Blockchain Technology course provides a comprehensive overview of blockchain, including its history, underlying concepts, and practical applications. The course covers topics such as cryptography, distributed systems, consensus mechanisms, smart contracts.

Course Objectives
Course Syllabus
(Click on the topic to access notes)
Text Books / Reference Books
Online Resources
Course Outcomes

Course Objectives

  1. Students should be able to understand a broad overview of the essential concepts of blockchain technology.
  2. To familiarize students with Bitcoin protocol followed by the Ethereum protocol – to lay the foundation necessary for developing applications and programming.
  3. Students should be able to learn about different types of blockchain and consensus algorithms.
  4. Students should be able to understand several types of blockchain use cases.

Course Syllabus

Module 1: Introduction to Blockchain (Weeks 1-3)

Duration: 9 hours

  • Week 1: Understanding Blockchain Basics
    • What is Blockchain?
    • History and Evolution of Blockchain
    • Key Features: Decentralization, Transparency, Security
    • Introduction to Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)
  • Week 2: Blockchain Structure
    • Understanding Blocks and Chains
    • How Blockchain Works: Transactions, Blocks, and Mining
    • Hashing and Cryptography in Blockchain
  • Week 3: Consensus Mechanisms
    • Proof of Work (PoW) vs. Proof of Stake (PoS)
    • Other Consensus Mechanisms: Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS), Proof of Authority (PoA), and more
    • Challenges of Consensus Mechanisms

Module 2: Blockchain Technology in Depth (Weeks 4-7)

Duration: 12 hours

  • Week 4: Smart Contracts
    • What are Smart Contracts?
    • How Smart Contracts Work
    • Real-World Applications of Smart Contracts
    • Programming Smart Contracts (Introduction to Solidity)
  • Week 5: Blockchain Platforms
    • Overview of Blockchain Platforms: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Hyperledger
    • Comparison of Different Platforms
    • Choosing the Right Blockchain Platform for Specific Applications
  • Week 6: Blockchain Security
    • Security Challenges in Blockchain
    • Attacks on Blockchain: 51% Attack, Sybil Attack, and Double-Spending
    • Best Practices for Securing Blockchain Networks
  • Week 7: Blockchain Scalability and Performance
    • Scalability Issues in Blockchain
    • Solutions: Sharding, Layer 2 Solutions, and State Channels
    • Case Studies on Scaling Blockchain Networks

Module 3: Applications of Blockchain (Weeks 8-11)

Duration: 12 hours

  • Week 8: Blockchain in Finance
    • Cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Stablecoins
    • Blockchain in Banking: Cross-Border Payments, Smart Bonds
    • Decentralized Finance (DeFi): Concepts and Use Cases
  • Week 9: Blockchain in Supply Chain Management
    • Role of Blockchain in Supply Chains
    • Real-World Examples: Walmart, IBM Food Trust
    • Benefits: Transparency, Traceability, and Efficiency
  • Week 10: Blockchain in Healthcare
    • Blockchain for Secure Health Data Management
    • Use Cases: Patient Records, Drug Traceability
    • Challenges and Future Directions in Healthcare Blockchain
  • Week 11: Other Industry Applications
    • Blockchain in Real Estate: Tokenization of Assets
    • Blockchain in Voting Systems: Ensuring Transparency and Security
    • Blockchain in Intellectual Property and Digital Rights Management

Module 4: Advanced Topics and Future Trends (Weeks 12-13)

Duration: 7 hours

  • Week 12: Blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT)
    • Integrating Blockchain with IoT
    • Use Cases: Smart Homes, Supply Chain Automation
    • Challenges and Opportunities
  • Week 13: The Future of Blockchain
    • Emerging Trends in Blockchain Technology
    • Next-Generation Blockchains: Ethereum 2.0, Polkadot
    • The Potential of Blockchain in the Web3 Era

Assessment and Evaluation (Week 14)

Duration: 1 hour

Text Books / Reference Books

  1. Kiran kalyan Kulkarni, Essentials of Bitcoin and Blockchain, Packt Publishing.
  2. Anshul Kaushik, BlockChain & Crypto Currencies, Khanna Publishing House.
  3. Tiana Laurence, Blockchain for Dummies,2nd Edition2019, John Wiley& Sons.
  4. Mastering Blockchain: Deeper insights into decentralization, cryptography, Bitcoin, and popular Blockchain frameworks by Imran Bashir, Packt Publishing (2017).
  5. Blockchain: Blueprint for a New Economy by Melanie Swan, Shroff Publisher O’Reilly Publisher Media; 1st edition (2015).
  6. Mastering Bitcoin: Programming the Open Blockchain by Andreas Antonopoulos.

Online Resources

  1. https://www.coursera.org/specializations/blockchain.
  2. https://nptel.ac.in/courses/106105184/.
  3. Introduction to Blockchain Technology and Applications, https://swayam.gov.in/nd1_noc20_cs01/preview.

Course Outcomes

After completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. To explain the basic notion of distributed systems.
  2. To use the working of an immutable distributed ledger and trust model that defines blockchain.
  3. To illustrate the essential components of a blockchain platform.
  4. To understand different types of uses of blockchain and apply it to some real-life scenarios accordingly.

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