Engineering Blockchain and Web3 Apps: Junfeng Yang

E6998 Engineering Blockchain and Web3 Apps

Fall 2022 -- Junfeng Yang

We put a tentative syllabus here to give you an idea what future may bring. This syllabus is subject to change as the course progresses.

In the listings below we use NBFMG to refer to the course textbook Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies: A Comprehensive Introduction.


# Day Date Topic Assignment Speakers
1 Tue Sep 6 Introduction Form project team. Read
  • NBFMG Chapter 1
Homework 1 out
Junfeng Yang
2 Tue Sep 13 Bitcoin Mechanics Read Bitcoin nuts and bolts Read Wallets: managing and protecting crypto assets Homework 1 due the night before. Homework 2 out Junfeng Yang
3 Tue Sep 20 Consensus Read Consensus: network models, corruption tolerance, sybil resistance Read Nakamoto Consensus: security, attacks and incentives Read Large Scale Consensus: Availability/Finality, Randomness Beacons, VDFs Homework 2 due the night before. Homework 3 and Homework 4 out Junfeng Yang
4 Tue Sep 27 Etherum Mechanics Read Decentralized Apps, EVM, and the Ethereum blockchain Homework 3 and Homework 4 due the night before. Homework 5 out Junfeng Yang
5 Tue Oct 4 Programming in Solidity Read Homework 5 due the night before. Homework 6 out Junfeng Yang
6 Tue Oct 11 Web3 Development Practies Read Homework 6 due the night before. Homework 7 out Junfeng Yang
7 Tue Oct 18 Decentralized Finance 1 Read stablecoins Read oracles Read decentralized exchanges Homework 7 due the night before. Homework 8 out Junfeng Yang
8 Tue Oct 25 Decentralized Finance 2 Read lending systems Read tokens and NFTs Junfeng Yang
9 Tue Nov 1 Privacy Read de-anonymizing the blockchain and mixing Read zk-SNARKs Homework 8 due the night before. Homework 9 out Junfeng Yang
10 Tue Nov 8 No class (Election Day)
11 Tue Nov 15 Security Read Homework 9 due the night before. Homework 10 out Junfeng Yang
12 Tue Nov 22 Scaling the Blockchain Read payment channels and state channels Read Read recursive SNARKs
  • zkzkRollup: private proof-based Rollup using one level of recursion
  • Mina, compressing the blockchain using many levels of recursion
Homework 11 out
Junfeng Yang
13 Tue Nov 29 Final Topics Read blockchain interopratibility Read maximal extractable value (MEV) Read Web2 and Web3 integration Homework 10 due the night before Junfeng Yang
14 Tue Dec 6 Demo Day Present and demo your final project. Homework 11 due the night before. Homework 12 out and will be due during the final week Teams will present. Teaching staff will provide feedback