1
Lesson 1
20 minInside a Bitcoin Block
Read a block from its 80-byte header through its coinbase transaction, transaction list and Merkle commitments.
Back to Academy
Advanced Learning Path
Master Bitcoin's technical foundations
Study consensus, protocol upgrades, scripting, mining infrastructure and network resilience through a structured advanced learning path.
Course progress
Loading...
—
22 lessonsAround 5–6 hoursProgress saved locally
Course curriculum
Advanced lessons
Follow the suggested sequence or open any topic directly. Completed lessons remain available for review at any time.
Module 1
Protocol foundations
Inspect blocks and transactions before studying the consensus rules nodes enforce.
0 of 4 complete
2
Lesson 2
22 minReading a Raw Bitcoin Transaction
Decode transaction fields, outpoints, scripts, witness data, locktime and the difference between txid and wtxid.
3
Lesson 3
16 minBitcoin Consensus
Explore how independently operated nodes reach agreement on valid transactions, blocks and chain history.
4
Lesson 4
16 minConsensus Rules
Study the rules nodes enforce and how they determine whether transactions and blocks are valid.
Module 2
Script and wallet engineering
Build from Script and timelocks to SegWit, Taproot, policy design and offline signing.
0 of 7 complete
5
Lesson 5
18 minBitcoin Script
Learn how Bitcoin's scripting system defines the conditions that must be satisfied to spend transaction outputs.
6
Lesson 6
22 minTimelocks and Sequence Rules
Understand absolute and relative locks, nSequence, CHECKLOCKTIMEVERIFY and CHECKSEQUENCEVERIFY.
7
Lesson 7
16 minSegregated Witness
Examine how SegWit changed transaction structure, fixed transaction malleability and expanded effective block capacity.
8
Lesson 8
18 minTaproot
Explore Schnorr signatures, key-path spending and how Taproot improves privacy and complex spending conditions.
9
Lesson 9
24 minMiniscript and Spending Policies
Translate recovery and multisignature intent into structured, analysable spending conditions without changing consensus rules.
10
Lesson 10
24 minPSBT and Air-Gapped Signing
Follow a transaction from coordinator to independent signers, finalisation and broadcast without moving private keys between devices.
11
Lesson 11
20 minAdvanced Wallet Standards
Explore hierarchical keys, derivation paths, descriptors, watch-only wallets and interoperable wallet backups.
Module 3
Chain, relay and node security
Examine reorganisations, mempool policy, peer transport, node infrastructure and attacks.
0 of 5 complete
12
Lesson 12
16 minChain Reorganisations
Understand competing chain tips, accumulated proof-of-work and how nodes respond when blockchain history changes.
13
Lesson 13
25 minMempool Policy, Package Relay and Pinning
Separate consensus from relay policy and examine transaction packages, fee bumping and pinning risks.
14
Lesson 14
23 minCompact Blocks and Encrypted Peer Transport
Understand compact block reconstruction, missing-transaction recovery and the guarantees and limits of Bitcoin P2P v2 transport.
15
Lesson 15
18 minBitcoin Node Infrastructure
Explore node architecture, indexing, networking, RPC interfaces and infrastructure used by Bitcoin applications.
16
Lesson 16
20 minNetwork Attacks and Resilience
Examine common attack models and the technical and economic mechanisms that help Bitcoin remain resilient.
Module 4
Mining and incentives
Study block construction, transaction selection, censorship pressure and the long-term security budget.
0 of 3 complete
17
Lesson 17
18 minMining Pools and Block Construction
Study pool coordination, block templates, transaction selection and the relationship between miners and pool operators.
18
Lesson 18
20 minEmpty Blocks, Censorship and Mining Incentives
Examine miner transaction selection, empty-block causes, censorship limits and the fee cost of excluding transactions.
19
Lesson 19
20 minMining Incentives and the Security Budget
Examine how declining subsidy, transaction fees, hashrate and user demand interact in Bitcoin's long-term security model.
Module 5
Protocol evolution and future risk
Understand compatible upgrades, Bitcoin's review process and possible cryptographic migration paths.
0 of 3 complete
20
Lesson 20
15 minSoft Forks and Hard Forks
Understand how Bitcoin protocol changes are introduced and how different upgrade mechanisms affect compatibility.
21
Lesson 21
20 minBitcoin's Development Process
Learn how proposals, public review, testing, releases and voluntary adoption shape Bitcoin software without a central authority.
22
Lesson 22
20 minQuantum Computing and Bitcoin
Study which Bitcoin cryptographic assumptions quantum computers could affect and how a migration could work.
Advanced assessment
Test your understanding with 30 questions. Score 24/30 or higher to earn your completion badge. Your attempt is saved automatically.