Mastering Blockchain: A deep dive into distributed ledgers, consensus protocols, smart contracts, DApps, cryptocurrencies, Ethereum, and more , Third Edition

Outstanding introduction to Blockchain, covering all relevant aspects. Must read!

An excellent coverage of many latest and relevant topics. Would definitely recommend it.

For someone who is new to the Blockchain technology and is eager to learn about it, choosing a proper introductory book is, by no means, an easy task given so many available books on the market. The book entitled “Mastering Blockchain” and authorized by Imran Bashir is no doubt a good and safe choice. The book, a bit bulky (over 800 pages) is suitable for experienced Blockchain technologists as well thanks to the book’s comprehensive coverage on advanced as well as trendy topics.The Blockchain technology and its original cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, are about decentralization achieved via a consensus mechanism. Imran did a good job of introducing Blockchain by covering these key topics in the first two chapters with in-depth discussions on the Consensus Algorithms in Chapter 5 and Bitcoin in Chapter 6. For safely exchanging information among nodes, a Blockchain platform adopts the cryptographic technology, which was invented and used initially for remotely secured communications. For instance, it is well known to technical users that a pair of public and private keys are used for secured file transfer (SFTP). The author spends two chapters (Chapter 3 and 4) explaining the concepts of cryptographic technology meticulously. These two chapters help to lay a solid foundation for a reader to grasp the ideas behind the Bitcoin and its Consensus Algorithm. I, however, think the author can improve the depiction of the algorithm via an hypothetical example. The book continues its discussion on how Bitcoin can be applied in payment, its initially intended use case. Key concepts like wallets, the Clients and APIs are discussed fully in Chapters 7 and 8. Chapter 9 serves to be a transitional chapter for advancing the discussion to the next breakthrough in Blockchain technology by covering the topics on the alternative crypto currencies.The introduction of the smart contract concept revolutionized the Blockchain technology since this innovative idea introduces use cases of the technology well beyond the payment case virtually to any fields. Due to the importance of the concept, the book talks about smart contracts in detail in Chapter 10. Ethereum is the first Blockchain platform, on which the idea of smart contracts is implemented. Therefore, the author introduces the basic concepts on Ethereum in Chapter 11 and covers advanced Ethereum topics in Chapter 12. To help Ethereum developers, the book uses one chapter (Chapter 13) discussing the common Ethereum development environments (IEDs). Since Solidity is the most commonly used programming language for the development of Ethereum applications, Chapter 14 covers Solidity along with useful tools to assist programmers in development of Solidity based applications. While Bitcoin and Ethereum platforms provide a solid foundation for Blockchain applications, these platforms alone cannot provide an end-to-end solution to a business problem since these are backend platforms only. To close the gap, a frontend platform is needed. Web3 and JavaScript are the popular choices for developing front applications linking crypto coin wallets and users with the Blockchain platforms for executing coin transactions. The purpose of Chapter 16 is to help readers grasping the basic understanding of these concepts. Ethereum evolves rapidly. Many new ideas and variations have occured since its initial introduction. To help readers gaining an overview on these developments, the author dedicates the Chapter 16 on Ethereum 2.0 etc.Both Bitcoin and the original form of Ethereum are created for public use. There is no restriction imposed to prevent a participant joining in the network and issuing a transaction. However, many existing business models are based on private transactions; that is, transactions can only take place among pre-approved participants. Well known examples are stock markets, OTC derivatives or FX trades etc. Variations of Ethereum are developed for creating platforms suitable for enterprise uses. Hyperledger consisting of a collection of platforms contributed by IBM and other well established large firms is another set of platforms catering to enterprises’ needs. The topics on Hyperledger can be found in Chapter 17. The non-Hyperledger enterprise platforms such as R3’ Corda and Quorum initially created by JP Morgan developers are discussed in Chapter 20.Back in 2017 and early 2018, the world has experienced a hyper on issuing of new cryptocurrencies and its subsequently dramatic downfall. Behind the issuing crypto coins is the tokenization. Chapter 19 focuses on this concept and explains the common token standards. It briefly touches trendy concepts like stable token which is the foundation for stable coin, a popular type of crypto coin post the 2018 crash in cryptocurrency. Chapter 19 goes beyond the use cases in the financial industry by citing possible applications of The Blockchain technology in other industries.Overall, “Mastering Blockchain” is a great book to start with for learning the basic concepts on the Blockchains technology. It provides comprehensive coverage on Blockchain related topics. It is useful for experienced Blockchain readers as well due to the inclusion of some advanced topics on the technology. I highly recommend it.

This was an amazing book, must read!

I chose it as the fifth system book on blockchain, and I am satisfied with the breadth, volume, and depth of the content.Based on the understanding gained from this book, it will lead to confidence in further research.