Following are the resources provided in the Blockchain specialization course on Coursera and a few other resources I found useful while learning Blockchain.
⭐ Best Resources are marked with a star.
✔️ After reading/watching the resource, put a tick mark.
Please mention the resources you think would be helpful here in the comments
Title of resource: Bitcoin Whitepaper
Resource type: Website
Description: This is paper released by Satoshi Nakamoto prior to release of the now famous cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
Link: http://www.bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf
Title of resource: Bitcoin's Academic Pedigree
Resource type: Paper
Description: How Bitcoin, a radically different proposal for a decentralized cryptocurrency showed that digital cash could be viable.
Link: https://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=3136559
Title of resource: What is Blockchain Technology? A Step-by-Step Guide For Beginners
Resource type: Website
Description: A step by step guide that goes into the details of what Blockchain technology is.
Link: https://blockgeeks.com/guides/what-is-blockchain-technology/
Title of resource: Blockchain: The Invisible Technology That's Changing the World ⭐
Resource type: Website
Description: Article that expands on a new immutable digital fabric remaking the internet without people even realizing it. It also shows how Blockchain-based networks, decentralized apps (DApps), and distributed ledgers are becoming the foundation of digital life.
Link: https://in.pcmag.com/amazon-web-services/112363/feature/blockchain-the-invisible-technology-thats-changing-the-world
Title of resource: Unspent Transaction Output, UTXO
Resource type: Website
Description: An online glossary for technical terms regarding Bitcoins. This link Provides the definition and synonyms for an “Unspent Transaction Output”.
Link: https://bitcoin.org/en/glossary/unspent-transaction-output
Title of resource: Unspent Transaction Output, UTXO ⭐
Resource type: Website
Description: An explanation on how UTXO’s operate vs other methods.
Link: https://www.smithandcrown.com/definition/unspent-transaction-outputs-utxo/
Title of resource: How the NSA identified Satoshi Nakamoto
Resource type: Website
Description: An article written by Alexander Muse on Medium that explains how the NSA identified the creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto.
Link: https://medium.com/cryptomuse/how-the-nsa-caught-satoshi-nakamoto-868affcef595
Title of resource: How a Bitcoin Transaction Works
Resource type: Website
Description: This article explains what a bitcoin transaction is, its purpose and outcome. The explanation in this article is suitable for both novice and intermediate bitcoin users.
Link: https://www.ccn.com/bitcoin-transaction-really-works/
Title of resource: How does the Blockchain Work? (Part 1)
Resource type: Website
Description: An article written by Collin Thompson on Medium that gives a simple and easy explanation on how blockchain works.
Link: https://medium.com/blockchain-review/how-does-the-blockchain-work-for-dummies-explained-simply-9f94d386e093
Title of resource: How Does the Blockchain Work?
Resource type: Website
Description: An article written by Michele D'Aliessi on Medium that explains blockchain technology in simple words.
Link: https://medium.com/@micheledaliessi/how-does-the-blockchain-work-98c8cd01d2ae
Title of resource: Blockchain 101 - A Visual Demo ⭐ ✔️
Resource type: Video (Run time- 17:49)
Description: Very basic VISUAL introduction to the concepts behind a blockchain where the idea of an immutable ledger is introduced using an interactive web demo.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_160oMzblY8
Title of resource: A Gentle Introduction to Blockchain Technology
Resource type: Website
Description: This article is a gentle introduction to blockchain technology and assumes minimal technical knowledge. It attempts to describe “what it is” rather than “why should I care”.
Link: https://bitsonblocks.net/2015/09/09/a-gentle-introduction-to-blockchain-technology/
Title of resource: On Public and Private Blockchains
Resource type: Website
Description: A blog posted by Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum. He goes on to explain the differences between the different types of blockchains.
Link: https://blog.ethereum.org/2015/08/07/on-public-and-private-blockchains/
Title of resource: What is Cryptocurrency. Guide for Beginners
Resource type: Website
Description: An easy to understand guide on cryptocurrencies, including its history and future.
