard backend, API and templates.
Resources for front-end and back-end development
Frontend
Decentralized applications are based on a standard vanilla front-end in JavaScript or a JS framework. Therefore, before developing your first DApp, learn the basics of front-end development and networking.
To do this, you have to learn HTML, CSS, HTTP, JavaScript, choose a framework and start building static websites (you can choose any course, I relied on the video below).
Backend
The backends for decentralized applications are very different from the backends of standard applications. Let’s start with the fact that blockchain technology is used as the main source of decentralized data storage. And standard backends usually use databases or object stores.
Therefore, It’s not recommended to immediately rush into blockchain and web3.0 development without having a solid base and without understanding the principles of standard web development.
This process brings deep inner satisfaction – connecting databases, creating your own REST APIs, building business logic that will power your tools. This is a major step forward.
Then you have to learn at this stage: Node, Express, DBs, HTTP, API development, and start deploying modern applications.
Development roadmap in Web3.0 and Solidity: what is Ethereum and how it works.
A web3.0 developer needs to understand how Ethereum works.
Ethereum is software that runs on a network of computers. It provides replication and processing of small programs called smart contracts.
Most decentralized applications run on the Ethereum blockchain. Smart contracts were also introduced by the Ethereum consortium, after which other blockchain networks began to copy them.
Smart contracts
Ethereum and smart contracts are like bread and butter. You need to understand both.
A smart contract is a program that is stored on a blockchain platform and automatically executes transactions.
It is written in Solidity, Rust or Vyper (the same Solidity, but with a flavor of Python). It is a key component of any decentralized application, it drives its business logic and allows you to store information in the blockchain – just like in a standard database.
Then should be connected to the frontend of a decentralized application by Web3.js/ Ethers.js.
Already know how to create smart contracts? Now you need to connect the frontend to a local or remote Solidity backend (or equivalent). To do this, you can use anything – from HTTP to WebSocket.
Choose one of two JavaScript libraries:
- Web3.js
- Ethers.js
Web3.js
Web3.js is a collection of libraries that allows you to connect to a local or remote Ethereum node using HTTP, WebSocket or any other communication protocol right from the JavaScript frontend.
Ethers.js
Ethers.js is a lightweight JavaScript library, an alternative to Web3.js for connecting front-end JavaScript to smart contracts.
Important Tools
In all these courses there are tools that you should master in any case. If they are not studied within the framework of the course you have chosen, drop it and look for another one.
So you’ve completed the course. Now the main thing is to try out the newly acquired skills in real life and get to know other developers.
Do some projects. It doesn’t matter which one. At first, it’s scary, it even seems to you that you are not ready. But it’s normal. Learn faster and try new skills in practice.
Don’t get hung up on tutorials, otherwise you will end up in hell, where there is nothing but tutorials! Get out of your comfort zone. If you are doing something familiar, then you are making your life too easy!
The fastest way to learn something at this stage is to start creating something.
Create something
Give yourself a deadline. The easiest way to force yourself to do something is to join a hackathon. Many large scale projects started as hackathon projects (like 1inch or Instadapp).
Sign up for a hackathon
Hackathons are coding competitions that can last from a couple of days to several weeks. They can win cash prizes, but most engineers use them to learn something new.
Here are some of the world’s best blockchain hackathons:
- ETH Global Hackathons
- Chainlink Hackathons
- ETH Denver Hackathons
- Devfolio Blockchain Hackathons
- ETH India
Participation in them will help to create a good profile on GitHub or GitLab. When you start looking for a job, people will immediately see what you did in the past. Whatever you do – commit absolutely all projects to GitHub or any other similar platform.
Join the community
The community of like-minded people is one of the best things about blockchain. You will be able to ask questions, exchange ideas and stay up to date with all new developments.
Feel free to ask for help
The community of like-minded people is the best resource to get help if you stumble over something odd. When you run into technical difficulties, take a look at this document to learn how to solve them, as well as:
- Google it.
- Post a question on Stack Overflow or Stack Exchange.
- Create a topic with the issue in the GitHub repo.
- Ask on Reddit, discord, forums, anywhere!
The last stage is not to stop there and continue to learn. Rules and conditions are changing rapidly, every day there is something new.
If you follow these tips and start learning blockchain in depth, you will constantly learn something new and get success.
Everyone has their own path in this area. Perhaps you can take six courses and find a job right away. Or start creating your own protocol on the go and pick up the skills you need along the way.
There is no “right” way. However, and “wrong” too.
