🔧intermediate Level

Smart Contracts & DeFi

Dive deeper into Ethereum's capabilities. Learn about smart contracts, DeFi protocols, and development fundamentals.

Prerequisites Check

Make sure you understand these beginner concepts first:

Blockchain Basics
Ethereum Fundamentals
Wallets & Transactions
Gas Concepts

Smart Contracts Explained

Intermediate

Self-executing contracts with terms directly written into code that run on the blockchain.

Key Concepts:

Contracts that execute automatically when conditions are met
Code is stored permanently on the blockchain
No intermediaries needed - trustless execution
Written in programming languages like Solidity
Example:

A smart contract could automatically pay rent to your landlord every month if your bank account has sufficient funds.

Introduction to Solidity

Intermediate

The primary programming language for writing smart contracts on Ethereum.

Key Concepts:

Similar to JavaScript but specifically for Ethereum
Statically typed language with contract-oriented features
Supports inheritance, libraries, and complex data types
Compiled to bytecode that runs on Ethereum Virtual Machine
Example:

A simple Solidity contract: 'contract HelloWorld { string public message = "Hello, Ethereum!"; }'

DeFi Fundamentals

Intermediate

Decentralized Finance - recreating traditional financial services without banks.

Key Concepts:

Lending and borrowing without traditional banks
Decentralized exchanges for trading tokens
Yield farming and liquidity mining rewards
Automated market makers replace order books
Example:

On Aave, you can lend your ETH to earn interest, or borrow other tokens using your ETH as collateral.

Token Standards (ERC-20, ERC-721)

Intermediate

Standard interfaces that define how tokens behave on Ethereum.

Key Concepts:

ERC-20: Standard for fungible tokens (like currencies)
ERC-721: Standard for non-fungible tokens (NFTs)
Standards ensure tokens work with all wallets and apps
Define common functions like transfer, balance, approve
Example:

USDC is an ERC-20 token, while CryptoPunks are ERC-721 NFTs - both follow their respective standards.

Liquidity Pools & AMMs

Intermediate

How decentralized exchanges work without traditional order books.

Key Concepts:

Pools contain pairs of tokens locked in smart contracts
Automated pricing based on mathematical formulas
Users earn fees by providing liquidity to pools
No need for buyers and sellers to match directly
Example:

In a ETH/USDC pool, when someone buys ETH, the ETH price increases and USDC decreases automatically.

Development Tools

Intermediate

Essential tools and platforms for Ethereum development and testing.

Key Concepts:

Remix IDE for writing and testing contracts online
Hardhat and Truffle for local development
Ganache for running local blockchain networks
Etherscan for exploring transactions and contracts
Example:

You can write a smart contract in Remix, test it on Ganache, and deploy it to mainnet using Hardhat.

Smart Contracts & DeFi

Ready to dive deeper into Ethereum? This intermediate course covers smart contracts, DeFi protocols, and the tools developers use to build on Ethereum.

Prerequisites Check

Make sure you understand these beginner concepts first:

  • Blockchain Basics
  • Ethereum Fundamentals
  • Wallets & Transactions
  • Gas Concepts

What You'll Learn

This course will teach you:

  • How smart contracts work and why they're revolutionary
  • The Solidity programming language basics
  • DeFi protocols and how they recreate traditional finance
  • Token standards and how different types of tokens work
  • Development tools and environments

Hands-On Learning

We recommend setting up a development environment and trying out:

  • Writing simple smart contracts in Remix
  • Interacting with DeFi protocols on testnets
  • Exploring token contracts on Etherscan

Next Level

Once you master these concepts, advance to our Advanced Course covering security patterns, Layer 2 solutions, and protocol design.

Back to Beginner

Ready for Advanced Topics?

Master security patterns, Layer 2 solutions, and protocol design.

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