The University of Sydney
Blockchain Scalability and its Foundations in Distributed Systems
The University of Sydney

Blockchain Scalability and its Foundations in Distributed Systems

Taught in English

Some content may not be translated

10,279 already enrolled

Course

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals

Vincent Gramoli

Instructor: Vincent Gramoli

4.5

(92 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

11 hours to complete
3 weeks at 3 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

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6 quizzes

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There are 5 modules in this course

This week, we will start our exploration of the blockchain and its relation to distributed computing. In particular, we will learn the basics on blockchain abstraction and the importance of consensus between machines in order to mitigate the risks of having an attacker spend the same asset twice - an undesirable situation called 'double-spending'.

What's included

7 videos4 readings1 quiz1 discussion prompt

This week we will learn how classic blockchains try to solve consensus. We will look at the failures and delays blockchain systems must consider, and how these events may prevent machines from reaching consensus.

What's included

10 videos2 readings1 quiz1 discussion prompt

This week, we will investigate how to solve the consensus problem. To do this, we will first investigate how to solve consensus when failures cannot occur in the network. Later on, we will learn how to solve consensus when processes may fail, first through crash failures and then when processes can behave arbitrarily.

What's included

7 videos1 reading1 quiz1 discussion prompt

This week, we will investigate how delays in the network can impact the security of the blockchain. We will illustrate this using network attacks that allow hackers to steal digital assets in the past and that every blockchain designer should be aware of.

What's included

6 videos4 readings1 quiz1 discussion prompt

This week, we will explore how to design a scalable and secure blockchain algorithm. What makes a blockchain algorithm scalable and secure? To be secure, we need a consensus algorithm that works over the Internet and is not affected by unexpected communication delays. To be scalable, we need to get rid of the bottlenecks.

What's included

9 videos5 readings2 quizzes2 discussion prompts

Instructor

Instructor ratings
4.7 (42 ratings)
Vincent Gramoli
The University of Sydney
1 Course10,279 learners

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Reviewed on Jun 18, 2023

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