This course is part of the Blockchain Specialization

4.6
stars
7,179 ratings

Bina Ramamurthy

211,718 already enrolled

Offered By

University at Buffalo

The State University of New York

Blockchain SpecializationUniversity at Buffalo

About this Course

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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.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 1 of 4 in the

Blockchain Specialization

Beginner Level

Knowledge of at least one modern, high-level programming language is required.

Approx. 16 hours to complete

English

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What you will learn

A learner will be able to recognize foundational concepts of blockchain, and apply these program concepts on the blockchain.

Skills you will gain

Ethereum
Cryptography
Blockchains
Bitcoin

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 1 of 4 in the

Blockchain Specialization

Beginner Level

Knowledge of at least one modern, high-level programming language is required.

Approx. 16 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.55/5 (1,827 Ratings)

Bina Ramamurthy

Teaching Professor

Computer Science and Engineering Department

230,834 Learners

4 Courses

Offered by

University at Buffalo

The State University of New York

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating95%(42,438 ratings)

Week

Week 1

4 hours to complete

Blockchain Defined

4 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 26 min), 6 readings, 5 quizzes

5 videos

Practitioner's Perspective: John Wolpert, ConsenSys4m

Blockchain Defined: Bitcoin & Blockchain8m

Blockchain Structure5m

Basic Operations4m

Beyond Bitcoin3m

6 readings

Acknowledgements: Blockchain5m

(OPTIONAL) Resources: Bitcoin & Blockchain45m

(OPTIONAL) Resources: Blockchain Structure5m

(OPTIONAL) Resources: Basic Operations30m

(OPTIONAL) Resources: Beyond Bitcoin1h

REQUIRED Quiz Resources and Directions: Blockchain Defined - Week 110m

5 practice exercises

Self-Check5m

Self-Check2m

Blockchain Defined - Week 130m

Week

Week 2

4 hours to complete

Ethereum Blockchain

4 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 19 min), 5 readings, 5 quizzes

5 videos

Ethereum Blockchain: Smart Contracts5m

Practitioner's Perspective: The Enterprise2m

Ethereum Structure4m

Ethereum Operations2m

Incentive Model4m

5 readings

(OPTIONAL) Resources: Smart Contracts30m

(OPTIONAL) Resources: Ethereum Structure45m

(OPTIONAL) Resources: Ethereum Operations30m

(OPTIONAL) Resources: Incentive Model30m

REQUIRED Quiz Resources and Directions: Ethereum Blockchain - Week 210m

5 practice exercises

Self-Check5m

Ethereum Blockchain - Week 230m

Week

Week 3

3 hours to complete

Algorithms & Techniques

3 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 21 min), 5 readings, 5 quizzes

4 videos

Algorithms & Techniques: Public-Key Cryptography7m

Hashing5m

Transaction Integrity3m

Securing Blockchain4m

5 readings

(OPTIONAL) Resources: Public-Key Cryptography30m

(OPTIONAL) Resources: Hashing30m

(OPTIONAL) Resources: Transaction Integrity20m

(OPTIONAL) Resources: Securing Blockchain30m

REQUIRED Quiz Resources and Directions: Algorithms & Techniques - Week 310m

5 practice exercises

Self-Check5m

Self-Check3m

Self-Check5m

Algorithms & Techniques - Week 330m

Week

Week 4

5 hours to complete

Trust Essentials

5 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 19 min), 5 readings, 6 quizzes

5 videos

Trust Essentials: Decentralized Systems4m

Consensus Protocol2m

Practitioner's Perspective: Decentralized Governance2m

Robustness5m

Forks4m

5 readings

(OPTIONAL) Resources: Decentralized Systems40m

(OPTIONAL) Resources: Consensus Protocol40m

(OPTIONAL) Resources: Robustness5m

(OPTIONAL) Resources: Forks20m

Blockchain Basics: Key Takeaways5m

5 practice exercises

Self-Check5m

Trust Essentials - Week 430m

Reviews

4.6

1798 reviews

5 stars
70.32%
4 stars
22.44%
3 stars
4.76%
2 stars
1.04%
1 star
1.42%

TOP REVIEWS FROM BLOCKCHAIN BASICS

by NNNov 6, 2019

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.

by SPJul 15, 2018

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

by AASep 23, 2020

Some of the course links don't work. The instruction for installation of virtual machine needs updating. I'm hoping the other courses in the specialisation go into more depth, as this is very basic.

by SAJul 10, 2021

The introduction to blockchain is pretty good. I had previous experience with crypto but the UTXO and stuff I didn't knew about it. Now i have a zoomed out picture of what happens behind the scenes.

View all reviews

About the Blockchain Specialization

This specialization introduces blockchain, a revolutionary technology that enables peer-to-peer transfer of digital assets without any intermediaries, and is predicted to be just as impactful as the Internet. More specifically, it prepares learners to program on the Ethereum blockchain. The four courses provide learners with (i) an understanding and working knowledge of foundational blockchain concepts, (ii) a skill set for designing and implementing smart contracts, (iii) methods for developing decentralized applications on the blockchain, and (iv) information about the ongoing specific industry-wide blockchain frameworks.

Frequently Asked Questions

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+.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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Blockchain Basics

About this Course

What you will learn

Skills you will gain