Mastering Blockchain 4th Edition by Imran Bashir, ISBN-13: 978-1803241067

Trustpilot

Mastering Blockchain 4th Edition by Imran Bashir, ISBN-13: 978-1803241067

[PDF eBook eTextbook] – Available Instantly

• Publisher: ‎ Packt Publishing; 4th ed. edition (March 31, 2023)
• Language: ‎ English
• 818 pages
• ISBN-10: ‎ 1803241063
• ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1803241067

Demystify one of the most disruptive modern technologies and gain an understanding of distributed ledger technology, consensus protocols, smart contracts, DApps, blockchain scalability, privacy, security, and more.

Blockchain is the backbone of cryptocurrencies, with applications in finance, government, media, among other industries. With a legacy of providing technologists with executable insights, this new edition of Mastering Blockchain is thoroughly revised and updated according to the latest blockchain research. With new chapters on Decentralized Finance, Decentralized Identity and blockchain privacy, scalability, and security, as well as bonus online content exploring alternative blockchains, this is an unmissable read for everyone who wants to gain a deep understanding of blockchain.

Although this book covers the basics, including blockchain’s technical underpinnings, cryptography, and consensus protocols, it doesn’t shy away from advanced topics and practical expertise, such as decentralized application (DApp) development using smart contracts. Throughout the book, you’ll explore blockchain solutions beyond cryptocurrencies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) with blockchain, enterprise blockchains, and tokenization, and gain insight into the future scope of this fascinating and disruptive technology.

By the end of this blockchain book, you will have gained a thorough comprehension of the various facets of blockchain and understand the potential of this technology in diverse real-world scenarios.

What You Will Learn:

• Grasp the mechanisms behind Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other blockchain protocols
• Understand cryptography and its usage in blockchain.
• Become familiar with the theoretical foundations of smart contracts and blockchain consensus algorithms.
• Develop smart contracts and DApps using Solidity, Remix, Truffle, and Ganache
• Solve issues relating to scalability, privacy, and security in blockchain
• Explore enterprise blockchains
• Dive into the architecture of Ethereum’s execution and consensus layer
• Delve into emerging trends like decentralized and self-sovereign identity, DeFi, NFTs, and Metaverse
• Explore various applications, research topics, and future directions of blockchain

Who this book is for:

This book is for blockchain enthusiasts from all backgrounds, including software developers and programmers who want to learn how to build DApps, business executives and managers who want to explore the benefits and challenges of leveraging blockchain in different industries, and system architects and solution designers who want insight into blockchain architecture, consensus mechanisms, and security considerations. It is also a useful reference guide for blockchain development professionals who want to build fast and highly secure transactional applications. Basic knowledge in any programming language will come in handy.

Table of Contents:

