This course will help Python developers enhance their productivity in writing DeFi and NFT applications. You'll gain in-depth knowledge of related technologies such as Layer 2 and IPFS, further expanding your understanding of the blockchain ecosystem.

Hands-On Blockchain for Python Developers
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Hands-On Blockchain for Python Developers

Instructor: Packt - Course Instructors
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Recommended experience
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What you'll learn
Understand the fundamentals of blockchain and smart contracts
Write smart contracts using Vyper and web3.py
Develop decentralized applications such as DEXs and NFT marketplaces
Details to know

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September 2026
18 assignments
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There are 17 modules in this course
This module introduces the foundational concepts of blockchain technology, including cryptography, hashing, and consensus mechanisms. Learners will explore how data is secured and validated in blockchain systems and gain practical insights into blockchain development. The content also covers key differences between symmetric and asymmetric cryptography and their applications in securing digital transactions.
What's included
1 video8 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
8 readings•Total 45 minutes
- Introduction•7 minutes
- Signing Data in Blockchain•5 minutes
- From Linked List to Blockchain•5 minutes
- Symmetric and Asymmetric Cryptography•4 minutes
- The Hashing Function•7 minutes
- Consensus•4 minutes
- Blockchain as a Technology That Prevents Cheating•5 minutes
- Coding on the Blockchain•8 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Blockchain Programming Fundamentals•16 minutes
This module introduces the foundational concepts of smart contracts, focusing on their role in secure, trustless, and censorship-resistant applications. Learners will understand how smart contracts function differently from traditional systems and explore their security properties and resistance to external control.
What's included
1 video4 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
4 readings•Total 23 minutes
- Introduction•7 minutes
- Smart Contract•7 minutes
- Secure from Cheating•5 minutes
- Censorship Resistance•4 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Smart Contract Essentials•16 minutes
This module introduces learners to the Vyper programming language for developing smart contracts on the blockchain. It covers essential topics such as data types, struct declarations, mutability, and control structures, providing the foundational skills needed to write and deploy secure smart contracts.
What's included
1 video5 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
5 readings•Total 27 minutes
- Introduction•8 minutes
- Data Types•6 minutes
- Struct•4 minutes
- Mutability•4 minutes
- Control Structures•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Vyper Smart Contract Essentials•16 minutes
This module provides learners with hands-on experience in using the web3.py library to deploy and interact with smart contracts. It covers installation, deployment processes, and practical interactions with blockchain-based applications. Learners will gain foundational knowledge in working with Python for Ethereum-based smart contract development.
What's included
1 video4 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
4 readings•Total 28 minutes
- Introduction•8 minutes
- Geth•7 minutes
- Deploying a Smart Contract•5 minutes
- Interacting with Smart Contracts•8 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Exploring Web3.py and Smart Contract Fundamentals•16 minutes
This module provides an in-depth look at the Ape Framework for smart contract development, covering project setup, testing, and deployment across blockchain networks. Learners will gain practical skills in using the framework to streamline smart contract workflows and improve efficiency.
What's included
1 video4 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
4 readings•Total 21 minutes
- Introduction•4 minutes
- Developing Smart Contracts•9 minutes
- Testing Smart Contracts•4 minutes
- Networks in Blockchain•4 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Ape Framework Fundamentals•16 minutes
This module teaches learners how to build and secure a functional decentralized application using Vyper, focusing on writing smart contracts, implementing unit tests, and adding delegation features to enhance security and transparency.
What's included
1 video4 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
4 readings•Total 25 minutes
- Introduction•8 minutes
- Writing the Unit Test of the Voting Smart Contract•5 minutes
- Adding Delegation to the Voting Smart Contract•8 minutes
- The Benefits of the Decentralized Nature of a Voting Smart Contract•4 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Decentralized Voting Systems and Smart Contract Fundamentals•16 minutes
This module teaches how to build a front-end interface for a decentralized application using PySide, focusing on integrating with a smart contract. Learners will gain hands-on experience in creating GUI applications for voting processes, including adding proposals and implementing user interactions.
What's included
1 video4 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
4 readings•Total 20 minutes
- Introduction•6 minutes
- Creating and Running the Scripts•4 minutes
- Installing the PySide Library•4 minutes
- Creating the Voting GUI Application•6 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Front-End Decentralized Application Concepts•16 minutes
This module covers the fundamentals of cryptocurrency wallet development, focusing on mnemonic key generation, user interface design, and improving user experience. Learners will gain practical skills in using PySide for front-end development and understand how to create secure and user-friendly wallet interfaces.
What's included
1 video3 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
3 readings•Total 24 minutes
- Introduction•6 minutes
- Mnemonic Keys•7 minutes
- Wallet UX•11 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Cryptocurrency Wallet Fundamentals•16 minutes
