Resources and articles are provided in no particular order. They may (or may not!) provide additional insight into one or more facets of Bitcoin understanding. Resources found below are not representative of the views of Qala or its members. Resources have not been verified as accurate; don't trust, verify!
Writing is one of the cornerstones of the Qala program. One benefit is that it can help make your learning process more effective by forcing you to think about the subject in more depth. Another benefit is that it contributes to your online portfolio. A good article is a valuable digital artifact that can help you get better exposure to employers, or to the industry in general. This guide contains information and tips on how to write better articles and get more out of your time spent on writing.
As a SW engineer, you'll have to do quite a bit of technical writing. Technical writing is hard and not something most of us get taught, but doing it well makes all the difference to the reader and can really make your material stand out. If your project is kick ass but people struggle to understand or use it, is it really kick ass?
| Link | Notes |
|---|---|
| Google tech writing | Technical writing for software engineers |
| Link | Notes |
|---|---|
| Onboarding to Bitcoin Core | GitHub repository: link |
| LND developer resources | |
| C-Lightning documentation | including information on how to write and use custom plugins in any language |
| Bitcoin Programming with BitcoinJS, Bitcoin Core and LND |
bitcoin-resources.com has collected a great list of articles covering a broad range of subject areas in and around bitcoin.
In addition to this (and possibly with some overlap) some additional articles and resources are provided below.
| Name | Author |
|---|---|
| Bitcoin Optech | Various |
| Bitcoin StackExchange | Various |
| From scratch tour of bitcoin in python | Karpathy |
| Bitcoin script 101 | Grokchain |
| Bitcoins the hard way: Using the raw bitcoin protocol | Shirriff |
| Upgrade path to post-quantum | Ruffing |
| Taproot is coming. What is it and how will it benefit us | Van Wirdum |
| Using BDK to create BIP157 SPV wallet (aka Neutrino) | Maitra |
| Soft fork activation | Various |
| Timelocks in a nutshell | Hung |
| SPV node assumptions | Wuille |
| Understanding the block header | Rybarczyk |
| Why is it taking 20 minutes to mine this block? | O'Connor |
| Compact Block Filters Deep Dive | Mouton |
| Schnorr Basics | Rosenbaum |
| Compact Block Filters (BIP158) deep dive | Mouton |
| Name | Author |
|---|---|
| Why Bitcoin | Wiz |
| Cryptoeconomics | Voskuil et. al. |
| ASICs and decentralization | Poelstra |
| The bullish case for bitcoin | Boyapati |
| Shelling out: The origins of money | Szabo |
| Bitcoin for safety | O’Beirne |
| Check your financial privilege | Gladstein |
| The monetary case for bitcoin | Kaufman |
| Bitcoin is time | Gigi |
| Masters and slaves of Money | Breedlove |
| Reject Nocoiner orthodoxy | Ou |
| Financial freedom in the post-cash world | Gladstein |
| Fighting monetary colonialism | Gladstein |
| The humanitarian case for Bitcoin | Gladstein |
| Bitcoin is a trojan horse for freedom | Gladstein |
| Name | Author |
|---|---|
| End the FUD | Various |
| The hidden costs of the petrodollar | Gladstein |
| Nic Carter archive | Carter |
| Jack Dorsey says Bitcoin can make the world greener. Is he right? | Wieczner |
| Bitcoin does not waste energy | Lewis |
| Bitcoin is not backed by nothing | Lewis |
| Name | Author |
|---|---|
| Lightning Network - Fundamental Limitations | Truthcoin (Paul Sztorc) |
| How Lightning Actually Works | Curious Inventor (Video) |
| Bitcoin and lightning Transactions & Protocol Deep Dive | Curious Inventor (Video) |
| Shortcomings of the Lightning Network May-2022 | @nout |
| Async lightning payment recieving (with LSP) | Corallo |
| Creating a channel | Mouton |
| Updating state | Mouton |
| Revocation in more detail | Mouton |
| HTLC overview | Mouton |
| HTLC deep dive | Mouton |
| Name | Author |
|---|---|
| In defense of Bitcoin Maximalism | Vitalik Buterin |
| Various topics | Gigi |
| The Bitcoin Library | Various |
| Who controls Bitcoin Core | Lopp |
| Bitcoinstrings.com (OP_RETURN) | Anduck |
| Books recommended by Bitcoiners | Various |
| Search Bitcoin Stack Exchange | Various |
| Freelancing platforms which pay in Bitcoin | Various |
| True names not required | Gigi |
| I AM HODLING | GameKyuubi |
| The History of the Mt Gox Hack: Bitcoin’s Biggest Heist | Norry |
| The Rise and Fall of Mt. Gox (Podcast, transcript) | Darknet Diaries |
| The Blocksize War – Chapter 1 – First Strike | Bier/BitMex |
| MtGox investigation update and preliminary release | Wiz |
| Dr Bitcoin - The Man Who Wasn't Satoshi Nakamoto (Podcast) | CONTENT:ED Audio |
| The Craig Wright May 2016 Signing Sessions Debacle, In Full Context | MyLegacyKit |
| Private Presentations Aren't Proof | Wiz |
In a Bitcoin context the chapters from Practical Cryptography for Developers (PCfD) on Digital Signatures and specifically ECDSA Signatures are well-worth reading, as is the chapter on Hash Functions.
In a lightning context, and in addition to the above, its worth also reading the MAC and Key Derivation and ECDH Key Exchange chapters from PCfD, both of which are used as part of the encrypted transport layer.