Programming Bitcoin Reading List and Projects

• The goal of this document is to provide a reading list for learning to program Bitcoin transactions
• The theme of this document is practical and pragmatic instruction with the goal of writing code

The document is split into two major sections: Content and Code

• The Content section contains a reading list which emphasizes programming Bitcoin transactions
• The Code section contains a list of open-source bitcoin projects ranging from modern popular tools to early historic implementations
• WIP: please send suggestions to @eigenjoy or open a GitHub issue

Content

Posts

• Programming Bitcoin Transaction Scripts (Kofler)
• Developer’s Introduction to Bitcoin (Buterin)
• How Bitcoin Works Under the Hood (Driscoll)
• Bitcoin Developer Guide
• Bitcoin Scripts (Koshy)
• Bitcoins the hard way: Using the raw Bitcoin protocol (Shirriff)
• Bitcoin mining the hard way: the algorithms, protocols, and bytes (Shirriff)
• Proving Your Bitcoin Reserves (Maxwell)

Tutorials

• The libbitcoin Tutorial (Taaki)
• How to Parse the Bitcoin Blockchain (Ratcliff)
• How to extract every single bitcoin transaction from the blockchain and save it to an ASCII comma separated text file (Ratcliff)
• How To Clone Scrypt Based Altcoins for Fun and Profit (shakezula)
• Signing Offline Transactions (Maxwell)
• 2 of 2 escrow example (Maxwell)
• 2 of 3 multisig example (Andresen)
• How to decrypt messages in the blockchain from btcmsg (ripper234)

Papers

• Original bitcoin paper (Satoshi)
• Annotated bitcoin paper (Satoshi / Rap Genius Community)
• Proof of Ownership (Fortin)
• Colored Coins (Rosenfeld)

Specifications

• BIP70: Payments Protocol (Andresen)
• Working with the Payments Protocol (Andresen)
• BIP32: Hierarchical Deterministic (HD) Wallets (Wuille)
• BIP32 Implementation: Money Tree HD Wallet (BitVault)
• Deterministic Wallet
• Technical background of version 1 Bitcoin addresses
• Transactions Reference
• Script Reference
• Raw Transactions API
• Colored Coins Protocol Specification (Flavien)
• The Mastercoin Protocol Specification (Gross)
• Counterparty: Financial Instruments (Announcement)

Discussion

• There Is No 'From' Address (iwilcox)
• Disentangling Crypto-Coin Mining: Timestamping, Proof-of-Publication, and Validation (Todd)
• Double-spending unconfirmed transactions is a lot easier than most people realise (Todd)
• Replace-by-fee scorched-earth without child-pays-for-parent (Todd / Anonymous)

Videos

• Programming Bitcoin Youtube Channel (Murray)
• How Bitcoin Works Under the Hood (Driscoll)
• Coding Multi-Signature Addresses (D'Angelo)

API Docs

• Bitcoin Doxygen
• Original Bitcoin client/API calls list

Sidechains

• Tree-chains preliminary summary (Todd)
• Why do people think that side-chains are going to be secure? (Maxwell)
• Discussion on 2-way pegging: is there a way to do bitcoin-staging?
• Sidechains, Treechains, the TL;DR (Sanders)
• Sidechains Explained (Payne)
• Side Chains: The How, The Challenges and the Potential (Buterin)
• Sidechain Technical Feasibility Discussion (discussion)
• Alternative Chains / merged mining

Beyond Payments

• Timelock: time-release encryption incentivised by Bitcoins (Todd / Taaki)
• Decentralized digital asset exchange with honest pricing and market depth (Todd / Mizrahi)

Code

Core

• bitcoin C++ (Satoshi)
• bitcoinj: Java implementation of a Bitcoin client-only node Java (bitcoinj)
• bitcoin-qt: Qt GUI for C++ Bitcoin client C++ (laanwj)
• bitcoinjs-lib: Bitcoin-related functions implemented in pure JavaScript JavaScript (bitcoinjs)
• btcd: alternative full node bitcoin implementation written in Go Go (conformal)
• bitcore: interface to the bitcoin network Javascript (BitPay)
• cbitcoin low-level bitcoin library in standard C C (Mitchell)
• btcwire: Implements the bitcoin wire protocol - core wire protocol package from btcd Go (conformal)

