CSC630 Blockchain Systems

[3–0, 3 cr.]

This course focuses on the fundamentals of Blockchain Technology. It provides a conceptual insight into the role of Blockchains as a means for securing distributed systems, how consensus on their blocks is reached, and the new applications that they empower. It includes the technological foundations of blockchain functionalities such as distributed data structures and decision-making models, their operations, and various architectures. The course presents a brief discussion on current Smart Contract (SM) techniques and platforms, and studies their future directions, prospects, challenges, and risks. Students will learn how blockchain systems are constructed, how to interact with them, and how to design and implement secure distributed applications. Students apply the knowledge they gain by implementing a detailed blockchain system that includes transactions, blocks, cryptography, and a consensus mechanism using a popular programming language such as Java or Python.