Bitcoin and cryptocurrency technologies
by Arvind Narayanan · first published 2016
78% recommend22% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Academic, free-to-read introduction to Bitcoin fundamentals from Princeton researchers. It covers the basics solidly and pairs well with a Coursera course for a structured learning path.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies provides a comprehensive introduction to the revolutionary yet often misunderstood new technologies of digital currency. Whether you are a student, software developer, tech entrepreneur, or researcher in computer science, this authoritative and self-contained book tells you everything you need to know about the new global money for the Internet age. How do Bitcoin and its block chain actually work? How secure are your bitcoins? How anonymous are their users? Can cryptocurrencies be regulated? These are some of the many questions this book answers. It beg
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There is an old (2016, pre-Ethereum large adoption) book from Princeton, Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies: A Comprehensive Introduction [1]. I find it good for the fundamentals. There is a corresponding Coursera class but I found that class a bit long-winded. [1] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691171696/
on “How to learn more about cryptocurrencies?” ↗…Creating the Twentieth Century by Vaclav Smil Applied Cryptography by Bruce Schneier Blockchain Bubble or Revolution by Neel Mehta Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital by Carlota Perez Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies by Arvind Narayanan Bitcoin Billionaires by Ben Mezrich Inventing Bitcoin by Yan Pritzker The Little Bitcoin Book by Bitcoin Collective Serious Cryptography by Jean-Philippe Aumasson An Altcoin Trader's…
on “Show HN: I've compiled a list of books on cryptocurrencies” ↗There's this course by the people who wrote `Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies` It covers the basics pretty well. http://bitcoinbook.cs.princeton.edu/
on “Ask HN: Resources to learn blockchain and smart contracts?” ↗I recommend the Princeton course on Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies, available free on Coursera: https://www.coursera.org/learn/cryptocurrency I took this last year and found it very informative
on “Ask HN: What are some good resources to learn about Crypto/Altcoins?” ↗BTC-Tech: Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies from Princeton University - https://piazza.com/princeton/spring2015/btctech/home
on “Ask HN: Any good recommendation for learning about cryptocurrency/Bitcoin” ↗…direction. And the reason for that is mining pools. If it wasn't for mining pools, your statement would always be true. There is a lot about this topic in the new, free book from Princeton authors titled "Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies" (a great read)[1]. There is much research being done on the front of finding the best way to eliminate mining pools or at least stop them from potentially centralizing consensus to just a handful of…
on “Stick a Fork in Ethereum” ↗If you are interested in building one in Golang, here is a good article I read recently - Building Blockchain in Go [0] Bonus: There is a pretty good Coursera course on the same - Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies [1] and it also has a really good companion book - Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies: A Comprehensive Introduction [2] [0] - https://jeiwan.cc/posts/building-blockchain-in-go-part-1/ [1] - https://www.coursera.org/learn/cryptocurrency…
on “Learn Blockchains by Building One” ↗…This helps explain why bitcoin took so long to be invented. Readers already familiar with how bitcoin works may gain a deeper understanding from this historical presentation. (For an introduction, see Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies by Arvind Narayanan et al.36) Bitcoin's intellectual history also serves as a case study demonstrating the relationships among academia, outside researchers, and practitioners, and offers lessons on how…
on “Bitcoin's Academic Pedigree” ↗If I'm reading you, the idea is to essentially to negotiate out-of-band? I remember reading something like this in Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies with a note saying nobody had tried it in practice. > (Your analogy to a ledger with account balances is precisely correct for Ethereum, but Bitcoin actually has a somewhat different model.) My understanding…
on “Cryptocurrencies are collapsing” ↗…Andreas M. Antonopoulos Creating the Twentieth Century by Vaclav Smil Mastering Bitcoin by Andreas M. Antonopoulos Applied Cryptography by Bruce Schneier Blockchain Bubble or Revolution by Neel Mehta Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies by Arvind Narayanan Inventing Bitcoin by Yan Pritzker The Little Bitcoin Book by Bitcoin Collective Serious Cryptography by Jean-Philippe Aumasson An Altcoin Trader's Handbook by Nik Patel The Price…
on “Top 57 Cryptocurrency Books” ↗