Blockchain Learning material and resources

Hey folks,

Blockchain is a buzz word today, that no one can afford to miss.

If anyone is having trouble learning and understanding blockchain, they can use below resources. But, before asking whether its Bitcoin/Ethereum/Hyperledger/Multichain/Yogichain/Quorum(the list is way bigger than this) blockchain, first understand the basics of the important topics which is common to all, mostly. Then jump onto any specific blockchain provider. So, here is the resources one can use for basics:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paxos_(computer_science) -- understand it very well. This is the consensus mechanism that you should understand.

2. https://www.igvita.com/2014/05/05/minimum-viable-block-chain/ -- it shall help you understand the P2P layer and the blockchain overview

3. Understand PKI infrastructure ---- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_key_infrastructure ---- understand how the broswer shows you https VS http. what are the behind the scene calculations. understand them.

4. SHA256 function --- its a HASH function, not enc/dec utility

5. Bitcoin whitepaper --- https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf ---- yes this is basic! It's the foundation of all other blockchain... it's Daddy BTC, you gotta learn it !

Below resources are for bitcoin blockchain:

one of the most well documented blockchain tool and developer help --- https://bitcoin.org/en/developer-documentation
Understand the steps involved in the Bitcoin blockchain --- https://21.co/learn/the-blockchain/#look-at-a-bitcoin-transaction
This link has plethora of information related with bitcoin blockchain--- https://21.co/learn/

Below resources are purely for Ethereum blockchain.

1. DLT Labs video tutorial. watch them all. They are not much. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrDO3c1gITXt2QjA7SUMwtA

2. Online IDE: http://ethereum.github.io/browser-solidity/ --- Language that you shall see once this link opens, is SOLIDITY. Its a JS like new language. Now you have to learn this new language. Use link provided in 3rd point.

3. SOLIDITY Language Docs: https://solidity.readthedocs.io/en/develop/index.html --- the documentation is pretty good.

4. Search devcon or ethereum foundation on youtube. You shall get a lot of videos, which you can see to understand any tool from Etherum foundation.

5. Code base of Ethereum ---- https://github.com/ethereum/

6. Learn how to setup a private network here --- https://souptacular.gitbooks.io/ethereum-tutorials-and-tips-by-hudson/content/private-chain.html

Below resources are for Hyperledger. So Let me share some details about it. It is not built on top of existing bitcoin/Ethereum blockchain. Linux foundation group and in collaboration of massive other 130+ companies came together to write it up from scratch. First 40K+ LOC of Fabric is written by IBM and since then it joined forces with a massive companies, Digital Asset Holding, Accenture to name a few. The architecture is very modular. they just released/will release 1.0v of it. & most recently, MONAX, company that provide enterprise framework on ethereum blockchain for developement, have submitted their code and got accepted under hyperledger. Link here:https://www.hyperledger.org/blog/2017/04/10/hey-you-got-your-ethereum-in-my-hyperledger . You can follow below resources:

1. you have to understand docker/docker-compose.learn from the documentation ---- https://www.docker.com/

2. Learn golang ---- https://golang.org/ --- this language shall also be helpful in Ethereum, as the most popular client of Ethereum is written in go and called geth.

3. Hyperledger documentation: https://hyperledger-fabric.readthedocs.io/

4. They just released ( or going to release 1.0 ) : hyperledger-fabric.readthedocs.io/en/latest/abstract_v1.html

5. IBM blue mix. this cloud service from IBM will help you deploy your chain code in a ziffy, if you're in no mood of setting it up by your own. ----- https://www.ibm.com/cloud-computing/bluemix/

Below are the resources for Multichain:

Developer documentation: ---- http://www.multichain.com/developers/
if you want to learn it using Udemy, then you can search for the multichain course. Course shall walk you through the basics of it and setting up 2 node in the AWS. But here is the pro-tip, Don't buy it for more than $10. Sign-up on Udemy. put it in the cart. wait for Udemy to give you discount! & yes, don't be greedy, it doesn't give you any course in less than $10. So take it in $10-15 range, & you are good.
It's a fork of the Bitcoin blockchain. So basically, if you have done hands-on on bitcoin blockchain, then it shall be a breeze. Most of the commands works from bitcoin platform, as it is.
One very important fork of bitcoin blockchain is Zcash, which uses Zero Knoledge proofs and SNARK technology. One can read about the basics of the maths behind achieving zero knowledge. Zero knowledge is in terms of the verifier learns nothing about the inputs being provided by the prover to him to verify.

Its a 4 part series till now at the time of writing this article & author is on the way to clear the air around this very complex methodology to make transactions private in public chains. https://z.cash/blog/snark-explain.html
One can see their cryptographic ceremony here . Their is one step which has to be performed, centrally, to crank up the ZCASH network/crypto-currency as a whole. Please watch it here :

Read this for some more interesting behind the scene of the Zcash ceremony: http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/networks/the-crazy-security-behind-the-birth-of-zcash
This is all folks. This is for the developers out there, who can understand and start their journey with it. I didn't compare it with each-other, as all the blockchain provides their own niche.

Thanks.