In the first module, you will be exposed to a number of topics regarding Blockchain Technology foundations. In this chapter, we will answer questions such as: what blockchain technology is, what is the concept of decentralization, and what is the history of blockchain technology. We will look at the blockchain fundamentals and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). Moreover, we will cover the benefits of blockchain technology along with its applications will also be introduced. Finally, we will look at the various challenges faced by blockchain technology.

In the 3rd chapter, the course goes in-depth on Blockchain Development and how students can mine cryptocurrencies. To understand better the technical development of blockchain we start with the foundations of mining and why mining is important. Then we explore different types of Mining, such as Solo Mining, Pool Mining and Hybrid Mining. At this point, the student will be able to understand the difference between Mining and Forging and how to design a mining ring. As mining blocks in a blockchain is the cornerstone of data decentralization, we conclude this chapter by addressing the issues of centralized networks such as the 51% attacks with blockchain technology.

In this chapter we will explore the first and most popular implementation use case of Blockchain Technology, the Bitcoin. As of now, Bitcoin, it has the largest network and it still grows in utility simply from having the most users. Apart from that, Bitcoin has been the best benchmark for future alternatives, primarily due to it’s proven functional and security efficiency through time. In this chapter, therefore, you will understand in depth Bitcoin History, Ownership, and Value Determination. We will also explore the Bitcoin Blockchain Structure, such as Components of the Bitcoin Network, Mining and PoW consensus, Task of miners and how Transactions in Bitcoin work. Moreover, we will practice on Script language, UTXO and how Financial Investments and payments are programmed. Students will also learn developing digital Wallets while addressing the necessary Security, Privacy, Legality and Taxation issues. Finally, students will be introduced to a number of other parameters such as Bitcoin limitations, Bitcoin variants, Bitcoin clients and Forking.

One of the biggest challenges organizations face in adopting blockchain solutions is the energy intense blockchain mining. In this chapter, we will be exposed to IIB Council’s proprietary framework of Sustainable, Secure and Scalable Blockchain Development based on Quantum Computing. The chapter helps you to understand the current Bitcoin energy consumption models as well as future forecasts in order to address the energy consumption issues with POS, alternate consensus algorithms, and Quantum resistant ledgers.

To meet modern business demands, IBM in conjunction with other companies have collaboratively developed an open source, production-ready, business blockchain framework, called Hyperledger Fabric™, one of the 8 Hyperledger? projects hosted by The Linux Foundation. This is one of world’s first and most widely used enterprise blockchain framework to be applicable across different industries. Hyperledger Fabric supports distributed ledger solutions on permissioned networks for a wide range of industries. Its modular architecture maximizes the confidentiality, resilience, and flexibility of blockchain solutions. To date, hyperledger has been developed and optimized by a large number of Professionals (159 engineers from 27 organizations contributed to Hyperledger Fabric v1.0. Version 1.1) which makes it CBP’s next use case of Blockchain Implementation case study. In this chapter students will be introduced to the different types of blockchain development (Permissioned and permissionless blockchain), to Hyperledger History, Projects, Frameworks (Burrow, Fabric, Indy, Iroha, Sawtooth), to different development tools such as Cello, Composer, Explorer, Quilt, and Caliper.

Ethereum is the platform technology designed to serve as a protocol layer on which 3rd parties can build decentralized applications known as DApps. Since then it has introduced multiple usages by assuming a number of roles outside of those commonly associated with what we might deem a traditional cryptocurrency such as ethereum wallet, smart contracts, and gas payments. As such the 7th chapter of CBP Course allows you to learn about History of Ether, Performance (in comparison with Bitcoin), Elements of the Ethereum ecosystem such as Keys, address, accounts, calls, messages, world state, account state, transactions receipts, state storage, execution environment etc. and Clients (Mist, geth etc). Students will also practice on Ethereum Virtual Machine (Execution environment, machine state, iterator function) and learn more about Smart Contracts (History, How Do Smart Contracts Work? Advantages, Implementation). To be able to write Smart contracts you will learn Solidity language and Supporting protocols such as Whisper and Swarm. The chapter concludes with Ethereum Benefits and Challenges to ensure students understand the pros and cons of this blockchain technology and when to be used to meet industry requirements.

In the 8th Chapter of Phase 2 of CBP students will be immersed to one more Blockchain Implementation uses case the Decentralised Applications. DApps are applications running on Blockchain Technology. DApps are an essential part of Blockchain technology knowledge as they are composed of Smart Contracts and can distribute tokens (coins) via mining and development. In this chapter, we will learn in this chapter the concepts of Decentralised Organizations, Decentralised Autonomous Organizations, Decentralized Autonomous Corporations and Decentralized Autonomous Societies. 