Preface
Who this book is for
What this book covers
To get the most out of this book
Get in touch
Blockchain 101
The growth of blockchain technology
Progress towards maturity
Rising interest
Distributed systems
CAP theorem
PACELC theorem
The history of blockchain
Bitcoin
Electronic cash
Introducing blockchain
Blockchain architecture
Blockchain by layers
Blockchain in business
Generic elements of a blockchain
Blockchain functionality
Benefits and features of blockchain
Limitations of blockchain technology
Types of blockchain
Distributed ledgers
Shared ledger
Public blockchains
Private blockchains
Semi-private blockchains
Permissioned ledger
Fully private and proprietary blockchains
Tokenized blockchains
Tokenless blockchains
Layer 1 blockchains
Monolithic and polylithic blockchains
Layer 2 blockchains
Sidechains
Summary
Decentralization
Introducing decentralization
Methods of decentralization
Disintermediation
Contest-driven decentralization
Quantifying decentralization
Benefits of decentralization
Evaluating requirements
Full-ecosystem decentralization
Storage
Communication
Computing power
Decentralization in practice
Smart contracts
Autonomous agents
Decentralized organizations
Decentralized autonomous organizations
Decentralized autonomous corporations
Decentralized autonomous societies
Decentralized applications
Criteria for a DApp
Operations of a DApp
Design of a DApp
Innovative trends
Decentralized web
Web 1
Web 2
Web 3
Summary
Symmetric Cryptography
Introducing cryptography
Services provided by cryptography
Cryptographic primitives
Keyless primitives
Random numbers
Hash functions
Symmetric key primitives
Message authentication codes
Secret key ciphers
Advanced Encryption Standard
Data Encryption Standard
How AES works
Encrypting and decrypting using AES
Summary
Asymmetric Cryptography
Foundational mathematics
Asymmetric cryptography
Public and private keys
Asymmetric cryptography algorithms
Integer factorization
Discrete logarithm
Elliptic curves
Integrated encryption scheme
Introducing RSA
Encrypting and decrypting with RSA
Introducing ECC
Mathematics behind ECC
Point addition
Point doubling
Point multiplication
The discrete logarithm problem
Generating keys with ECC
Digital signatures
RSA digital signature algorithms
Generating RSA digital signatures
The elliptic curve digital signature algorithm
Generating ECDSA digital signatures
Different types of digital signatures
Blind signatures
Multisignatures
Threshold signatures
Aggregate signatures
Ring signatures
Cryptographic constructs and blockchain technology
Homomorphic encryption
Secret sharing
Commitment schemes
Zero-knowledge proofs
zk-SNARKs
zk-STARKs
Zero-knowledge range proofs
Encoding schemes
Base64
base58
Verifiable random functions
Summary
Consensus Algorithms
Introducing consensus
Fault tolerance
FLP impossibility
Analysis and design
Model
Processes
Timing assumptions
Classification
Algorithms
CFT algorithms
Paxos
Raft
BFT algorithms
Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance
Istanbul Byzantine Fault Tolerance
Tendermint
Nakamoto consensus
Variants of PoW
HotStuff
Choosing an algorithm
Finality
Speed, performance, and scalability
Summary
Bitcoin Architecture
Introducing Bitcoin
Cryptographic keys
Private keys in Bitcoin
Public keys in Bitcoin
Addresses
Typical Bitcoin addresses
Advanced Bitcoin addresses
Transactions
Coinbase transactions
The transaction lifecycle
Transaction validation
Transaction fees
The transaction data structure
Metadata
Inputs
Outputs
Verification
The Script language
Opcodes
Standard transaction scripts
Contracts
Transaction bugs
Blockchain
Structure
The genesis block
Stale and orphan blocks
Forks
Properties
Miners
Proof of Work (PoW)
Mining systems
CPU
GPU
FPGAs
ASICs
Mining pools
Network
Types of messages
Client software
Bloom filters
Wallets
Summary
Bitcoin in Practice
Bitcoin in the real world
Bitcoin payments
Innovation in Bitcoin
Bitcoin improvement proposals
Advanced protocols
Segregated Witness
Bitcoin Cash
Bitcoin Unlimited
Bitcoin Gold
Taproot
Extended protocols on top of Bitcoin
Colored coins
Counterparty
Altcoins from Bitcoin
Bitcoin client installation
Types of clients and tools
Setting up a Bitcoin node
Setting up the source code
Setting up bitcoin.conf
Starting up a node in the testnet
Starting up a node in regtest
Experimenting further with bitcoin-cli
Using the Bitcoin command-line tool
Using the JSON-RPC interface
Using the HTTP REST interface
Bitcoin programming
Summary
Smart Contracts
Introducing smart contracts
Definitions
Properties
Real-world application
Ricardian contracts
Smart contract templates
Oracles
Software-and network-assisted proofs
TLSNotary
TLS-N-based mechanism
Hardware device-assisted proofs
Android proof
Ledger proof
Trusted hardware-assisted proofs
Types of blockchain oracles
Inbound oracles
Outbound oracles
Cryptoeconomic oracles
Blockchain oracle services
Deploying smart contracts
The DAO
Advances in smart contract technology
Solana Sealevel
Digital Asset Modeling Language
