Blockchain promises to disrupt industries once it will be efficient at large scale. In this course, you will learn how to make blockchain scale. You will learn about the foundational problem of distributed computing, consensus, that is key to create blocks securely. By illustrating limitations of mainstream blockchains, this course will indicate how to improve the technology in terms of security and efficiency.
Blockchain Scalability and its Foundations in Distributed Systems
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Blockchain Scalability and its Foundations in Distributed Systems
Instructor: Vincent Gramoli
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4.5
(99 reviews)
Beginner level
Recommended experience
11 hours to complete
3 weeks at 3 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
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Assessments
6 assignments
Taught in English
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There are 5 modules in this course
This week, we will start our exploration of the blockchain and its relation to distributed computing. In particular, we will learn the basics on blockchain abstraction and the importance of consensus between machines in order to mitigate the risks of having an attacker spend the same asset twice - an undesirable situation called 'double-spending'.
What's included
7 videos4 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt
This week we will learn how classic blockchains try to solve consensus. We will look at the failures and delays blockchain systems must consider, and how these events may prevent machines from reaching consensus.
What's included
10 videos2 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt
This week, we will investigate how to solve the consensus problem. To do this, we will first investigate how to solve consensus when failures cannot occur in the network. Later on, we will learn how to solve consensus when processes may fail, first through crash failures and then when processes can behave arbitrarily.
What's included
7 videos1 reading1 assignment1 discussion prompt
This week, we will investigate how delays in the network can impact the security of the blockchain. We will illustrate this using network attacks that allow hackers to steal digital assets in the past and that every blockchain designer should be aware of.
What's included
6 videos4 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt
This week, we will explore how to design a scalable and secure blockchain algorithm. What makes a blockchain algorithm scalable and secure? To be secure, we need a consensus algorithm that works over the Internet and is not affected by unexpected communication delays. To be scalable, we need to get rid of the bottlenecks.
What's included
9 videos5 readings2 assignments2 discussion prompts
Instructor
Instructor ratings
4.7 (45 ratings)Offered by
Recommended if you're interested in Computer Security and Networks
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
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