As blockchain technology evolves into a highly trusted self-regulatory database, other emerging technologies such as AI and Machine Learning can be integrated to its functionality and enable more dynamic, independent and intelligent smart contracts, decentralized applications and blockchain solutions. The 9th chapter of CBP course addresses the potential of blockchain in conjunction to other disruptive technologies from concept to realization.

Blockchain Technology is expected to disrupt how businesses work. The impact in the industry is yet to be fully realized but scholars anticipate blockchain technology has the potential to introduce new operational frameworks, enable decentralized economies and encourage peer-to-peer transactions all in one ecosystem. In this chapter, we will explore how various industries can be transformed through the use of blockchain.

Following the examples of how blockchain will revolutionize various industries, in this chapter we will cover examples of Industry Use cases affected by blockchains such as Supply Chain and Identity Management. To further understand the use cases we will explore the topic of Identity on blockchain in depth (What is Identity, Identity on blockchain, Examples & Advantages and Design of blockchain-based identity solutions). We will also review Other Use Cases such as Decentralized Storage and Post trade clearance.

Blockchain technology has an impact on other technologies, too. For example, IoT can benefit greatly from blockchain technology. In this chapter, we will discuss IoT and blockchain convergence as well as introduce a new concept known as the Blockchain of things. Here we will learn the difference between usual /normal IOT model and blockchain based IoT model. To understand better the benefits of a BoT powered ecosystem we will explore the advantages of IOT and blockchain convergence and how to achieve convergence examples.

In this chapter, we will be invited to practice their knowledge so far in developing blockchain solutions in real-world environments and development ecosystems with the help of instructor and lab guides. The chapter will challenge you to create Networks, to learn the different types of networks and how to build a private network (Ethereum). Here we will also explore Solidity language in detail such as the different types, literals, functions, variables and controls structures on examples using Remix IDE. In addition to that, we will practice on writing smart contract code using specific open source Tools and frameworks online for smart contract development on Ethereum such as Remix IDE, Web3.js, Metamask, Truffle, Ganache and Wallets / clients. The chapter concludes by inviting us to test their skills in monitoring Blockchain Networks (block explorer) and deploying Real-World Projects by writing a proof of idea (patent application). The purpose of this chapter is to provide a hands-on training on the technical development of blockchain and an understanding of the real world resources to develop, implement and Support blockchain solutions.

Scalability is the single most important problem that could mean the difference between wider adaptability of blockchains or limited private use only by consortiums. As a result of substantial research in this area, many solutions have been proposed, which are discussed in the module. In this chapter, will dive deep into the existing scalability issues, how scalability issues can be solved and what has been done so far. This chapter is extremely important to understand what are the possible solutions (sharding, off a chain, etc.) to address scalability issues and allow students to develop a new generation of blockchain technology. The chapter introduces advanced techniques for blockchain scalability with examples of recent Bitcoin scalability solutions and other advanced and new protocols such as chainweb etc., Layer 2 solutions (off chain solutions), lightning etc. and Consensus performance.

To understand how to mitigate the risks that arise from developing blockchain networks students need to start with a premise that this is not another application; this is a production NETWORK, as such it has risks and costs to ensure upkeep and maintenance that cannot leverage existing application dev/infra/common services. As such this chapter covers topics such as how to secure smart contracts, how to identify vulnerabilities in smart contracts and how to mitigate. In this chapter, we will also cover how to conduct a formal verification of smart contracts and how to address other security issues such as Endpoint security, Privacy and confidentiality and overall Security Risks in Blockchain.

To understand how to mitigate the risks that arise from developing blockchain networks students need to start with a premise that this is not another application; this is a production NETWORK, as such it has risks and costs to ensure upkeep and maintenance that cannot leverage existing application dev/infra/common services. As such this chapter covers topics such as how to secure smart contracts, how to identify vulnerabilities in smart contracts and how to mitigate. In this chapter, we will also cover how to conduct a formal verification of smart contracts and how to address other security issues such as Endpoint security, Privacy and confidentiality and overall Security Risks in Blockchain.

The last chapter of CBP Course is dedicated to the Blockchain Technology potential to evolve after into a better solution after some of its existing issues are addressed properly by the professionals in this field. These issues are Open for Research Problems in areas such as Interoperability, Security, Privacy, Performance, Scalability, and Standardization (ISO TC 307). With this chapter, we aim to encourage you to think outside the box and address challenges in blockchain technology tomorrow by developing better blockchain solutions today.