From Digital Money To Blockchain and Cryptocurrency

Introduction To Building Blockchain Based Cryptocurrency In JavaScript

[WORK IN PROGRESS]

Some confuse the terminology Blockchain with Cryptocurrency because usually media draws no distinction between them. Blockchain in itself is a really simple concept. If you learned basic CS, you will understand that blockchain is no more than just a linked list with a hashmap. Of course, cryptocurrency is complicated, but it is not due to blockchain. Blockchain is just one of the many components why cryptocurrency became so powerful. Therefore we are also going to cover the other major elements that make cryptocurrency work.

We are going to build a mini-cryptocurrency with minimal code.

After you read this article, you will:

• Understand high level overview of how blockchain works
• Understand major elements that go into cryptocurrency technology
• Implement your own cryptocurrency with proof-of-stake algorithm

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  • People suck
  • Decentralization is the Future
  • Properties of Currency
  • Properties of Digital Currency
  • Crypto Coins
  • JavaScript for Cryptocurrency
  • Basic Networks with JavaScript
• Money On The Internet
  • Client and Server
  • Client Implementation
  • Server Implementation
• Decentralized Money
  • Gossip Protocol
• Cryptographic Identities
  • Hashing
• Blockchain
  • Double Spending Problem
• Consensus Algorithms
  • Proof of Work and Mining
  • Proof of Stake
  • IOTA
• Merkle Trees
• Simplified Payment Verification
• Replay Protection
• Hashgraph
• Computer On Top Of Blockchain
• Decentralized Applications
• Cryptoeconomics

References

• Let's Build a Blockchain — A mini-cryptocurrency in Ruby by Haseeb Qureshi Slides Code
• Creating a blockchain with Javascript Video Code
• Learn Blockchains by Building One by Daniel van Flymen Article
• Build Your Own Blockchain: A Python Tutorial Article
• g-coin by golbin Code

Note: the curriculum has been largely influenced by Haseeb Qureshi's Let's Build a Blockchain Lecture under his permission.