Master in Blockchain Engineering and Development

The first topic is an introduction to blockchain technology. It explains how it works overall, its value proposition, and its main applications. 

Introduction to the technology Introduction to blockchain and DLT Public blockchain vs. private blockchain Features, value proposition, and applications Basic blockchain cryptography Structure of the technology Digital signatures and validations

PoW and PoS protocols Other consensus protocols Hardfork and Softfork Sidechains Smart contracts, DApps, and DAOs

You will study how a public blockchain works as a whole. Specifically, the course goes in depth into the leading public infrastructure for DApp development: Ethereum. An introduction is provided first, followed by an analysis of the different elements involved in ensuring the technology works correctly and transactions are generated.

The origins of Ethereum Ethereum clients, Parity and Geth Configuring clients for DApp development Ethereum Virtual Machine and opcodes Gas, transactions, and cost calculation

Block explorer for querying information and transactions Message serialization Event subscription Installation and use on your own testnet Key management Ethereum networks

Study of the Solidity programming language for developing smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain.

Environment setup (hardhat or foundry) Structure of a smart contract Storage types Data types Operators Functions Visibility management

Events and logging Inheritance and polymorphism Exceptions Security Mnemonic phrases Error handling Remix IDE

Decentralized applications, known as dApps, represent an innovation in the world of software development, running on blockchain networks instead of centralized servers. In this topic we begin to get familiar with the main architectures and libraries for developing our dApps, which will interact with the smart contracts we have created.

Introduction to dApps and architecture Core JS and Ethereum libraries Web3 and connecting to nodes, metamask, and Infura APIs

Web3 and calls to a SC Building a development environment with React and an ICO case study

In this topic we go deeper into the hands-on development of decentralized applications (dApps), covering the entire process from the creation and deployment of smart contracts to integration with user interfaces. You will work with both basic and advanced tools for blockchain development, exploring modern interaction libraries, self-custody wallet management, and publishing applications in the cloud.
Throughout the topic, case studies are developed that help you understand how to connect a dApp with smart contracts on public networks, manage data on the blockchain, and use oracles to enrich application functionality.

Remix IDE for deploying smart contracts Foundry for installing, programming, testing, deploying, and verifying smart contracts Ethers.js and viem as modern libraries for reading and writing information on the blockchain

Building a self-custody wallet system and introduction to IPFS Developing a user interface with React + Vite + TypeScript to connect a wallet Deploying apps on free providers such as Vercel or Netlify Explanation of oracles and integration of a Chainlink oracle

Security is one of the most sensitive and important issues in any software project. This topic sets out guidelines for avoiding errors that could put the system at risk and teaches you how to strengthen its security. Programming smart contracts requires a different engineering mindset from the one we are used to. The cost of a failure can be very high, and any seemingly trivial change can be fatal for the project. Consequently, defending against known vulnerabilities is not enough: a shift in philosophy is needed, along with the good practices and security recommendations presented in this chapter.

Detecting code vulnerabilities Contract upgrades, development patterns, and architectures Reentrancy Attacks

Exception disorder Random number generation Security tools

Mining is a fundamental component of many blockchain networks, especially those that use the proof of work (PoW) consensus mechanism. Through mining, transactions on the network are validated and confirmed, and new coins are put into circulation. This process requires a large amount of computing resources and energy, but it is also crucial to the security and decentralization of the blockchain. In this topic, we will explore the basic concepts of mining, its importance, the methods used, and the associated challenges and criticisms.

Definition and purpose of mining History and evolution of blockchain mining Solving cryptographic problems Hardware used (ASICs, GPUs, CPUs) Mining with GPUs

Mining with ASICs Large-scale mining The future of mining: PoW vs PoS Other, lesser-known types of mining

We review the Ethereum roadmap, highlighting the updates and improvements planned to address issues such as scalability, security, and sustainability. This topic explores the major milestones in Ethereum's development, the changes introduced by each upgrade, and the expected impact on the network and the community. 

Improvements in network security and efficiency Introduction of new functionalities Main objectives of Ethereum 2.0 Proof of Stake

Sharding and Layer2 Fat dApps Cross-chain NFTs

 In this topic, we prepare for the second part of this program: development on permissioned blockchains with Hyperledger technology. Before starting, we have included a topic to get familiar with the basic concepts of container management, which are necessary to tackle the material that follows and put it into practice through several labs.

Introduction to Git and GitOps Introduction to the container paradigm Container management with Docker

Container orchestrators Docker compose

We begin the second module of this program, which focuses on creating permissioned blockchain networks and developing applications on top of them. In this case, we will work with Hyperledger technology, driven by the Hyperledger Foundation, which focuses on developing open-source blockchain technologies for private networks. This topic explores the core principles, main projects, and practical applications of Hyperledger. 

Hyperledger within the blockchain ecosystem Functional evolution: historical development and current status Projects hosted by the Hyperledger Foundation

Resources and tools used within the Hyperledger Foundation

Hyperledger Fabric is one of the most prominent projects of the Hyperledger Foundation, designed specifically for enterprise blockchain applications. With a modular and highly configurable architecture, Fabric allows organizations to build private, permissioned blockchain networks with advanced privacy and scalability features. This topic explores the key components, architecture, functionalities, and use cases of Hyperledger Fabric.

Architecture and components: v1.X branch, v2.X branch (latest) Differences between versions Deploying standard architectures

Guided creation and deployment project Typical scenarios with Hyperledger Fabric v1.4.

Building a development environment in the cloud allows developers to work more efficiently and collaboratively, taking advantage of the scalability, accessibility, and shared resources that cloud computing offers.