Tools

• pybitcointools: SImple, common-sense Bitcoin-themed Python ECC library Python (vbuterin)
• bitcointools: Python-based tools for the Bitcoin cryptocurrency system Python (gavinandresen)
• cryptocoin: Python module for working with cryptocurrencies Python (lyndsysimon)
• bitcoin-ruby: bitcoin utils and protocol in ruby. Ruby (lian)
• pycoin: Python-based Bitcoin utility library. Python (richardkiss)
• bitcoin-testnet-box: Create a private, difficulty 1 bitcoin testnet Shell (freewil)
• mastercoin-tools Javascript (grazcoin)

Non-currency Applications

• dissent: decentralized, transferable, and open software license system using the Bitcoin protocol Python (Lebo)

Beyond Payments

• paypub: Trustless payments for information publishing on Bitcoin C++ (Taaki / Todd)

Miners

• poclbm: PyOpenCL bitcoin miner Python (m0mchil)
• DiabloMiner: OpenCL miner for Bitcoin Java (Diablo-D3)
• cpuminer: CPU miner for bitcoin C (jgarzik)
• Open-Source-FPGA-Bitcoin-Miner: Bitcoin Miner for Altera FPGAs Verilog (progranism)
• jsMiner: A Javascript Bitcoin miner JavaScript (jwhitehorn)
• pyminer: Python miner for bitcoin Python (jgarzik)
• Bitcoin-JavaScript-Miner: A Bitcoin miner implemented in JavaScript. JavaScript (progranism)
• cellminer: Bitcoin miner for the Cell Broadband Engine Architecture C (verement)
• oclminer: OpenCL bitcoin miner C (tcatm)
• Phoenix-Miner: Modular, fast, efficient Bitcoin miner Python (jedi95)
• tumen_miner: An experimental BitCoin miner, which uses WebCL PHP (temujin9)
• Minimal-Bitcoin-Miner: CPU based Bitcoin Miner in C# C# (lithander)

Wallets

• coinpunk: self-hosted Bitcoin wallet service Javascript (kyledrake)
• termcoin: A bitcoin wallet for your terminal Javascript (chjj)
• pywallet: bitcoin wallet importer/exporter Python (joric)
• Hive: Bitcoin wallet for OS X Objective-C (jsuder)
• bitaddress.org: JavaScript Client-Side Bitcoin Wallet Generator Javascript (pointbiz)
• Multibit: desktop bitcoin client, powered by bitcoinj Java (jim618)
• bitcoin-wallet: A new kind of Bitcoin client Python (elis)
• picocoin: A small bitcoin client C (jgarzik)
• sx: sx - command line Bitcoin to empower the sysadmin Python (spesmilo)
• Safebit: Chrome app wallet (elis)
• Bitcoin-akka: a client to btcwallet, written in Scala and built on akka (goldmar)

Clients

• libbitcoin: libbitcoin asynchronous C++ library for Bitcoin C++ (spesmilo)
• electrum: Bitcoin thin client Python (spesmilo)
• BitcoinArmory: Python-Based Bitcoin Software Python (etotheipi)
• bitcoin-js-remote: Javascript remote for bitcoind JavaScript (tcatm)
• bitcoinjs-gui: Bitcoin client implementation in HTML5/JavaScript JavaScript (bitcoinjs)
• bitcoin-php: Bitcoin library for PHP PHP (mikegogulski)
• bitcoin-python: Friendly bitcoin API binding for Python Python (toomanysecrets0)
• python-bitcoinrpc: Python interface to bitcoin's JSON-RPC API Python (jgarzik)
• bitcoinjs: Bitcoin client library in JavaScript using Node.js / MongoDB javascript (justmoon)
• caesure: Python Bitcoin Client Python (samrushing)
• chrome-bitcoin: bitcoin client in chrome JavaScript (kiba)
• node-bitcoin: Communicate with bitcoind via JSON-RPC JavaScript (freewil)
• gocoin: Bitcoin client library for Go / golang Go (piotrnar)
• python-bitcoinlib: Bitcoin library Python (petertodd)
• cbitcoin: A low-level bitcoin library written in standard C. C (MatthewLM)
• GoBit: A Golang implementation of Bitcoin Go (ThePiachu)
• Protocoin: A pure Python Bitcoin protocol implementation Python (perone)
• BitcoinLib: C# Bitcoin, Litecoin and Bitcoin-Clones Library & RPC Wrapper C# (GeorgeKimionis)

