Top Blockchain Courses for Developers
By

Unless you’re either living under a rock or hail from some other planet, there’s no reason for you to not be at least aware of the existence of something like blockchain or Bitcoin. However, given the fact that the title of the post brought you here, it’s highly possible that you may know more about blockchain than just its mere existence, and wish to polish your skills further. 

In this article, you will find a selection of leading blockchain courses that will help you in acing your blockchain game. These courses and training programs are most beneficial for techies who would like to gain hands-on expertise in blockchain. Without wasting any time, let’s just dive into the list straight away. 

(Find the leading blockchain courses for business professionals here)

1. Blockchain A-Z™: Learn How To Build Your First Blockchain

The popularity of this course speaks for itself. If there could be a holy grail of courses that would equip you with hands-on knowledge of developing a blockchain from scratch, this course on Udemy would definitely lead the race.

The course material is very comprehensive. It is designed in a manner to cater to beginners having little to no prior knowledge of blockchain. First, the course takers will gain theoretical insight into the technology and then move onto learning the tools and techniques to create their own blockchain.

Main content:

  • Introduction to Blockchain: What is blockchain, Mining, Hash functions, Consensus protocol
  • Create your own Blockchain: 12 steps guide to create a blockchain
  • Cryptocurrency Intuition: Theory, Detailed guide to making your own crypto coins
  • Smart Contract Intuition: Ethereum, Dapps, Hard and Soft Forks, EVM, ICO

Level: Beginners

Duration: 14.5 hours

Cost: €11 (approximately)

Who should take it: The course is open to all blockchain/Crypto enthusiasts but for practical assignments, knowledge of basic Python is a must.

2. Ethereum and Solidity: The Complete Developer’s Guide

Ethereum’s smart contracts used to build decentralized applications have opened a whole new gate of possibilities. Naturally, paving a way for the demand of developers skilled in Solidity, a programming language developed by Ethereum for its smart contracts. 

This extensive training programme is all you need to start learning about Ethereum, from basics to advanced concepts. From backend development to designing interactive frontends for blockchain applications, the course covers everything. This programme is designed for programmers intending to gain high-level expertise in building smart contracts and Dapps.

Main Content:

  • What is Ethereum: Introduction, History, Metamask, Ether, Transactions, Gas
  • Smart Contracts with Solidity: Solidity programming language, web 3.0, Testing, Designing interactive front-end
  • Real projects with Ethereum: solving real problems with smart contracts, Ethereum project infrastructure 
  • Basic React: Advanced multi-page front-ends, Semantic UI, Next.js

Level: Intermediate to advanced

Duration: 24 hours

Cost: €10 (approximately)

Who should take this course: The course assumes that the course-takers have a clear knowledge of the fundamentals of JavaScript and NPM.

3. Blockchain Fundamentals – Pluralsight

Blockchain Fundamentals by Pluralsight is another great practical guide for prospective blockchain developers. The course thoroughly covers concepts like blockchain fundamentals, understanding Ethereum, building smart contracts, and Dapp (distributed application) development. At the end of the course, learners will be able to create their own private blockchain as well as a sample blockchain application. 

The great thing about this programme is that it doesn’t require prior programming experience, unlike other Ethereum-focused courses. The duration of the course is no more than three hours, hence making it a viable option for professionals short on time. 

Main Content:

  • Exploring the Ethereum Ecosystem: Overview of blockchain and Ethereum, Hashing, Blocks, Private vs public blockchain, Use cases
  • Smart Contract Development: Ethereum set-up and deployment, Smart contract basics, Truffle, Test and deploy
  • DAPP development: Create a sample distributed application 
  • How to Create a Private Blockchain: Increase productivity with the functional development environment

Level: Beginner

Duration: 2.5 hours

Cost: €17/month to €27/month

Who should take it: Anyone who wants to learn about blockchain development. Though, a general understanding of IT and Computer Science will be beneficial.