Summary
Ethereum Architecture
Introducing Ethereum
Cryptocurrency
Keys and addresses
Accounts
Transactions and messages
MPTs
Transaction components
Recursive Length Prefix
Gas
Transaction types
Simple transactions
Contract creation transactions
Message call transactions
Messages
Transaction validation and execution
State and storage in the Ethereum blockchain
The world state
The account state
Transaction receipts
Ethereum virtual machine
Execution environment
The machine state
Blocks and blockchain
The genesis block
Block validation, finalization, and processing
Block difficulty mechanism
Nodes and miners
The consensus mechanism
Forks in the blockchain
The Ethereum network
Main net
Test nets
Private nets
Precompiled smart contracts
Programming languages
Solidity
Runtime bytecode
Opcodes
Wallets and client software
Wallets
Geth
Light clients
Supporting protocols
Whisper
Swarm
Summary
Ethereum in Practice
Ethereum payments
Innovations in Ethereum
Difficulty time bomb
EIP-1559
The merge and upcoming upgrades
Programming with Geth
Installing and configuring the Geth client
Creating a Geth new account
Querying the blockchain using Geth
Geth console
Geth attach
Geth JSON RPC API
Setting up a development environment
Connecting to test networks
Creating a private network
Starting up the private network
Experimenting with the Geth JavaScript console
Mining and sending transactions
Introducing Remix IDE
Interacting with the Ethereum Blockchain with MetaMask
Installing MetaMask
Creating and funding an account with MetaMask
Using MetaMask and Remix IDE to deploy a smart contract
Adding a custom network to MetaMask and connecting it with Remix IDE
Importing accounts into MetaMask using keystore files
Deploying a contract with MetaMask
Interacting with a contract through MetaMask using Remix IDE
Summary
Tools, Languages, and Frameworks for Ethereum Developers
Languages
The Solidity compiler
Installing solc
Experimenting with solc
Tools, libraries, and frameworks
Node.js
Ganache
ganache-cli
Ganache UI
Truffle
Drizzle
Other tools
Contract development and deployment
Writing smart contracts
Testing smart contracts
Deploying smart contracts
The Solidity language
Functions
Variables
Local variables
Global variables
State variables
Data types
Value types
Reference types
Control structures
Events
Inheritance
Libraries
Error handling
Summary
Web3 Development Using Ethereum
Interacting with contracts using Web3 and Geth
Deploying contracts
Using solc to generate ABI and code
Querying contracts with Geth
Interacting with Geth using POST requests
Interacting with contracts via frontends
Installing the web3.js JavaScript library
Creating a web3 object
Creating an app.js JavaScript file
Creating a frontend webpage
Calling contract functions
Creating a frontend webpage
Deploying and interacting with contracts using Truffle
Installing and initializing Truffle
Compiling, testing, and migrating using Truffle
Interacting with the contract
Using Truffle to test and deploy smart contracts
Deployment on decentralized storage using IPFS
Summary
The Merge and Beyond
Introduction
Ethereum after The Merge
The Beacon Chain
Beacon nodes
Consensus client
Execution client
Validator client
Proof-of-stake
P2P interface (networking)
The Merge
Sharding
The future roadmap of Ethereum
Summary
Hyperledger
Projects under Hyperledger
Distributed ledgers
Fabric
Sawtooth
Iroha
Indy
Besu
Libraries
Aries
Transact
Ursa
AnonCreds
Tools
Cello
Caliper
Domain-specific
Grid
Hyperledger reference architecture
Hyperledger design principles
Hyperledger Fabric
Key concepts
Membership service
Blockchain services
Smart contract services
APIs and CLIs
Components
Peers/nodes
Clients
Channels
World state database
Private data collections
Transactions
Membership Service Provider
Smart contracts
Crypto service provider
Applications
Chaincode implementation
The application model
Consensus mechanism
Transaction lifecycle
Fabric 2.0
New chaincode lifecycle management
New chaincode application patterns
Summary
Tokenization
Tokenization on a blockchain
Advantages of tokenization
Disadvantages of tokenization
Types of tokens
Fungible tokens
Non-fungible tokens
Stable tokens
Security tokens
Process of tokenization
Token offerings
Initial coin offerings
Security token offerings
Initial exchange offerings
Equity token offerings
Decentralized autonomous initial coin offering
Other token offerings
Token standards
ERC-20
ERC-223
ERC-777
ERC-721
ERC-884
ERC-1400
ERC-1404
ERC-1155
ERC-4626
Building an ERC-20 token
Building the Solidity contract
Deploying the contract on the Remix JavaScript virtual machine
Adding tokens in MetaMask
Emerging concepts
Tokenomics/token economics
Token engineering
Token taxonomy
Summary
Enterprise Blockchain
Enterprise solutions and blockchain
Success factors
Limiting factors
Requirements
Privacy
Performance
Access governance
Further requirements
Compliance
Interoperability
Integration
Ease of use
Monitoring
Secure off-chain computation
Better tools
Enterprise blockchain versus public blockchain
