ethereum-python-tutorial

Author: Stefano Fioravanzo

• Master in Computer Science @ UniTn
• Junior Research Scientist @ MPBA (FBK)

This guide is aimed at all developers that want to approach the Ethereum ecosystem and love Python :)

Ethereum is a relatively new technology, the development of its core technology and other tools are fast and often break retro-compatbility. Other tools have completely been deprecated, other lack even a single line of documentations...you can easily get lost in all this mess!

I will try to sort out all these things for you, providing a comprehensive list of Python tools, pointing out which ones you should use and the ones that have been deprecated.

For now the focus is on using Serpent e Vyper (soon), since they are the most Pythonic Smart Contract language. Still, I will consider adding some references about Solidity in the future.

Outline (Work in progress)

1. Theoretical Introduction
   • Blockchain Origins: Bitcoin
   • Main Bitcoin Characteristics
   • DLT vs Blockchain
   • Immutability
   • Consensus
   • Mining
   • Issues with Bitcoin
   • Ethereum
   • EVM
   • Smart Contracts
   • GHOST
   • Mining (improved)
2. Python Dev Tools for Ethereum
   • Ethereum main components
   • Ethereum client
   • RPC library
   • Smart Contracts Languages
   • Testing And Deploying Smart Contracts
3. go-ethereum (geth)
   • Main net
   • Test nets
   • Build a local private net (single node)
   • Build a local private net (multi node)
   • Py-Geth - geth Python Wrapper
4. Serpent
   • Intro: Language basics and differences w.r.t. Python
   • Examples
   • Testing with pyethereum.tester
5. Web3.py
   • Basic connectivity to Eth nodes
   • PoA
   • Basic operations on the blockain
   • SC - Bytecode and ABI
   • Crowdfunding example