Semester 7Year 4 · OddCore Subject★★★ Moderate
CS 702

Blockchain Technology

Study of blockchain fundamentals, cryptocurrencies, smart contracts, Ethereum, consensus algorithms, and decentralized applications.

4Units
28Topics
4Credits
60hLecture hrs
100Max marks
Your Progress
0 / 28 topics
0% complete
Overview
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Why it matters
Bitcoin, Ethereum, NFTs, DeFi — blockchain is revolutionizing finance, supply chain, voting systems, digital ownership. Understanding decentralization, smart contracts, and crypto is essential for Web3.
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Placement relevance
Blockchain Developer roles at crypto startups, fintech. Smart contract auditors. Web3 companies (Coinbase, Binance). ₹20-50 LPA for blockchain specialists. Growing rapidly.
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Prerequisites for
Cryptocurrency Development · Smart Contract Development · DeFi · NFT Platforms · Web3 Development · Decentralized Systems
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Recommended books
Mastering Blockchain by Imran Bashir · Mastering Ethereum by Andreas Antonopoulos · Blockchain Basics by Daniel Drescher · The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous
Curriculum — 4 Units
U1
Unit 1 · 7 Topics · 0% complete
Blockchain Fundamentals
⚡ Key Formulae
Block Hash:Hash = SHA-256(prev_hash + data + nonce)
Merkle Root:Root of binary hash tree (verifies transaction inclusion)
Distributed Ledger Technology
Blocks & Transactions
Hashing (SHA-256)
Merkle Trees
Mining & Proof of Work
Public vs Private Blockchains
Bitcoin Architecture
U2
Unit 2 · 7 Topics · 0% complete
Consensus Mechanisms
⚡ Key Formulae
PoW:Find nonce: Hash(block) < target (computational puzzle)
PoS:Validators chosen by stake (no mining, energy efficient)
Proof of Work (PoW)
Proof of Stake (PoS)
Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS)
Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT)
Mining Process
51% Attack
Fork Types (Hard, Soft)
U3
Unit 3 · 7 Topics · 0% complete
Smart Contracts & Ethereum
⚡ Key Formulae
Gas:Transaction cost = gas_used × gas_price (in Gwei)
ERC-20:Standard interface for fungible tokens (transfer, balanceOf, approve)
Ethereum Architecture
Solidity Programming
Smart Contracts Basics
Gas & Transaction Fees
ERC-20 (Fungible Tokens)
ERC-721 (NFTs)
Decentralized Applications (DApps)
U4
Unit 4 · 7 Topics · 0% complete
Advanced Topics & Applications
⚡ Key Formulae
NFT:Unique token (ERC-721): one-of-a-kind digital asset
Layer 2:Off-chain processing → on-chain settlement (scalability)
DeFi (Decentralized Finance)
NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens)
DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations)
Hyperledger Fabric
Supply Chain on Blockchain
Security & Vulnerabilities
Scalability Solutions (Layer 2)
Previous Year Questions
Unit 12023 · End Semester10 marks
Explain blockchain structure with Merkle trees. Given 4 transactions [Tx1, Tx2, Tx3, Tx4], construct the Merkle tree and calculate the root hash. How does it help in verification?
Unit 22023 · End Semester8 marks
Compare Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (PoS). Which is more energy efficient? Explain mining process in PoW with difficulty adjustment.
Unit 32022 · End Semester6 marks
Write a simple Solidity smart contract for a voting system. Include functions: addCandidate(), vote(), getWinner(). Explain gas cost concept.
Exam Strategy
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Merkle tree construction
Practice building Merkle trees with 4-8 transactions. Show hash calculations at each level. Explain verification process (only log(n) hashes needed).
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Consensus mechanisms
PoW vs PoS comparison table. Energy consumption, security (51% attack), speed. Bitcoin (PoW) vs Ethereum 2.0 (PoS). Always asked.
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Write Solidity code
Simple smart contracts expected: voting, auction, token transfer. Know function syntax, modifiers, events. Gas optimization tips earn bonus marks.
Related Subjects
Semester 6
Information Security
CS 602
Semester 5
Distributed Systems
CS 505