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🔨 The Builder Path

Master Bitcoin Development from Protocol to Production

4 Stages
📝 10 Modules
~12 weeks
Expert Level

Your Progress

Track your journey to becoming a Bitcoin developer

0 Modules Completed
1 Current Stage
0 Badges Earned
0% Overall Progress
0%

Achievements

🔬
Protocol Mastery
Lightning Developer
🛠️
Bitcoin Builder
🌟
Bitcoin Contributor

🌟 The Bitcoin Genesis Timeline

Every revolution stands on the shoulders of giants. Discover the technologies, visionaries, and pivotal moments that had to happen before Satoshi could write the whitepaper.

How Six Pillars Became Bitcoin

Click each technology to see how it connects to Bitcoin's design


Public-Key Crypto
→ Digital ownership

P2P Networks
→ Decentralization

Timestamping
→ Immutability
🌳
Merkle Trees
→ Efficient proofs
💎
Proof of Work
→ Spam prevention
🧩
Failed Attempts
→ Learned mistakes
1970s
The Age of Secret Codes
Whitfield Diffie & Martin Hellman invented public-key cryptography (1976), followed by RSA encryption (1977). These breakthroughs made digital ownership possible for the first time.
1983-1990s
The Internet Goes Global
TCP/IP protocol connects computers worldwide without central control. This peer-to-peer foundation became essential for Bitcoin's decentralized network.
1989
DigiCash - First Digital Money
David Chaum created the first cryptographic digital currency. It worked perfectly but required trust in a central company - the missing piece Bitcoin would later solve.
1991
Time-Stamping & Timechains
Stuart Haber & Scott Stornetta created the first "timechain" - linking documents together so no one could backdate or alter them. This became Bitcoin's blockchain foundation.
🌳
1992
Merkle Trees Added
Haber, Stornetta & Bayer improve their design with Merkle Trees. Now, multiple documents can be linked into a single proof efficiently. This innovation later powers Bitcoin's block structure.
💎
1997
Hashcash - Proof of Work
Adam Back invented Hashcash to fight email spam. Users had to solve a small math problem before sending emails, making spam expensive. Bitcoin uses this exact concept.
👥
1998-2005
Cypherpunks & Failed Prototypes
Privacy advocates created b-money (Wei Dai), Bit Gold (Nick Szabo), and e-gold (Douglas Jackson). Each solved part of the puzzle, but none achieved full decentralization.
📜
October 31, 2008
The Bitcoin White Paper
Satoshi Nakamoto publishes "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System" - elegantly combining all previous innovations into one self-sustaining system.
⛏️
January 3, 2009
Genesis Block
Satoshi mines the first Bitcoin block with a hidden message: "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks" - a protest encoded in history.
🍕
May 22, 2010
First Real Purchase
Laszlo Hanyecz buys 2 pizzas for 10,000 BTC - proving Bitcoin works as real money. Those pizzas are worth over $600 million today!
2011-Today
Global Adoption
From $1 in 2011 to legal tender in El Salvador (2021). Bitcoin evolved from an experiment to global financial infrastructure with Lightning Network, institutional adoption, and scaling solutions.

Learning Stages

Stage 1: Technical Foundations

Deep dive into Bitcoin's core protocol and cryptography

Unlocked
Master the fundamental building blocks of Bitcoin: UTXO model, transaction structure, cryptographic primitives, and proof-of-work. Build interactive tools to visualize and understand how Bitcoin works under the hood.

Modules:

  • Bitcoin Protocol Deep Dive (60 min)
  • Cryptographic Primitives (45 min)
  • Proof of Work (45 min)
~2.5 hours 3 modules Protocol Mastery badge
Begin Stage 1 →

Stage 2: Lightning Network

Build scalable payment solutions with Lightning

Locked
Learn how Lightning Network enables instant, low-cost Bitcoin transactions. Understand payment channels, routing, HTLCs, and build your first Lightning application.

Modules:

  • Payment Channels (50 min)
  • Routing & HTLCs (55 min)
  • Lightning Application Development (90 min)
~3.25 hours 3 modules Lightning Developer badge
Complete Stage 1 First

Stage 3: Building Applications

Create production-ready Bitcoin applications

Locked
Set up your development environment, learn best practices, and build real Bitcoin applications. Create wallets, generate addresses, construct transactions, and deploy to production.

Modules:

  • Bitcoin Development Environment (60 min)
  • Building with Bitcoin (120 min)
  • Best Practices (45 min)
~3.75 hours 3 modules Bitcoin Builder badge
Complete Stage 2 First

Stage 4: Contributing to Bitcoin

Join the Bitcoin Core contributor community

Locked
Dive into Bitcoin Core development, understand BIPs and protocol evolution, and make your first contribution to the Bitcoin ecosystem. Join the global community building the future of money.

Modules:

  • Bitcoin Core Development (90 min)
  • BIPs and Protocol Evolution (60 min)
  • Your First Contribution (Ongoing)
~2.5+ hours 3 modules Bitcoin Contributor badge
Complete Stage 3 First