4. Ethereum Blockchain Developer Bootcamp with Solidity (2021)

The popularity of Ethereum is evident from the number of Ethereum-based courses you’d find on the web. This thirteen-hour marathon promises to transform even a beginner with zero programming experience into a pro. The main USP of the course is that the material is updated regularly according to industry trends, so you’ll always be aware of the latest tools and practices employed in Ethereum development.

By the end of the course, you will become proficient in Solidity programming, gain hands-on knowledge of smart contracts and Ethereum’s main core development tools, develop an understanding of the mechanisms of decentralized technology, and learn more about Truffle, web3, etc.

Main Content:

  • Introduction to Ethereum Ecosystem: Understanding Blockchain, Transactions, Wallets, Cryptographic Hashing, Metamask
  • Learning Solidity: Understand and develop Smart Contracts, Create a full solidity project – A shared wallet, Learn about Web3.js
  • Use Go-Ethereum: Study the concept and create your own private network with Go-Ethereum
  • Explaining Use-cases: How blockchain operates, Smart contracts Implications in the real world, Introduction to decentralization

Level: Beginner to intermediate

Duration: 13 hours

Cost: €10 (approximately)

Who should take it: No prerequisites are required, however knowledge of a programming language would be beneficial.

5. Learn the basics of blockchain with Python – Codecademy

This course by Codeacademy is probably the best blockchain training programme in Python. This is an exceptional hands-on blockchain guide. It is divided into two segments, addressing two types of learners, the pythoneers, and the no-coders. 

The first part of the course deals entirely with blockchain and utilizes no aspect of Python. Therefore, even non-programmers can benefit from the course content. The second part allows the Python geeks to test their knowledge by guiding them to build their mini blockchain in Python. 

Main content:

  • Fundamental Blockchain Concepts: Why blockchain, What is blockchain, The blockchain network
  • Blockchain in-depth: What are blocks, Hashing, The genesis block, Visualizing blockchain
  • Build your own Mini-blockchain: Creating blocks, Hashing, and SHA-256, Generating hashes, Adding blocks
  • More Steps Required to Build a Blockchain: Hacking the chain, Implementing proof-of-work, Nonce, Chain security

Level: Beginner to intermediate

Duration: 2 hours

Cost: Basic (free), Pro (€18)

Who should take it: No prerequisites for the first segment. For the demo project, Python experience is mandatory.

6. Blockchain Developer Nanodegree Certification – Udacity

Wondering what’s a nanodegree and how it’s different from other courses mentioned in the list? Well, a nanodegree is a short (not very short) online programme that imparts specialized IT skills to learners. These degrees are targeted at professionals who wish to advance their careers by picking up the latest technical skills. The programmes generally span over a few months, therefore they are neither as stretched and expensive as orthodox degrees nor as brief as regular online courses. The courses cover everything extensively without sacrificing any valuable information.

Blockchain Nanodegree is one such course by Udacity that aims to equip programmers with high-level blockchain expertise. Taught by industry experts and focused on real-world projects, the course path is exceptionally structured and assembled. The unique benefit of the course lies in the career services that will provide students with resume support, Github portfolio review, and Linkedin profile optimization.

Main content:

  • Blockchain Fundamentals: Basic of blockchain, create own private blockchain using Node.js
  • Ethereum Smart Contracts, Tokens and Dapps: Understanding Smart contracts, Build DAPP on Ethereum
  • Blockchain Architecture and Dapp with oracles: Learn advanced concepts such as security, privacy, and IPFS, Hands-on project (DAPP for supply chain tracking and Flight delay insurance)
  • Capstone Project: Showcase all your skills with a final project

Level: Intermediate to advance

Duration: 4 months (10 hours per week)

Cost: €262/month (approximately)

Who should take it: There are multiple prerequisites for the course as it caters to tech personnel. Prior to enrolling, a learner must be adept in object-oriented programming and complete javascript stack (both frontend and backend).

Conclusion

Regarded as the cloud of the current era, blockchain is here to stay. These courses will provide you with much-needed expertise to enable you to make the best out of this revolutionary tech phenomenon. You can pick any of these top-notch programmes, as per your needs. Now go and enjoy your journey of becoming a blockchain pro. All the best!