Enterprise blockchain architecture
Designing enterprise blockchain solutions
TOGAF
Architecture development method (ADM)
Blockchain in the cloud
Currently available enterprise blockchains
Enterprise blockchain challenges
Interoperability
Lack of standardization
Compliance
Business challenges
VMware Blockchain
Components
Consensus protocol
Architecture
VMware Blockchain for Ethereum
Quorum
Architecture
Nodes
Privacy manager
Cryptography
Privacy
Enclave encryption
Transaction propagation to transaction managers
Enclave decryption
Access control with permissioning
Performance
Pluggable consensus
Setting up a Quorum network with IBFT
Installing and running Quorum Wizard
Running a private transaction
Attaching Geth to nodes
Viewing the transaction in Cakeshop
Further investigation with Geth
Other Quorum projects
Remix plugin
Pluggable architecture
Summary
Scalability
What is scalability?
Blockchain trilemma
Methods for improving scalability
Layer 0 – multichain solutions
Polkadot
Layer 1 – on-chain scaling solutions
Layer 2 – off-chain solutions
Layer 2
Rollups
Data validity
Data availability
How rollups work
Types of rollups
Optimistic rollups
ZK-rollups
Technologies used for building ZK-rollups
ZK-ZK-rollups
Optimistic rollups vs ZK-rollups
Fraud and validity proof-based classification of rollups
Example
Layer 3 and beyond
Summary
Blockchain Privacy
Privacy
Anonymity
Confidentiality
Techniques to achieve privacy
Layer 0
Tor
I2P
Indistinguishability obfuscation
Homomorphic encryption
Secure multiparty computation
Trusted hardware-assisted confidentiality
Mixing protocols
CoinSwap
TumbleBit
Dandelion
Confidential transactions
MimbleWimble
Zkledger
Attribute-based encryption
Anonymous signatures
Zether
Privacy using Layer 2 protocols
Privacy managers
Privacy using zero-knowledge
Cryptographic Commitments
Zero-knowledge proofs
Building ZK-SNARKs
Example
Summary
Blockchain Security
Security
Blockchain layers and attacks
Hardware layer
Network layer
Blockchain layer
Attacks on transactions
Transaction replay attacks
Attacks on consensus protocols
Double-spending
Selfish mining
Forking and chain reorganization
Blockchain application layer
Smart contract vulnerabilities
DeFi attacks
Interface layer
Oracle attacks/oracle manipulation attacks
Attacks on wallets
Attacks on layer 2 blockchains
Cryptography layer
Attacking public key cryptography
Attacking hash functions
Key management-related vulnerabilities and attacks
ZKP-related attacks
Security analysis tools and mechanism
Formal verification
Formal verification of smart contracts
Model checking
Smart contract security
Oyente
Solgraph
Threat modeling
Regulation and compliance
Summary
Decentralized Identity
Identity
Digital identity
Centralized identity model
Federated identity model
Decentralized identity model
Self-sovereign identity
Components of SSI
Identity in Ethereum
Identity in the world of Web3, DeFi, and Metaverse
SSI-specific blockchain projects
Hyperledger Indy, Aries, Ursa, and AnonCreds
Other projects
Some other initiatives
Challenges
Summary
Decentralized Finance
Introduction
Financial markets
Trading
Exchanges
Orders and order properties
Order management and routing systems
Components of a trade
Trade lifecycle
Applications of blockchain in finance
Insurance
Post-trade settlement
Financial crime prevention
Payments
Decentralized finance
Properties of DeFi
DeFi layers
DeFi primitives
DeFi services
Asset tokenization
Decentralized exchanges
Flash loans
Derivatives
Money streaming
Yield farming
Insurance
Decentralized lending – lending and borrowing
Benefits of DeFi
Uniswap
Swap the token
Uniswap liquidity pool
Summary
Blockchain Applications and What’s Next
Use cases
IoT
IoT architecture
The physical object layer
The device layer
The network layer
The management layer
The application layer
Benefits of IoT and blockchain convergence
Implementing blockchain-based IoT in practice
Setting up Raspberry Pi
Setting up the first node
Setting up the Raspberry Pi node
Installing Node.js
Building the electronic circuit
Developing and running a Solidity contract
Government
Border control
Elections
Citizen identification
Health
Media
Blockchain and AI
Some emerging trends
Some challenges
Summary
Index

Imran Bashir has an M.Sc. in Information Security from Royal Holloway, University of London, and has a background in software development, solution architecture, infrastructure management, and IT service management. He is also a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the British Computer Society (BCS). Imran has extensive experience in both the public and financial sectors, having worked on large-scale IT projects in the public sector before moving to the financial services industry. Since then, he has worked in various technical roles for different financial companies in Europe’s financial capital, London.

What makes us different?

• Instant Download

• Always Competitive Pricing

• 100% Privacy

• FREE Sample Available

• 24-7 LIVE Customer Support