Complete Technical Path
Build a foundation with Part A's first twelve chapters, complete Part B's 36 chapters, and deliver a mainnet system.
For people who already write code. The first twelve chapters build mental models and usually take engineers a week. The next 36 provide the shortest path from reading chains and writing contracts to building complete systems.
- Who it is for
- Software engineers and people moving into on-chain development
- Pace
- Two to three chapters a week for about six months.
- Goal
- First build the mental models in Part A, then complete all 36 chapters of Part B, and finally deliver a mainnet system.
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- Non-Technical Crypto OS · Stage 11Chapter 1 · What exactly is money?What are the numbers in a bank account, really?
- 2Chapter 2 · Why the world depends on ledgersWho has the power to change the ledger?
- 3Chapter 3 · What if we do not trust the bookkeeper?How can people who do not trust each other maintain the same state together?
- 4Chapter 4 · Why Bitcoin was inventedIn a digital world, how do you stop the same money being spent twice?
- 5Chapter 5 · Who ultimately owns crypto?Where are your tokens actually held?
- 6Chapter 6 · What happens in an on-chain transaction?What exactly happens in the seconds after you press Confirm?
- Non-Technical Crypto OS · Stage 27Chapter 7 · What exactly does a blockchain sell?What product does a chain really sell?
- 8Chapter 8 · Why Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana are differentBesides TPS, how else can two chains be compared?
- 9Chapter 9 · What did smart contracts change?What happens when the rules themselves become software?
- 10Chapter 10 · Why anyone can create a tokenWhat happens when issuing an asset costs almost nothing?
- 11Chapter 11 · Why do we need Layer 2?Why not simply make blocks bigger?
- 12Chapter 12 · Why the future will not have only one chainWill users still need to know which chain they use?
- Technical Crypto OS · Stage 113T1 · What exactly is blockchain data?What is actually stored on a chain?
- 14T2 · Cryptography fundamentalsHow can a signature prove “it is me”?
- 15T3 · A transaction from code to chainFrom construction to confirmation, what must the code do?
- 16T4 · What is RPC?Who is your dApp really talking to?
- 17T5 · EVM Account ModelWhat is the difference between an EOA and a contract account?
- 18T6 · Solana Account ModelWhy don't Solana programs store their own data?
- Technical Crypto OS · Stage 219T7 · Solidity fundamentalsWhat form does a contract take once deployed on-chain?
- 20T8 · Inside the EVMWhy can the same assignment statement cost 100 times more gas?
- 21T9 · ERC StandardsWhat problem do standards actually solve?
- 22T10 · Solana ProgramWithout contract storage, how does a program remember state?
- 23T11 · Token ProgramWhy isn't a Solana token a standalone contract?
- 24T12 · Testing & DeploymentHow can you catch problems before real money is spent?
- Technical Crypto OS · Stage 325T13 · Wallet ConnectionWhat actually happens when you log in to a dApp?
- 26T14 · Web3 FrontendWhat should the interface show during the seconds while a transaction awaits confirmation?
- 27T15 · Backend for CryptoIf the data is already on-chain, why do we need a backend?
- 28T16 · Databases and on-chain dataHow should on-chain data be stored in a database?
- 29T17 · IndexerWhat happens to your data after a chain reorganization?
- 30T18 · Realtime SystemHow can you push on-chain changes to users in real time?
- Technical Crypto OS · Stage 431T19 · AMMs: from math to codeWhat does x·y=k look like in code?
- 32T20 · DEX ArchitectureHow many layers does one swap pass through?
- 33T21 · OracleHow does a chain know the outside price?
- 34T22 · Lending ProtocolWhen must the liquidation engine outrun the market?
- 35T23 · Perp DEXHow do margin, funding rates, and a risk engine form a system?
- 36T24 · MEVWho saw your transaction before it entered a block?
- Technical Crypto OS · Stage 537T25 · Blockchain Data InfrastructureHow can you turn all on-chain data into a queryable warehouse?
- 38T26 · Cross-chainIs an asset still the same asset after crossing chains?
- 39T27 · Account AbstractionCan users stay safe without holding private keys directly?
- 40T28 · Smart Contract SecurityThe code was correct, so why was it still stolen?
- 41T29 · Protocol SecurityWhat can attackers do with money alone, without exploiting a bug?
- 42T30 · AuditWhat does an audit actually examine?
- Technical Crypto OS · Stage 643T31 · AI-assisted Crypto DevelopmentCan an AI-written contract go to mainnet?
- 44T32 · Reliable AI ArchitectureHow can the model participate in decisions without controlling funds?
- 45T33 · Tool-using Crypto AgentHow can agents really use on-chain tools?
- 46T34 · Agent Wallet & PaymentWhich safety switches should an agent's wallet have?
- 47T35 · DeFi AgentWhat checks must an agent pass before rebalancing?
- 48T36 · Autonomous Onchain EconomyWhere are the boundaries of a system that can earn and spend money on its own?
Suggested pace
Two to three chapters per week takes about six months. Every chapter in the first three stages produces code. Keep the artifacts in one repository so they can grow directly into your capstone.
Mainnet deployment appears only in the capstone, after you pass stage 5's security acceptance.