Introducing Ethereum and Solidity

Teaches you how to use Solidity and the Ethereum project - second only to Bitcoin in market capitalization. Blockchain protocols are taking the world by storm, and the Ethereum project, with its Turing-complete scripting language Solidity, has rapidly become a front-runner. Technologists from all fields and skill levels are converging to learn blockchain development and the potential of powerful censor-proof "dapps" is drawing new non-programmers to the space. Unlike Bitcoin, Ethereum has its own scripting language called Solidity, and Solidity gets its syntax from JavaScript. This book presents the blockchain phenomenon in context; then it situates Ethereum in a world pioneered by Bitcoin. It explains why developers and non-developers alike should consider developing their skills in smart contract patterns and distributed application development. Finally, it reviews the fundamentals of JavaScript programming alongside its introduction to Solidity programming, so that people who are unfamiliar with JavaScript, or people with rusty skills, can follow along and get coding. Finally, you will deploy a dapp with a regular HTML interface that can be accessed on the Web. Every Solidity tutorial out there today has the same flaw: they are written for advanced JavaScript developers who want to transfer their skills to a blockchain environment that will feel familiar. This book is accessible to non-JavaScript developers as much as it is to JavaScript developers. It is a powerful gateway for creative technologists of all types, from concept to deployment. What You'll LearnUnderstand how Ethereum (and other cryptocurrencies) work Learn how distributed apps (dapps) are different than web apps Write Ethereum smart contracts in Solidity language Connect Ethereum smart contracts to your HTML/CSS/JavaScript web applications Deploy your own dapp, coin, and blockchain Try out some basic and intermediate smart contracts Who This Book Is For Anyone who is curious about Ethereum will derive huge benefit from this book. It's accessible to anyone who has some familiarity with computer science, including product managers, CTOs, computer science, self-taught hackers, and anyone else who wants to get up and running with Ethereum quickly -- but lacks a strong JavaScript or web app development background. Experienced JavaScript programmers can also skip the first few sections and get a powerful introduction to smart contract authorship, dapp development, and dapp deployment. By the end of this book they will have a deep understanding of how blockchains work, and will be able to deploy real censor-proof dapps in the wild. Experts will find the advanced sample projects in this book rewarding, too, simply because of the power of Solidity. This book contains exciting sample code that can move real world assets, which will appeal to academic and corporate programmers. By the end of the book, users will be able to build functioning financial services applications and "roll their own" blockchain or cryptocurrency.