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Not all developers are created equal. Some are gifted with skills that make them better coders, while others can’t program their way out of a paper bag. But even if you’re not a natural-born coder, there’s no reason why you can’t learn how to write Solidity smart contracts for Ethereum or build an end-to-end decentralized application in JavaScript.
If you want to get started as a developer in web3 but don’t know where to start, this guide will help! We’ll provide an overview of some helpful resources that will help any aspiring developer build their skillset from scratch — whether they’re completely new to coding or just looking for some extra guidance on how best to learn Solidity.
TLDR: Check out these resources to begin learning web3 development:
Web3 is a vision for the future of the internet. It’s an idea that has taken root in the minds of many, and it’s gradually coming to fruition as projects are being built every day. But what exactly is this web3? What are its goals? Who are its stakeholders?
What is Web3?
Web3 is an open-source movement with the goal of creating a new kind of internet — one where users have control over their data and applications instead of having those things owned by large corporations or governments. It allows people to interact with each other directly through peer-to-peer networks rather than being dependent on third party intermediaries like Facebook and Google which can track your behavior online without your knowledge or consent.
Who are its Stakeholders?
This makes users, developers, and validators the most important stakeholders in the system. Users are people who use blockchain-based applications. Developers are the people who build these applications and their underlying infrastructure (such as wallets and block explorers). Validators are responsible for validating & processing transactions, storing data, and adding new blocks so that they can earn cryptocurrency rewards for doing so.
There are four key pillars that make up the ethos and guide the development of web3.
A decentralized network is a peer-to-peer network that has no central authority. The Internet, for example, is a decentralized network because there is no single entity that controls the entire Internet. Instead, it’s made up of many different nodes that each provide services and information to users on the web.
Decentralization can be achieved by having multiple nodes in a network. This is opposed to having one centralized server which handles all requests for data. In a more traditional sense of internet infrastructure, this might mean having multiple servers (or perhaps several computers) spread throughout the world with access to your website or application files — rather than having all of those files located on just one computer.
Open source is a development model for software which allows the source code to be freely used, modified, and redistributed by anyone. Open-source software (OSS) is often developed in a collaborative manner, with many individuals participating in the software creation process. The open-source movement has created a large community of developers who contribute to various projects.
Gitcoin is a project in web3 pushing this initiative even further. Their mission is to build an internet that is open source, collaborative, and economically empowering. By funding open source development in the ecosystem, they aim to create a virtuous cycle that leads to more open source projects and development. And they’ve been succeeding since their inception in 2017. By the end of 2021, they reached over 300k active developers and were nearing $60M in funding to public goods.
Privacy is important. It’s a fundamental human right. In the same way that we have laws against stealing people’s stuff, there should be laws against stealing their data. The web3 ecosystem will make it easier for you to protect your privacy than ever before it.
For example, if you use a browser extension like Privacy Badger or NoScript to block tracking scripts on websites that ask for too much information from you, then you’ll probably be interested in the web3 browser that has this built in, Brave Browser.
A fundamental aspect of any decentralized ecosystem is the ability to resist censorship. Censorship resistance is implicit in any sufficiently decentralized system, making it a byproduct of decentralization since every node in the world would need to be taken down to censor it. This is critical to the resilience of the infrastructure.
With the ability to resist centralized control, a decentralized network can allow users to exchange ideas and information without fear of persecution.
There’s a lot of opportunity to build the future of the web, and you can help. You don’t have to be an expert in blockchain technology or even programming at all. If you’re interested in learning more about Web3 and Ethereum, we’ll help you get started.
I’ve listed some hands-on resources I recommend checking out to start:
Learn Solidity by Example — A free, self-guided course on learning how to code smart contracts in Solidity.
Eth.Build: A sandbox environment with drag and drop elements that help you visually understand how Ethereum works. It comes with several video guides for key concepts like hash functions, key pair generation, transaction creation, smart contracts, and more.