Mobile

• bitcoin-wallet: Bitcoin Wallet app for your Android device Java (schildbach)
• bitcoinApp: bitcoin for iOS devices Objective-C (udibr)
• bitcoin-android: Send and receive bitcoins from your Android phone Java (barmstrong)
• bitcoin-mobile-android Java (Schaaf)
• BitcoinDroid: A thin Android client for Bitcoin Java (opposablebrain)
• CoreBitcoin: Well-documented Bitcoin implementation in Objective-C C (oleganza)
• wallet: Mycelium Bitcoin Wallet for Android Java (mycelium-com)
• BitcoinKit: Cocoa framework for creating Bitcoin wallet apps C (hivewallet)
• BTCSquared: iOS framework for Bluetooth LE transactions Objective C (Gliph)

Exchanges

• buttercoin: Opensource Bitcoin Exchange Javascript (buttercoin)
• QtBitcoinTrader: Secure Multi Trading Client C++ (JulyIGHOR)
• BitWasp: Open Source Bitcoin Marketplace Software PHP (Bit-Wasp)
• bitcoin-central: Bitcoin Central Ruby (davout)
• ZeroReserve: Friend 2 Friend Payment and Bitcoin exchange C++ (zeroreserve)
• benjamin: bitcoin trading bot & analytics platform JavaScript (mathisonian)
• Dark-Exchange: Dark Exchange is a distributed p2p exchange for bitcoin. Clojure (macourtney)
• btcnearme: Find Bitcoin traders near you... settle in cash Ruby (famulus)
• bitrated: Bitrated.com - Bitcoin arbitration marketplace CoffeeScript (shesek)
• intersango: bitcoin exchange PHP (dooglus)
• bitwrk: A Bitcoin-friendly, Anonymous Marketplace for Computing Power Go (indyjo)

Merchant Tools

• BitPay: Bitcoin payment application Java (warpi)
• bitcoin-wp-e-commerce: Bitcoin payment plugin for WP e-Commerce for WordPress PHP (mikegogulski)
• Magento-Bitcoin-Payment-Module: Magento Payment Gateway Plugin for Bitcoin RPC API PHP (jalder)
• bitcoin-virtuemart: Bitcoin payment plugin for VirtueMart shopping cart for Joomla! PHP (mikegogulski)
• magento-bitcoin: Bitcoin payment module for Magento. PHP (ticean)
• Zen-Cart-Bitcoin-Payment-Module: A payment modules to interact with bitcoind for zen cart. PHP (jalder)
• MultiBitMerchant: A free and open source Bitcoin ecommerce platform, with several representative clients Java (gary-rowe)

Bots

• Bitcoin arbitrage: opportunity detector Python (maxme)
• gekko: A bitcoin trading bot Node.js (askmike)
• Redbit: Automated Bitcoin Trading Bot Python (hyppo)
• ArBit: An automated Bitcoin arbitrage trading program. Go (goteppo)
• cryptrade: Node.js Bitcoin bot for MtGox/Bitstamp/BTC-E/CEX.IO CoffeeScript (pulsecat)
• btc-trader: Robot for Bitcoin trading on BTC-e Ruby (therussianphysicist)
• ga-bitbot: Genetic algorithm trade system for bitcoin Python

Block Exploration

• bitcoin-abe: Abe: block browser for Bitcoin and similar currencies Python (jtobey)
• insight: A bitcoin blockchain API for web wallets JavaScript (bitpay)
• node-bitcoin-explorer: A Block Explorer clone built using node-bitcoin-p2p JavaScript (bitcoinjs)
• btcplex: BTCplex is an open source Bitcoin block chain browser written in Go, it allows you to search and navigate the block chain. Go (tsileo)
• blockparser: Fast, quick and dirty bitcoin blockchain parser C++ (znort987)

Pooling

• p2pool: Peer-to-peer Bitcoin mining pool Python (forrestv)
• bitcoin-pool: early pooling server C++ (doublec)
• What is Pool Hopping? (Perry)
• bitHopper: A python based poolhopper for bitcoin Python (c00w)
• Bitcoin-mining-proxy: Multi-pool, multi-worker proxy for Bitcoin miners PHP (cdhowie)
• stratum-mining: Demo implementation of Bitcoin mining pool on Stratum protocol Python (slush0)

Sites

• petulant-lana: A one-time-payment filehosting site, using Bitcoin Go (bearbin)
• bitstarter-leaderboard: Bitcoin-powered crowdfunder Javascript (Srinivasan)
• feedopensource: Iteratively Fund Open Source Projects With Bitcoin JavaScript (dominictarr)
• Bitcoin-Poker-Room: Sources for Bitcoin Poker Room. Python (hippich)
• BitHub: pay Bitcoin for GitHub commits Java (WhisperSystems)

Related Protocols

• bitid: Bitcoin Authentication Open Protocol (Larch)