Learning Bitcoin

NOTE: This is a draft in progress, so that I can get some feedback from early reviewers. It is not yet ready for use.

Copyright

Unless otherwise noted, the contents of this repository areCopyright ©2017 by Christopher Allen <ChristopherA@LifeWithAlacrity.com> and are licensed CC-BY.

Introduction

The best way to learn to learn deeply about bitcoin is to avoid GUIs (even bitcoin-qt), and instead learn it from the command line.

Requirements

This tutorial assumes that you have some minimal background of how to use the command line interface. If not, there are many tutorials available, and I have one for Mac users at https://github.com/ChristopherA/intro-mac-command-line

Files

PART ONE: PREPARING FOR BITCOIN

• 1.0: Introducing Bitcoin
• 2.0: Setting Up a Bitcoin-Core VPS
  • 2.1: Setting Up a Bitcoin-Core VPS by Hand
  • 2.2: Setting Up a Bitcoin-Core VPS with StackScript.md
    • Linode_Bitcoin-Core_VPS_Setup.stackscript

PART TWO: BITCOIN-CLI

• 3.0: Understanding Your Bitcoin Setup
  • 3.1: Verifying Your Bitcoin Setup
  • 3.2: Knowing Your Bitcoin Setup
  • 3.3: Setting Up Your Wallet
    • Interlude: Using Command-Line Variables
  • 3.4: Receiving a Transaction
• 4.0: Creating Basic Bitcoin Transactions
  • 4.1: Sending Coins the Easy Way
  • 4.2: Creating a Raw Transaction
    • Interlude: Using JQ
  • 4.3: Creating a Raw Transaction with Named Arguments
  • 4.4: Sending Coins with Raw Transactions
  • 4.5: Sending Coins with Automated Raw Transactions
• 5.0: Controlling Bitcoin Transactions
  • 5.1 Watching for Stuck Transactions
  • 5.2: Resending a Transaction with RBF
  • 5.3: Funding a Transaction with CPFP
• 6.0: Expanding Bitcoin Transactions
  • 6.1: Sending a Transaction with a Multsig
  • 6.2: Spending a Transaction with a Multsig
  • 6.3: Sending & Spending an Automated Multisig
  • 6.4: Sending a Transaction with a Locktime
  • 6.5: Sending a Transaction with Data

PART THREE: BITCOIN SCRIPTING

• 7.0: Introducing Bitcoin Scripts
  • 7.1: Understanding the Foundation of Transactions
  • 7.2: Running a Bitcoin Script
  • 7.3: Scripting a P2PKH
• 8.0: Embedding Bitcoin Scripts in P2SH Transactions — Needs Edit
  • 8.1: Understanding the Foundation of P2SH — Needs Edit
  • 8.2: Building the Structure of P2SH — Needs Edit
  • 8.3: Running a Bitcoin Script with P2SH — Needs Edit
  • 8.4: Scripting a Multisig — Needs Edit
  • 8.5: Testing a Bitcoin Script — Needs Edit
  • 8.6: Spending a Transaction with a Bitcoin Script — Awaiting API Work
• 9.0: Empowering Timelock with Bitcoin Scripts
  • 9.1: Understanding Timelock Options — Needs Edit
  • 9.2: Using CLTV in Scripts — Needs Edit
  • 9.3: Using CSV in Scripts — Needs Edit

Planned Future Work

• 10.0: Expanding Bitcoin Transactions with Scripts
  • 10.X: Understanding Conditions in Scripts
    • Verify
    • If
      • DOn't know inputs (in unlocking!)
  • 10.X: Easy Examples https://medium.com/@alcio/non-standard-p2sh-scripts-508fa6292df5
    • Bounties: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=293382.0
  • 10.X: Scripting Multigs by Hand
    • Complex 1 or 1 OR 2 of 3 [corporation]
    • Escrow: 2 of 3 (A | B | E); then 2 of 2 (AE) OR 2 of 2 (BE); then 2 of 2 (AE) OR 2 of 2 (BE) OR 2 of 2 after time-delay (AB)
  • 10.X: Programming Complex Scripts
    • BIP 112: Lightning
    • Peg-in Chains?

** PART FOUR: BITCOIN APIS **

• 11.0: Talking to Bitcoind
  • 11.1: Accessing Bitcoind with Curl
  • 11.2: Accessing Bitcoind with JavaScript
  • 11.3: Accessing Bitcoind with C
    • Watching Bitcoin Addresses in C?
• 12.0: Programming with LibWally
  • 12.1: Programming Transactions
  • 12.2: Programming Scripts
• 13.0: Programming with secp256k1

** PART FIVE: BITCOIN FUTURES **

• 14.0: Setting Up a Bitcoin Regtest
  • 14.1: Building the Regtest
  • 14.2: Testing with Regtest
  • 14.3: Mining with Regtest

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This is probably all a future section on Elements.

• X.0: Introducing SegWit

  • X.X Scripting a Pay to Witness

• X.0: Introducing Elements

• X.0: Individual Elements

• Appendix: Compiling Bitcoin