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How to read

This guide is organized into progressive chapters that build upon each other, each designed to develop specific aspects of blockchain development expertise. As described in the previous page, the book is divided in 3 chapters.

  • The Prerequisites section outlines areas of computer science that we expect engineers to already know. If you've completed a Computer Science degree, you likely know many of these, but may have some gaps that you may want to fill in.
  • The Foundations section contains foundational knowledge that you should know in order to be productive in a blockchain-related company. You are not expected to have all of this knowledge, but you are expected to learn it during your first 2–3 months of joining a blockchain company. This knowledge pertains to blockchain-specific technologies and all of the actively contributing blockchain engineers should share this basic knowledge.
  • The Specialization section contains special knowledge in a particular subdomain of blockchain engineering. Not all of our engineers have specialization in everything, and you are not expected to know all these sections. You should specialize in at least one subdomain such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Cosmos, so that you can be useful to projects making use of the relevant technologies and other engineers can consult you as an expert when needed. You can specialize in multiple areas if you wish to.

Each chapter of this guide has been carefully designed to build your proficiency in specific blockchain technologies and concepts. We've structured every chapter to provide clear motivation on why each topic is crucial for blockchain engineers, followed by concrete, actionable steps to master that knowledge. Understanding that different engineers may want to explore certain areas more deeply, we've also included carefully selected optional materials for further study.

Key Recommendations​

While going through this material:

  • Follow the chapters sequentially. While it might be tempting to jump to specific topics, later concepts build upon foundations established in earlier sections.
  • Complete all practical exercises. Blockchain development requires hands-on experience, not just theoretical knowledge.
  • Take advantage of the optional materials. We've carefully curated additional resources for those who want to dive deeper into specific technologies.

Getting help​

Common Prefix would love to support engineers throughout this learning journey. We're launching a Discord group where you can ask questions, discuss concepts, and connect with other engineers studying this material. We'll add the invitation link here once the group is active.

Having said that, please don't hesitate to contact Dionysis Zindros (dionyziz@commonprefix.com) or Nikos Sfakianakis (nikos@commonprefix.com) for any questions or concerns regarding this book, or if you would like to become a beta-tester.