As the digital landscape evolves, transitioning from web development to blockchain offers an exciting journey into a revolutionary field. This guide illuminates the path for developers looking to make this seamless shift toward blockchain development.

Similar to web development, blockchain development is a distinct domain with its own tools, rules, and standards. For web developers, the experience of working with third-party tools, following guidelines and troubleshooting issues aligns seamlessly with the blockchain development workflow.

💡 I've also addressed common myths I've come across throughout my career in Blockchain, so, stick around till the end.

Understanding the Basics

Blockchain basics are simple. First, grasp the theory of what Blockchain is and why it works. We'll set aside terms like privacy for now. Next, dive into tokens and cryptocurrencies, managing them with a crypto wallet. Finally, explore smart contracts, empowering the development of applications on the Blockchain.

What is a Blockchain?

A blockchain is a network of computers running similar software, such as an Ethereum Client, enabling communication and exchange of data.

But why do we need a blockchain system?

In the cloud, companies manage data availability, maintenance, and security. However, blockchain operates differently. It can run on any system, managed by a trusted public community where participants share ownership and responsibility.

This decentralized model builds trust, as the network is self-managed. Blockchain ensures data security through cryptography and tamper-proof records. Smart contracts enable automated actions within the network, enhancing its functionality.

Does this mean Blockchain is better than cloud or existing systems?

Absolutely not! Unlike traditional systems, blockchain comes with its own set of pros and cons, operating by a unique set of rules. Incorporating blockchain into a system should be a strategic decision based on specific requirements.

To determine if blockchain is the right fit, consider the following tradeoffs:

1. Convenience: Assess the level of convenience you are willing to sacrifice when integrating blockchain into your system.

2. Problem-solving Capability: Identify specific problems that blockchain can address in your context. Example if you're building a social media platform, then consider Blockchain as an add-on feature, similar to twitter, which allows NFTs as a profile picture.

3. Impact on Existing Solutions: Evaluate how integrating blockchain might affect your established solution and whether re-architecting aligns with your goals. For instance, consider the implications of gas fees for each transaction in blockchain. Assess whether your current community or solution is compatible with such considerations.

4. Cost Considerations: Evaluate initial implementation and ongoing maintenance costs, Blockchain application usually tend to cost less at the initial stage, but would require a proper Tokenomics document setup and shared among the community.

5. Scalability and Performance: Analyze how well blockchain can scale to accommodate your system's potential growth. While scalability is a challenge in blockchain systems, ongoing innovations address this issue. It's advisable to architect your application with careful consideration of this specific challenge.

Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all answer, and the decision to incorporate blockchain should be driven by a careful consideration of these factors, aligning with your unique requirements and objectives.

Smart contracts

Smart contracts are self-executing code with the application flow directly written into code. They are self-executing because, they work on certain conditions passed over the request, without relying on external systems like databases or APIs, they are independent, and can only communicate with other smart contracts, ensuring security without constant supervision.

— Source: DocMySol Blog

Smart contracts in Blockchain act like backends in web development, managing logic, security, and data storage. When integrating Blockchain into your app, a deployed smart contract, serving as the core logic, interacts with your application—whether it's the frontend, backend, or the user directly.

Note: If you're already familiar with Tokens, Cryptocurrencies & Wallets, consider jumping directly into Web dev to Blockchain dev transition or else continue reading.

Tokens and Cryptocurrencies

In the world of blockchain, think of tokens as digital keys representing ownership or access to something valuable. These tokens are created and tracked on a blockchain, ensuring secure and transparent transactions. Now, cryptocurrencies are like digital money, such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), operating independently of banks and ensuring privacy without middlemen.

For blockchain developers, grasping the workings of tokens and cryptocurrencies is vital, laying the groundwork for building innovative decentralized applications and facilitating smooth value exchange in the blockchain world.

Token Standards in Blockchain

Blockchain systems, being community-managed, benefit from standardized tokens. These standards set rules for how assets operate on the Blockchain, promoting trust and innovation. For instance, if your token follows a specific standard (let's call it "standard A"), any application supporting that standard can seamlessly access and trade your token. This standardization also enables the transfer of tokens between different Blockchains, as long as they adhere to the same standard.

Some of the Popular Token Standard on the Ethereum Blockchain are ERC-20, ERC-721, ERC-1155, ERC-777, ERC-1400. The ERC in this context stands for Ethereum Request for Comment

Crypto Wallets

A crypto wallet is a digital tool that empowers users to send, receive, and monitor their cryptocurrencies. It operates by storing the private keys necessary for authorizing transactions on the blockchain. Think of it as a combination of a traditional wallet (for storing currency) and a secure key vault.