This tool is all thanks to Austin Griffith (whom I highly recommend following). He is also the creator of the next two resources:
Speed Run Ethereum: A series of coding exercises and challenges that teach you how to develop your first smart contracts and publish them on a live testnet (or mainnet) so you can share them with your friends. This is all built on Scaffold-Eth, which is a collection of tools Austin put together in order to create a highly iterative environment for developers to test their smart contracts through a convenient UI while learning Solidity. It’s also a great repo to use for web3 hackathons.
Buidl Guidl: “A curated group of Ethereum builders creating products, prototypes, and tutorials to enrich the web3 ecosystem.” By completing the first four challenges in Speed Run Ethereum, you become eligible to join Buidl Guidl (not a typo). Being part of a community building with the same tools in the same ecosystem can drastically speed up your rate of learning. It also gives you the chance to meet people in the space that share the same interests as you.
Ethernaut: Created by the OpenZeppeling team, “The Ethernaut is a Web3/Solidity based wargame inspired by overthewire.org, played in the Ethereum Virtual Machine. Each level is a smart contract that needs to be ‘hacked’. The game is 100% open source and all levels are contributions made by other players.”
CryptoZombies: For a focus on NFTs, “CryptoZombies is an interactive school that teaches you all things technical about blockchains. Learn to write smart contracts by making your own crypto-collectibles game.”
Web3 is a collection of protocols, standards, and tools that work together to create a decentralized web. The goal of this movement is to enable more user control over their data and interactions with websites. This extends beyond just being able to read content without having it blocked by your ISP or seeing ads; it also means having protection from malicious actors who may try to take advantage of your data.
There are a lot of great resources out there for aspiring web3 developers that aren’t mentioned here. It can be overwhelming to start when you first dive in; The key is to just start somewhere. There is no “correct” blueprint for starting in web3, and your journey will be different from anyone else’s, so you might as well dive into the deep end. I look forward to seeing you on the other side. 🌊
Not all developers are created equal. Some are gifted with skills that make them better coders, while others can’t program their way out of a paper bag. But even if you’re not a natural-born coder, there’s no reason why you can’t learn how to write Solidity smart contracts for Ethereum or build an end-to-end decentralized application in JavaScript.
If you want to get started as a developer in web3 but don’t know where to start, this guide will help! We’ll provide an overview of some helpful resources that will help any aspiring developer build their skillset from scratch — whether they’re completely new to coding or just looking for some extra guidance on how best to learn Solidity.
TLDR: Check out these resources to begin learning web3 development:
Web3 is a vision for the future of the internet. It’s an idea that has taken root in the minds of many, and it’s gradually coming to fruition as projects are being built every day. But what exactly is this web3? What are its goals? Who are its stakeholders?
What is Web3?
Web3 is an open-source movement with the goal of creating a new kind of internet — one where users have control over their data and applications instead of having those things owned by large corporations or governments. It allows people to interact with each other directly through peer-to-peer networks rather than being dependent on third party intermediaries like Facebook and Google which can track your behavior online without your knowledge or consent.
Who are its Stakeholders?
This makes users, developers, and validators the most important stakeholders in the system. Users are people who use blockchain-based applications. Developers are the people who build these applications and their underlying infrastructure (such as wallets and block explorers). Validators are responsible for validating & processing transactions, storing data, and adding new blocks so that they can earn cryptocurrency rewards for doing so.
There are four key pillars that make up the ethos and guide the development of web3.
A decentralized network is a peer-to-peer network that has no central authority. The Internet, for example, is a decentralized network because there is no single entity that controls the entire Internet. Instead, it’s made up of many different nodes that each provide services and information to users on the web.
Decentralization can be achieved by having multiple nodes in a network. This is opposed to having one centralized server which handles all requests for data. In a more traditional sense of internet infrastructure, this might mean having multiple servers (or perhaps several computers) spread throughout the world with access to your website or application files — rather than having all of those files located on just one computer.
