ECE418 Blockchain Technologies and Decentralized Applications

The course is a comprehensive introduction to the basic elements of Blockchain technology and the overall ecosystem surrounding it. Specifically, we are examining

• the theoretical and conceptual background, clarifying the basic ideas and principles at different levels and building a solid fundamental understanding capable of enabling us to explore the many ideas and technologies associated with Blockchain technology.
• the technological framework, by studying the laws, organizations, trends, implementation platforms and the communities behind it, as well as the methodology and techniques for the development of decentralized applications in order to obtain a complete and as clear as possible picture Blockchain technology and its potential applications.

The main objective of the course is to
Understanding the basic concepts of Blockhain Technologies
Linki these to cryptocurrencies, and other decentralized applications

In particular, the students will be able to

• Understand the structure of a blockchain and its advantages compared to conventional databases.
• Analyze the properties and characteristics of a blockchain-based system.
• Assess the applicability, potentiality and limitations of a blockchain-based system
• Understand what a “smart” contract is and what it can and can not do now and in the near future
• Perform a comparative study of the most important of the existing blockchain platforms
• Get know-how regarding the design, implementation and debuging of decentralized applications.
• Achieve basic knowledge on security, privacy, ethics and commercial exploitation for the various Blockchain application areas