Learn how to program a bitcoin library with this hands-on guide from one of the leading teachers on bitcoin and bitcoin programming. Author Jimmy Song shows you the basics, including the math, blocks, network, and transactions behind this popular cryptocurrency and its blockchain payment system. You’ll also learn how simplified payment verification and how proof-of-work works.

This book is ideal for programmers looking to change the course of their careers, enterprises exploring bitcoin applications, and students taking a college-level class. You can use this book as training tool to help you learn bitcoin concepts and then as a handy reference guide once you start to build your bitcoin library.

You’ll learn how to:

Parse, validate, and create bitcoin transactions

Use the Script smart contract language

Verify proof-of-work to secure the blockchain

Use Python libraries to program bitcoin

Create your own testnet transaction

Understand simplified payment verification and learn how light wallets work

Explore public key cryptography at a fundamental level

Jimmy Song is a programmer with 20 years of experience, the last 4 being in Bitcoin. He’s the editor of bitcointechtalk.com and blogs at medium.com. He’s contributed to Bitcoin Core as well as other Bitcoin projects. He was the former VP of Engineering at Armory, a Bitcoin wallet