Link: https://cointelegraph.com/bitcoin-for-beginners/what-are-cryptocurrencies#accept-as-payment-for-business
Title of resource: 2017 Was Bitcoin's Year. 2018 Will Be Ethereum's
Resource type: Website
Description: The following article written by Jez San, CEO of FunFair Technologies, an Ethereum-powered casino platform, explains why Ethereum will continue to evolve throughout the year 2018.
Link: https://www.coindesk.com/2017-bitcoins-year-2018-will-ethereums/
Title of resource: What is Cryptocurrency: Everything You Need To Know
Resource type: Website
Description: This introduction explains the most important things about cryptocurrencies and where they are headed.
Link: https://blockgeeks.com/guides/what-is-cryptocurrency/
Title of resource: What is the Difference Between Public and Permissioned Blockchains?
Resource type: Website
Description: An article that introduces a description of the three technologies that make up blockchain technology: cryptographic keys, a distributed network and a network servicing protocol.
Link: https://www.coindesk.com/information/what-is-the-difference-between-open-and-permissioned-blockchains/
Title of resource: Smart Contracts: The Blockchain Technology That Will Replace Lawyers
Resource type: Website
Description: Article explains what smart contracts are and how they allow for the disposal of intermediaries which will saves time and conflict for governments and corporations.
Link: https://blockgeeks.com/guides/smart-contracts/
Title of resource: Introduction to Smart Contracts
Resource type: Website
Description: Introduction to the basics of smart contracts and solidity.
Link: http://solidity.readthedocs.io/en/develop/introduction-to-smart-contracts.html
Title of resource: What is Ethereum?
Resource type: Website
Description: Introduction to Ethereum, Ethereum Virtual Machine, and how they work.
Link: http://ethdocs.org/en/latest/introduction/what-is-ethereum.html
Title of resource: Smart Contracts: A White Paper
Resource type: White paper
Description: Offers an overview of smart contracts, their types depending on the transaction involved, and blockchain technology providers.
Link: https://github.com/ethereum/wiki/wiki/White-Paper
Title of resource: Account Management
Resource type: Website
Description: Documentation on account management from Ethereum Homestead, an ongoing collaborative effort of volunteers from the Ethereum Community.
Link: http://ethdocs.org/en/latest/account-management.html
Title of resource: Native: Account management
Resource type: Website
Description: Introduces account management and how it can provide Ethereum integration for your native applications.
Link: https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/wiki/Native:-Account-management
Title of resource: How Ethereum Works
Resource type: Website
Description: This article dives deeper into how the platform functions under the hood.
Link: https://www.coindesk.com/information/how-ethereum-works/
Title of resource: What Is Meant By The Term “Gas”?
Resource type: Website
Description: Answers on Ethereum stack exchange that explains gas and where it comes from?
Link: https://ethereum.stackexchange.com/questions/3/what-is-meant-by-the-term-gas
Title of resource: Vitalik Buterin Doubles Down on Ethereum Incentive Strategy
Resource type: Website
Description: An article written by Amy Castor that goes into Vitalik’s incentive strategy for Ethereum during the Workshop on Trusted Smart Contracts.
Link: https://www.coindesk.com/vitalik-buterin-doubles-ethereum-incentive-strategy/
Title of resource: Ether
Resource type: Website
Description: Official website of ethereum that lists the most important things to know about ethers.
Link: https://www.ethereum.org/ether
Title of resource: Proof of Work vs Proof of Stake: Basic Mining Guide
Resource type: Website
Description: This article will explain the main differences between Proof of Work vs Proof of Stake and will provide a definition of mining.
Link: https://blockgeeks.com/guides/proof-of-work-vs-proof-of-stake/
Title of resource: What Is Public-Key Cryptography?