Understand the following terms about Crypto wallets

• Role of Private Keys: Private keys are the secret codes granting access to one's digital assets within the wallet.

• Transaction Authorization: When a user initiates a transaction, the wallet utilizes its private key to sign the transaction. This digital signature serves as proof of ownership and authorizes the movement of funds on the blockchain.

• Security Measures: Wallets implement encryption, two-factor authentication (2FA), and biometric features to safeguard private keys and prevent unauthorized access.

The transition: Become a Blockchain developer from a Web developer

After understanding the standards and basics mentioned above, you'll come to the realization that developing on Blockchain demands adherence to standards, adherence to guidelines, and maintaining transparency within the community. For those who are more into operating in stealth mode, it's worth reconsidering your choice when opting for Blockchain.

Step 1: Start with understanding the workings of Blockchain

Before diving into the development, it’s necessary to understand how Blockchain works, I didn’t cover this in the previous section as it is out of the scope of this blog. You’ll have to learn about the following concepts

1. Gas and It’s structure

2. Consensus

3. Transaction structure

4. Hashing

5. EVM

6. Blocks and their structure

7. Ethereum’s state

8. Bytecode and Opcode in brief

Step 2: Get your hands on Solidity

Solidity is the language we use to write smart contracts, although there are many other languages used by different Blockchain, Solidity is widely adopted, giving you access to much bigger opportunities.

Free resources to learn Solidity

1. CryptoZombies: The OG resource for learning Solidity

2. Speedrun Ethereum

3. LearnWed3

4. [Alchemy University](https://www..com/university/courses/solidity)

Step 3: Build Projects

A common way to learn and master things in tech is to build projects, so by developing smart contracts you can learn and get a good practical experience with it, if you need inspiration on what kind of contracts you can develop and also different resources check out the below links.

1. Solidity By Example

2. https://github.com/bekatom/awesome-ethereum

Step 4: Learn about security and vulnerabilities

Smart contracts can face different types of attacks, resulting in substantial losses of token value. It's crucial to understand these common attacks and learn how to protect your smart contracts from them. For practical insights into vulnerabilities and their solutions, refer to this repository.

https://github.com/crytic/not-so-smart-contracts

Step 5: Stop focusing on NFTs and Improve your portfolio

One common mistake beginners often make is filling their entire portfolio with only NFT projects. While NFTs are good, it's essential to approach them strategically. There are already numerous successful NFT marketplaces with advanced architectures. If you create a basic UI for minting NFTs, you won't stand out.

Instead, consider focusing on projects related to DeFi, lending, borrowing, liquidity pools, and more. Working on such projects can enhance your portfolio and help you stand out from the crowd.

Step 6: Don’t forget to document your contract

Documenting your smart contracts is essential. It helps other developers integrate it into applications or clients requiring a report.

Using a tool like DocMySol enables one-click documentation generation—simply copy and paste your contract. Share the document with fellow developers and export it as a PDF for client sharing.

Step 7: Switch to blockchain development roles

Since you’re familiar with Blockchain development, it’s about time for you to start switching got a Blockchain development role. Many use cases in the market are no longer relevant, but some, actively explored by major industries like J.P. Morgan and BlackRock, hold significant promise.

Focus on impactful use cases such as carbon credits for climate and environmental issues, zero-knowledge proofs for authenticity, tokenizing real-world assets, and Blockchain in agriculture. These areas have tangible effects on society, people, the economy, and businesses, unlike certain trends like the bizarre art of bored apes.

Step 8: Upskill with new innovations in the Ecosystem

The blockchain ecosystem has evolved rapidly in recent years, witnessing constant innovations in infrastructure, user experience, security, consensus, and more. For a blockchain developer, staying updated on these innovations is crucial. Connect with professionals at conferences or local meetups in your city to stay in sync with the latest developments.

A few list of innovations are

1. Account Abstraction

2. Decentralized Identity

3. MPC - Multi Party Computation

4. Web5 - Yes it's already web5 😅

Conclusion

Transitioning from web development to blockchain opens new possibilities. Embrace the learning journey, build diverse projects, and contribute to impactful use cases. Stay informed about innovations to remain a valuable asset in the dynamic blockchain ecosystem.