Progress · 0/5 phases
⛓️ ⛓️ Blockchain Developer Roadmap — Beginner to Advanced
4 min read · Notion
⛓️ Zero to production blockchain engineer. From how Bitcoin works to deploying DeFi protocols, writing audited smart contracts, and building full-stack dApps.
📌 How to use this template
- Work phases in strict order — each phase is a prerequisite for the next
- Daily ritual: study the concept → write code → deploy something → break it intentionally → log one insight
- Building > reading. Every lesson has a coding component. Never just read — always ship.
- Use the Daily Tracker to stay consistent
- Open each Phase page for full breakdowns, projects, real-world references, and mistake corrections
💡 The #1 rule of blockchain engineering: Code is law. A bug in a smart contract can permanently lose millions of dollars with no recourse. Every pattern here exists because someone lost real money without it.
🗺️ Roadmap at a glance
| Phase | Days | Focus | Key Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 — Blockchain Foundations | Days 1–15 | Cryptography, consensus, Bitcoin, Ethereum | Deep mental model of how chains work |
| Phase 2 — Solidity & Smart Contracts | Days 16–35 | Solidity language, EVM, contract patterns | Deploy your first real contracts |
| Phase 3 — DeFi & Protocol Design | Days 36–55 | AMMs, lending, oracles, tokenomics | Understand and fork real DeFi protocols |
| Phase 4 — Security & Auditing | Days 56–75 | Attack vectors, audit methodology, formal verification | Find bugs before hackers do |
| Phase 5 — Advanced & Full-Stack Web3 | Days 76–90 | L2s, ZK proofs, cross-chain, dApp frontend | Ship a production-grade dApp |
⚡ The blockchain engineering decision framework
Ask these questions for every system you design:
- Does this need a blockchain? — Most systems don't. Blockchain adds value only when trustlessness, censorship-resistance, or permissionlessness is the core requirement.
- What is the trust model? — Who controls upgrades? Who controls the admin keys? Who can pause or drain funds?
- What are the economic attack surfaces? — Flash loans? Price manipulation? Sandwich attacks? Frontrunning?
- What is the worst-case exploit? — Assume adversarial users with unlimited capital and perfect information.
- Is this upgradeable? Should it be? — Upgradeable = trusted admin. Immutable = no bug fixes ever. Choose explicitly.
- What happens when an oracle fails? — Every external dependency is an attack vector.
📊 My progress
- Current phase: Phase 1
- Current day: Day 1 of 90
- Smart contracts deployed: 0
- Protocols studied: 0
- Audits completed: 0
🔖 Quick links
- ⛓️ Phase 1 — Blockchain Foundations
- 🔷 Phase 2 — Solidity & Smart Contracts
- 🏦 Phase 3 — DeFi & Protocol Design
- 🔐 Phase 4 — Security & Auditing
- 🚀 Phase 5 — Advanced & Full-Stack Web3
🛠️ Core tech stack this roadmap builds
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Blockchain | Ethereum (EVM-compatible) |
| Smart contract language | Solidity 0.8.x |
| Development framework | Foundry (primary) + Hardhat |
| Testing | Forge (Foundry), Echidna (fuzzing) |
| Frontend | Next.js + wagmi + viem + RainbowKit |
| Indexing | The Graph (subgraphs) |
| Oracles | Chainlink |
| L2s | Optimism, Arbitrum, zkSync |
| Storage | IPFS + Filecoin |
| Node providers | Alchemy / Infura / Quicknode |
📚 Essential reading list
| Resource | Priority |
|---|---|
| Ethereum Yellowpaper | ⭐⭐⭐ Essential |
| OpenZeppelin Contracts source code | ⭐⭐⭐ Essential |
| Damn Vulnerable DeFi | ⭐⭐⭐ Essential |
| Uniswap v2/v3 whitepapers | ⭐⭐⭐ Essential |
| Solidity docs (docs.soliditylang.org) | ⭐⭐⭐ Essential |
| Foundry Book (book.getfoundry.sh) | ⭐⭐⭐ Essential |
| Trail of Bits blog | ⭐⭐ Important |
| Rekt.news | ⭐⭐ Important |
| a16z crypto research | ⭐ Useful |
📅 Blockchain Daily Tracker