Leading platforms and providers for building a cloud environment Criteria for choosing a platform (costs, features, support)

Platform comparison Configuring development and testing environments

Installing and configuring a Hyperledger Fabric network is a fundamental process for establishing a robust, secure enterprise blockchain platform. This process involves preparing the environment, installing the necessary components such as Docker and the Hyperledger Fabric binaries, and configuring nodes (peers), ordering services, and certificate authorities (CAs). It also includes creating channels and configuring consensus policies. This topic provides a step-by-step guide to installing and configuring a Hyperledger Fabric network, ensuring that all components are properly integrated and operational, which enables an efficient, scalable deployment of blockchain applications.

Hyperledger Fabric project with Docker for a Spanish university network Adding an organization to an existing university network. Administration and configuration of a Hyperledger Fabric channel Creating certificates based on the network configuration

Administration of a Certificate Authority (CA) Configuring consensus policies Configuring collection policies for private data management Installing and starting a chaincode Adding a peer to an existing organization Creating additional channels and managing organizations and permissions

Diagnostics and maintenance are crucial components for ensuring the continuous, efficient operation of a Hyperledger Fabric network. These tasks include monitoring the network to identify and resolve issues, updating components, managing logs, and analyzing performance. Proactive, regular maintenance helps prevent failures, optimize performance, and ensure the integrity and security of the network. This topic offers a complete guide to the best practices, tools, and techniques for effective diagnostics and maintenance of Hyperledger Fabric networks, keeping the blockchain infrastructure robust and reliable.

Querying and analyzing peer logs Querying and analyzing CA logs Querying and analyzing orderer logs

Querying and analyzing chaincode logs Updating the channel and the existing Hyperledger Fabric instance.

Hyperledger offers a variety of tools designed to facilitate the development, deployment, monitoring, and management of its blockchain networks. These tools provide essential functionality that allows developers and administrators to optimize their Hyperledger Fabric networks, improve the efficiency of smart contract development, and ensure the security and performance of their applications. This topic explores the main tools available in the Hyperledger ecosystem, highlighting their features, uses, and benefits, and how they can be integrated into blockchain network development and administration processes.

Hyperledger Explorer Hyperledger Caliper

Prometheus Grafana

Implementing Hyperledger Fabric in production environments involves the transition from development/test environments to a robust, scalable production environment. This process requires careful planning, detailed configuration, and a series of best practices to ensure the blockchain network meets business requirements in terms of performance, security, and reliability. This topic explores the key steps and considerations for implementing Hyperledger Fabric in production environments, covering everything from initial preparation to ongoing monitoring and maintenance, ensuring successful, sustainable network operation, as well as the practices for estimating a project and its financial cost.

Estimating a project Architecture analysis Environment deployments

Financial costs Case study on traceability and digital identity

 Chaincode development in a Hyperledger Fabric project involves creating, deploying, and managing the smart contracts that define the business logic of the blockchain network. In this topic, we will explore chaincode development in depth through several case studies, publish REST APIs to interact with them, and build a web portal that integrates with the published APIs and with the network.

Introduction to chaincodes Chaincode development Creating and installing chaincodes with Gradle Developing REST API applications with Spring Boot

Hyperledger Fabric Gateway Client Creating a connection with Hyperledger Fabric Sending transactions to Hyperledger Fabric from a web project

Deploying a Hyperledger network using Kubernetes offers multiple benefits that improve the management, scalability, and robustness of the blockchain environment. In this topic we will go through the steps to deploy our Hyperledger Fabric network with Kubernetes.

Introduction to Kubernetes Advantages of Kubernetes Kubernetes architecture

Kubernetes components Use cases and network deployment with Kubernetes The future of Kubernetes

The Hyperledger community has several highly ambitious projects. In previous topics we have been building our network with Hyperledger Fabric and, to round out this module, we will work with the other flagship project: Hyperledger Besu. We review the main aspects of the Hyperledger Besu framework and technically analyze a real project. The technology will be deployed both at the architecture level and at the level of developing a smart contract written in Solidity (compatible with Hyperledger Besu), and we will configure and monitor the deployed network.

Introduction to Hyperledger Besu Hyperledger Besu architecture Deploying a Hyperledger Besu network Smart contracts in Hyerpedlger Besu Application with Hyperledger Besu

Monitoring a Hyperledger Besu network Block explorer Privacy and permissioned use Case study

In this final topic we will analyze the evolution of the blockchain ecosystem and the technologies driving its next phase of development. We will take an in-depth look at key aspects such as Ethereum's transition to Proof of Stake, layer modularity, advanced cryptography, and Zero-Knowledge Proofs. We will also explore innovations such as Account Abstraction and smart wallets, scalability mechanisms based on rollups, and cross-network interoperability solutions. Finally, we will address the economic and social dimension of Web3: stablecoins, DeFi, asset tokenization, decentralized identity, and their convergence with artificial intelligence and quantum computing. 

Evolution of the blockchain ecosystem and the impact of the Ethereum Merge. Fundamentals of restaking and modular layers (Layer 3). Advanced cryptography and the role of Zero-Knowledge Proofs. ZK applications in scalability, privacy, and trustless verification. Account Abstraction and the future of smart wallets.

Rollups and new solutions for scalability and performance. Interoperability between blockchains and the role of Corda in enterprise environments. Stablecoins, CBDCs, and the evolution of the digital economy. Tokenization of real-world assets and the new DeFi, GameFi, and SocialFi models. The convergence of blockchain, AI, and quantum computing.