# ETHEREUM DEVELOPMENT DOCUMENTATION By [cptest001](https://paragraph.com/@cptest001) · 2023-08-28 --- This documentation is designed to help you build with Ethereum. It covers Ethereum as a concept, explains the Ethereum tech stack, and documents advanced topics for more complex applications and use cases. This is an open-source community effort, so feel free to suggest new topics, add new content, and provide examples wherever you think it might be helpful. All documentation can be edited via GitHub – if you're unsure how, [follow these instructions(opens in a new tab)↗](https://github.com/ethereum/ethereum-org-website/blob/dev/docs/editing-markdown.md). DEVELOPMENT MODULES ------------------- If this is your first attempt at Ethereum development, we recommend starting at the beginning and working your way through like a book. ### Foundational topics * [Intro to Ethereum](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/intro-to-ethereum/) _– A quick overview of Ethereum_ \* * [Intro to Ether](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/intro-to-ether/) _– A quick overview of Ether_ \* * [Intro to dapps](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/dapps/) _– An introduction to decentralized applications_ \* * [Web2 vs Web3](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/web2-vs-web3/) _– The fundamental differences that blockchain-based applications provide_ \* * [Accounts](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/accounts/) _– Entities in the network that can hold a balance and send transactions_ \* * [Transactions](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/transactions/) _– Transfers and other actions that cause Ethereum's state to change_ \* * [Blocks](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/blocks/) _– The way transactions are batched to ensure state is synchronised across all actors_ \* * [Ethereum virtual machine (EVM)](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/evm/) _– The EVM handles all the computation on the Ethereum network_ * [Opcodes](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/evm/opcodes/) * [Gas](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/gas/) _– Computational power required to process transactions, paid for in ETH by transaction senders_ \* * [Nodes and clients](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/nodes-and-clients/) _– The individuals participating in the network and the software they run to verify transactions_ * [Run a node](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/nodes-and-clients/run-a-node/) * [Client diversity](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/nodes-and-clients/client-diversity/) * [Nodes as a service](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/nodes-and-clients/nodes-as-a-service/) * [Node architecture](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/nodes-and-clients/node-architecture/) * [Light clients](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/nodes-and-clients/light-clients/) * [Archive nodes](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/nodes-and-clients/archive-nodes/) * [Bootnodes](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/nodes-and-clients/bootnodes/) * [Networks](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/networks/) _– Implementations of Ethereum including test networks_ \* * [Consensus mechanisms](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/consensus-mechanisms/) _– How the individual nodes of a distributed network agree on the current state of the system_ * [Proof-of-work](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/consensus-mechanisms/pow/) * [Proof-of-stake](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/consensus-mechanisms/pos/) ### Ethereum stack * [Intro to the stack](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/ethereum-stack/) _– An overview of the Ethereum/web3 stack_ \* * [Smart contracts](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/smart-contracts/) _– Programs that reside at an Ethereum address and run functions when triggered by transactions_ * [Smart contract languages](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/smart-contracts/languages/) * [Smart contract anatomy](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/smart-contracts/anatomy/) * [Smart contracts libraries](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/smart-contracts/libraries/) * [Testing smart contracts](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/smart-contracts/testing/) * [Compiling smart contracts](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/smart-contracts/compiling/) * [Deploying smart contracts](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/smart-contracts/deploying/) * [Verifying smart contracts](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/smart-contracts/verifying/) * [Upgrading smart contracts](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/smart-contracts/upgrading/) * [Smart contract security](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/smart-contracts/security/) * [Smart contract formal verification](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/smart-contracts/formal-verification/) * [Composability](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/smart-contracts/composability/) * [Development networks](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/development-networks/) _– Local blockchain environments used to test dapps before deployment_ \* * [Development frameworks](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/frameworks/) _– Tools that make developing with Ethereum easier_ \* * Ethereum client APIs _– Convenience libraries that allow your web app to interact with Ethereum and smart contracts_ * [JavaScript APIs](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/apis/javascript/) * [Backend APIs](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/apis/backend/) * [JSON-RPC](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/apis/json-rpc/) * [Data and analytics](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/data-and-analytics/) _– How blockchain data is aggregated, organized and implemented into dapps_ * [Block explorers](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/data-and-analytics/block-explorers/) * [Storage](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/storage/) _– Decentralized storage structures and mechanism_ \* * [Integrated Development Environments (IDEs)](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/ides/) _– The best environments to write dapp code_ \* * [Programming languages](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/programming-languages/) _– How to get started with Ethereum using languages you may already know_ * [Dart](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/programming-languages/dart/) * [Delphi](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/programming-languages/delphi/) * [.NET](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/programming-languages/dot-net/) * [Golang](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/programming-languages/golang/) * [Java](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/programming-languages/java/) * [JavaScript](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/programming-languages/javascript/) * [Python](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/programming-languages/python/) * [Ruby](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/programming-languages/ruby/) * [Rust](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/programming-languages/rust/) ### Advanced * [Bridges](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/bridges/) _– An overview of bridging for developers_ \* * [Standards](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/standards/) _– Agreed upon protocols for maintaining efficiency and accessibility of projects to the community_ * [Token standards](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/standards/tokens/) * [Maximal extractable value (MEV)](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/mev/) _– How value is extracted from the Ethereum blockchain beyond the block reward_ \* * [Oracles](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/oracles/) _– How information is injected into the Ethereum blockchain_ \* * [Scaling](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/scaling/) _– Methods for preserving decentralization and security as Ethereum grows_ * [Optimistic rollups](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/scaling/optimistic-rollups/) * [Zero-knowledge rollups](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/scaling/zk-rollups/) * [State channels](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/scaling/state-channels/) * [Sidechains](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/scaling/sidechains/) * [Plasma](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/scaling/plasma/) * [Validium](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/scaling/validium/) * [Data availability](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/data-availability/) _– docs-nav-data-availability-description_ \* * [Networking layer](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/networking-layer/) _– Explanation of Ethereum's networking layer_ * [Network addresses](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/networking-layer/network-addresses/) * [Portal Network](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/networking-layer/portal-network/) * [Data structures and encoding](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/data-structures-and-encoding/) _– Explanation of the data structures and encoding schema used across the Ethereum stack_ * [Patricia Merkle Trie](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/data-structures-and-encoding/patricia-merkle-trie/) * [Recursive-length prefix (RLP)](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/data-structures-and-encoding/rlp/) * [Simple serialize (SSZ)](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/data-structures-and-encoding/ssz/) * [Web3 secret storage definition](https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/data-structures-and-encoding/web3-secret-storage/) 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