Resource type: Website
Description: A look at the encryption algorithm and its security benefits
Link: https://www.globalsign.com/en/ssl-information-center/what-is-public-key-cryptography/
Title of resource: Asymmetric Cryptography (Public-Key Cryptography)
Resource type: Website
Description: Article explains what Asymmetric cryptography is and how it works
Link: http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/asymmetric-cryptography
Title of resource: Public Key Cryptography - Computerphile ⭐ ✔️
Resource type: Video (Run time- 6:19)
Description: Youtube video that explains how public key cryptography works.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSIDS_lvRv4
Title of resource: Blockchain 101 - Part 2 - Public / Private Keys and Signing ⭐ ✔️
Resource type: Video (Run time- 8:53)
Description: Youtube video that explains how public key cryptography helps in verifying the transactions in a blockchain.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIDL_akeras
Title of resource: What Is Hashing? Under The Hood of Blockchain ⭐ ✔️
Resource type: Website
Description: An article that not only explains the basics of hashing but introduces a more specific type of hashing and how it affects the mining process.
Link: https://blockgeeks.com/guides/what-is-hashing/
Note: Check the comments in the article for a few corrections in the article
Title of resource: Hashing Algorithms and Security - Computerphile ✔️
Resource type: Video (Run time- 08:11)
Description: Hashing Algorithms are used to ensure file authenticity, but how secure are they and why do they keep changing? Tom Scott hashes it out.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4b8ktEV4Bg
Title of resource: SHA: Secure Hashing Algorithm - Computerphile ✔️
Resource type: Video (Run time- 10:20)
Description: Dr. Mike Pound explains how files are used to generate seemingly random hash strings.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMtFhACPnTY
Title of resource: Hash Functions
Resource type: Website
Description: Explanations and examples of simple hash functions and the hashing sequences of characters.
Link: https://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/classes/hmc.cs070.200101/homework10/hashfuncs.html
Title of Resource: Blockchain demo
Resource type: website
Description: This website contains a hashing tool.
Link: https://anders.com/blockchain/hash.html
Title of resource: Smart Contract: Building blocks for digital markets ✔️
Resource type: Paper
Description: This is a paper by Nick Szabo when he discussed the concept of smart contract. This paper is dated 1996, well before the advent of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
Link: http://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/rob/Courses/InformationInSpeech/CDROM/Literature/LOTwinterschool2006/szabo.best.vwh.net/smart_contracts_2.html
Title of resource: How to Learn Solidity: The Ultimate Ethereum Coding Guide
Resource type: website
Description: This Guide will walk you step -by-step through learning Solidity.
Link: https://blockgeeks.com/guides/solidity/
Title of resource: Remix- Solidity IDE
Resource type: website
Description: Remix is an IDE for the smart contract programming language Solidity and has an integrated debugger and testing environment.
Link: http://remix.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
Title of resource: Structure of a Contract
Resource type: website
Description: Contracts in Solidity are similar to classes in object-oriented languages. Each contract can contain declarations of State Variables, Functions, Function Modifiers, Events, Struct Types and Enum Types. Furthermore, contracts can inherit from other contracts.
Link: http://solidity.readthedocs.io/en/develop/structure-of-a-contract.html
Title of resource: Introduction to Smart Contracts
Resource type: website
Description: This website provides an introduction to smart contracts.
Link: http://solidity.readthedocs.io/en/develop/introduction-to-smart-contracts.html
Title of resource: Account Types, Gas, and Transactions ✔️
Resource type: website
Description: This website details the two type of accounts in Ethereum.
Link: http://ethdocs.org/en/latest/contracts-and-transactions/account-types-gas-and-transactions.html
Title of resource: Ethereum, Tokens, and Smart Contracts
Resource type: website
Description: This article details Ethereum, tokens, and smart contracts.
Link: https://medium.com/@k3no/ethereum-tokens-smart-contracts-80f639f5c46b
Title of resource: Decoding the Enigma of Bitcoin Mining
Resource type: website
Description: “Bitcoin miners” is somewhat a misleading term. The miners are actually “bookkeepers” and “validators” of the network. It is called as Mining because the algorithm somewhat approximates the declining supply of gold and the miner wins an award (which are the new bitcoins created) for their effort.
Link: https://medium.com/all-things-ledger/decoding-the-enigma-of-bitcoin-mining-f8b2697bc4e2
Blockchain Developer Roadmap: https://blockgeeks.com/guides/blockchain-developer/