Tips to Start with Blockchain Today

It is usually perceived that you need some special skills, in order to become a Blockchain developer. This is not true. Actually, to become a Blockchain developer, you need different tools with a serious attitude of learning things. You should have the fundamental knowledge of coding, such as Java, Python, Node.js, etc. However, a lot depends on the technology stack you are using. Moreover, you should have a knack to learn new frameworks.

For Blockchain implementation, you should learn the basic Data Structures with some cryptography. More importantly, shared ledger concepts and distributed storage. Before going to deep, grasp the basic concepts of Blockchain.

Milestone 1: Blockchain Basics

• Blockchain: It is a peer-to-peer network of blocks that are linked with cryptography.
• Decentralized: There is not a single point where information gets stored.
• Consensus: Only with the consensus of other participants a block can be added in the Blockchain.
• Smart Contracts: These contracts are basically the system protocols that are introduced to digitally verify, simplify, or accomplish the performance of a contract.

Milestone 2: Learn Coding Languages

There are some Network specific skills, as well as languages for advanced users:

• For Ethereum Network Development: Solidity
• For Development in Blockstack: Blockstackjs
• For Development in Qtum: Qtumjs
• For Development in Hyperledger Fiber: Composer playground

Milestone 3: Learn Some Platforms

Now after discussing the basic technologies, as well as skills that are needed to start with Blockchain, let’s discuss some essential Blockchain platforms.

• Ethereum: It is one of the mostly used Blockchain technologies because it is stable, an open source, and have a large community base that helps the novice developers. In Ethereum, there is an availability of development frameworks and tools such as truffle and embark framework.

• Truffle: It is a development environment, asset pipeline, and testing framework for Ethereum. Truffle aims to make the life of an Ethereum developer simpler. With Truffle, you get built-in smart contracts linking, compilation, binary management, and deployment.

• Blockstack: It is the most favorable project, in order to build the distributed apps on Blockchain. Ethereum has an ambitious architecture because it is running user-defined smart contracts in the Ethereum Virtual Machine. This is a very appealing thing. However with the fact that the enhancing deployment of smart contracts has been slow down, the network has built a bottleneck. This still requires to be resolved.

Whereas, the blockstack is a virtual chain that runs on top of another Blockchain. In this, you can communicate with the Blockchain only via predefined approaches and API’s that unlocks the bottleneck of speed. With these features of personal gaia storage can provide you real-time app. You can securely store your personal data with no fear of data theft or misuse.

• Hyperledger: This is another exciting project, entertains an exclusive field of developing privately hosted Blockchains. Imagine the entire transformation of your supply chain of instant order placement, products, real-time traceability of your order.

Milestone 4: Understand Smart Contracts

When you search for Smart Contracts you will find this definition on Wikipedia, “a computer protocol intended to facilitate, verify, or enforce the negotiation or performance of a contract”. At the time, it was introduced by an American cryptographer, namely Nick Szabo, in 1996, Ethereum is credited with promoting the concept and preparing its mainstream. What properties make the smart contracts desirable? Everything that runs on Blockchain supposed to be immutable and have the capability to run by various nodes. In doing so, there should be no compromise on its integrity. Therefore, the functionality of smart contracts requires three things as mentioned:

• Deterministic: Ability to give the same result to a specific input every time.
• Terminable: Possible to terminate itself as per the set limitations.
• Isolated: Isolated in a sandbox to rescue the complete ecosystem from negative effects.

For a proper understanding of smart contracts, you can refer several videos, tutorials, books, or other resources. Moreover, it is also recommended to get in touch with a Blockchain development company to execute a project. This is recommended to complete a project within the deadlines and proper results.

All-in-all

Blockchain’s popularity is known to all. However, it is tough for the developers to decide that from where to start. The reason is it is a vast technology and requires deep knowledge. I have discussed some milestones that you need to achieve one-by-one to reach your destination. Hope these points will help you out. 

Guest article written by: Writing comes to Neha as a passion that she is pursuing as a career. Being the senior technical writer at MobileAppDaily, she loves jotting down the ideas about the latest technology to offer insightful information to the readers about everything that breaks the internet.