Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies

This course is a part of Blockchain Fundamentals, a 2-course Professional Certificate series from edX.

Developed by Blockchain at Berkeley and faculty from UC Berkeley's premier Computer Science department, this course presents Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies as the motivation for blockchain technologies, and provides a comprehensive and in-depth overview of the fundamental concepts of the crypto space with a particular emphasis on Bitcoin.

The course covers basic properties of bitcoin, the mechanics behind it (e.g. including cryptographic hash functions, Bitcoin Script, privacy, and hash commitment schemes) and its roots in the Cypherpunk movement and Libertarian ideals. You'll learn about practical applications of Bitcoin such as wallets and mining, as well as how to destroy bitcoins, including network attacks and malicious mining strategies. We will also take a brief look at Ethereum and how blockchain can be used outside of cryptocurrencies.

This course is open to anyone with any background. Whether you are planning your next career move as a blockchain developer, crypto trader, data analyst, researcher, or consultant, or are just looking for an introduction to the Bitcoin technology. This course will help you to begin developing the critical skills needed to future-proof your career.

This course is part of the Blockchain Fundamentals Professional Certificateprogram. If you are planning to enroll in the entire series, we suggest starting with this course and then progressing on to CS198.2x Blockchain Technology.

What you'll learn

• The basic properties and intent of centralized/decentralized currency and an in-depth understanding of Bitcoin from the ground up, including - Identity, Transactions, Record Keeping, and Consensus.
• The roots of Bitcoin in the Cypherpunk movement and Libertarian ideals, and the revolutionary significance of Bitcoin as opposed to some of its early predecessors.
• The mechanics behind Bitcoin, such as the Bitcoin network, cryptography and cryptographic hash functions, Bitcoin Script, privacy, and hash commitment schemes.
• Real-world aspects of Bitcoin, such as wallets, wallet mechanics, mining, transactions, and Bitcoin governance and the various ways one can interface with the Bitcoin network.
• How to destroy Bitcoin, including various network attacks.
• The properties behind the second largest blockchain platform, Ethereum, including the Ethereum Virtual Machine and the idea of Turing completeness, the key protocol differences between Bitcoin and Ethereum, the use cases of Ethereum.