Open source is a development model for software which allows the source code to be freely used, modified, and redistributed by anyone. Open-source software (OSS) is often developed in a collaborative manner, with many individuals participating in the software creation process. The open-source movement has created a large community of developers who contribute to various projects.
Gitcoin is a project in web3 pushing this initiative even further. Their mission is to build an internet that is open source, collaborative, and economically empowering. By funding open source development in the ecosystem, they aim to create a virtuous cycle that leads to more open source projects and development. And they’ve been succeeding since their inception in 2017. By the end of 2021, they reached over 300k active developers and were nearing $60M in funding to public goods.
Privacy is important. It’s a fundamental human right. In the same way that we have laws against stealing people’s stuff, there should be laws against stealing their data. The web3 ecosystem will make it easier for you to protect your privacy than ever before it.
For example, if you use a browser extension like Privacy Badger or NoScript to block tracking scripts on websites that ask for too much information from you, then you’ll probably be interested in the web3 browser that has this built in, Brave Browser.
A fundamental aspect of any decentralized ecosystem is the ability to resist censorship. Censorship resistance is implicit in any sufficiently decentralized system, making it a byproduct of decentralization since every node in the world would need to be taken down to censor it. This is critical to the resilience of the infrastructure.
With the ability to resist centralized control, a decentralized network can allow users to exchange ideas and information without fear of persecution.
There’s a lot of opportunity to build the future of the web, and you can help. You don’t have to be an expert in blockchain technology or even programming at all. If you’re interested in learning more about Web3 and Ethereum, we’ll help you get started.
I’ve listed some hands-on resources I recommend checking out to start:
Learn Solidity by Example — A free, self-guided course on learning how to code smart contracts in Solidity.
Eth.Build: A sandbox environment with drag and drop elements that help you visually understand how Ethereum works. It comes with several video guides for key concepts like hash functions, key pair generation, transaction creation, smart contracts, and more.
This tool is all thanks to Austin Griffith (whom I highly recommend following). He is also the creator of the next two resources:
Speed Run Ethereum: A series of coding exercises and challenges that teach you how to develop your first smart contracts and publish them on a live testnet (or mainnet) so you can share them with your friends. This is all built on Scaffold-Eth, which is a collection of tools Austin put together in order to create a highly iterative environment for developers to test their smart contracts through a convenient UI while learning Solidity. It’s also a great repo to use for web3 hackathons.
Buidl Guidl: “A curated group of Ethereum builders creating products, prototypes, and tutorials to enrich the web3 ecosystem.” By completing the first four challenges in Speed Run Ethereum, you become eligible to join Buidl Guidl (not a typo). Being part of a community building with the same tools in the same ecosystem can drastically speed up your rate of learning. It also gives you the chance to meet people in the space that share the same interests as you.
Ethernaut: Created by the OpenZeppeling team, “The Ethernaut is a Web3/Solidity based wargame inspired by overthewire.org, played in the Ethereum Virtual Machine. Each level is a smart contract that needs to be ‘hacked’. The game is 100% open source and all levels are contributions made by other players.”
CryptoZombies: For a focus on NFTs, “CryptoZombies is an interactive school that teaches you all things technical about blockchains. Learn to write smart contracts by making your own crypto-collectibles game.”
Web3 is a collection of protocols, standards, and tools that work together to create a decentralized web. The goal of this movement is to enable more user control over their data and interactions with websites. This extends beyond just being able to read content without having it blocked by your ISP or seeing ads; it also means having protection from malicious actors who may try to take advantage of your data.
There are a lot of great resources out there for aspiring web3 developers that aren’t mentioned here. It can be overwhelming to start when you first dive in; The key is to just start somewhere. There is no “correct” blueprint for starting in web3, and your journey will be different from anyone else’s, so you might as well dive into the deep end. I look forward to seeing you on the other side. 🌊
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