This module introduces learners to the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) and its role in decentralized data management. It covers key concepts such as Merkle DAGs, content addressing, and peer-to-peer networking, providing a foundation for understanding how data is stored, shared, and verified in distributed systems.
What's included
1 video7 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
7 readings•Total 49 minutes
- Introduction•7 minutes
- Merkle DAG•5 minutes
- Content Addressing•10 minutes
- Merkle DAG Data Structure•6 minutes
- Peer-to-peer Networking•5 minutes
- XOR Distance•5 minutes
- Buckets•11 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Exploring InterPlanetary File Systems•16 minutes
This module guides learners through the process of building a decentralized video-sharing application using IPFS and smart contracts. It covers the architecture of the application, the integration of a Python web front end with a smart contract, and the implementation of token-based interactions. Learners will gain hands-on experience with decentralized technologies and web development practices.
What's included
1 video8 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
8 readings•Total 47 minutes
- Introduction•7 minutes
- The Architecture of the Decentralized Video-Sharing Application•7 minutes
- The Architecture of the Video-Sharing Smart Contract•5 minutes
- The Architecture of the Video-Sharing Web Application•4 minutes
- Writing the Video-Sharing Smart Contract•8 minutes
- Creating a Bootstrap Script•4 minutes
- Building the Video-Sharing Web Application•8 minutes
- Templates•4 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Decentralized Application Implementation Fundamentals•16 minutes
This module provides an in-depth exploration of Layer 2 solutions, their role in enhancing blockchain scalability, and practical steps for deploying smart contracts and transferring assets across L2 networks. Learners will gain a clear understanding of L2 architecture, bridge technology, and inter-Layer communication.
What's included
1 video6 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
6 readings•Total 34 minutes
- Introduction•7 minutes
- Optimistic Rollups•5 minutes
- Deploying Smart Contracts to L2•5 minutes
- Introducing the Bridge Technology•6 minutes
- Sending Messages from L1 to L2•5 minutes
- Sending Messages Across L2s•6 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Layer 2 Blockchain Fundamentals•16 minutes
This module provides an in-depth look at creating and deploying tokens on the Ethereum blockchain, including the ERC-20 standard, methods for selling tokens, and essential security practices to ensure safe and effective token development.
What's included
1 video4 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
4 readings•Total 32 minutes
- Introduction•8 minutes
- The ERC-20 Token Standard•12 minutes
- Selling Tokens•8 minutes
- Security Aspects•4 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Ethereum Token Development Fundamentals•16 minutes
This module provides a foundational understanding of NFTs, including their underlying technology, key standards like ERC-721, and practical steps to create a smart contract. Learners will gain the knowledge to develop and implement their own NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain.
What's included
1 video4 readings1 assignment
1 video
- Overview•0 minutes
4 readings•Total 30 minutes
- Introduction•11 minutes
- ERC-721 Standard•7 minutes
- Creating the NFT Smart Contract•4 minutes
- Implementing Functions•8 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Exploring NFT Smart Contract Fundamentals•16 minutes
This module guides learners through the development of an NFT marketplace smart contract, focusing on integrating with ERC-721 tokens, writing tests, and enhancing functionality. It covers key concepts in blockchain development, including contract interactions, testing procedures, and optimization strategies. Learners will gain practical skills in building and improving decentralized marketplaces.
What's included
1 video4 readings1 assignment
1 video
- Overview•0 minutes
4 readings•Total 29 minutes
- Introduction•10 minutes
- Writing the NFT Marketplace Smart Contract•7 minutes
- Writing the Tests•5 minutes
- Enhancing the NFT Marketplace•7 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Exploring NFT Marketplace Smart Contracts•16 minutes
This module introduces the fundamentals of vault and lending concepts in blockchain, focusing on implementing vault smart contracts using the ERC-4626 standard. Learners will gain an understanding of how to design and apply smart contract logic for financial applications.
What's included
1 video3 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
3 readings•Total 29 minutes
- Introduction•7 minutes
- The ERC-4626 Standard•14 minutes
- Lending Application•8 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Lending Vault Smart Contract Fundamentals•16 minutes
This module provides an in-depth exploration of decentralized exchanges (DEXs), focusing on their operational mechanisms, the role of Automated Market Maker (AMM) algorithms, and the implementation of DEX smart contracts. Learners will gain a clear understanding of how DEXs function without traditional order books and how they enable trustless token trading on blockchain platforms.
What's included
1 video4 readings1 assignment
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
4 readings•Total 28 minutes
- Introduction•6 minutes
- Understanding AMM•6 minutes
- How AMM Works•10 minutes
- Unit Tests•6 minutes
1 assignment•Total 16 minutes
- Decentralized Exchange Fundamentals•16 minutes
This module provides an in-depth exploration of token-gated applications, covering the creation of digital signatures, deployment of smart contracts, and integration of blockchain with web applications. Learners will gain practical skills in implementing token-based access control and interacting with Ethereum-based systems.
What's included
1 video5 readings2 assignments
1 video•Total 1 minute
- Overview•1 minute
5 readings•Total 30 minutes
- Introduction•5 minutes
- Creating a Signature•5 minutes
- ERC-4361•4 minutes
- Deploying a Token Smart Contract•10 minutes
- Writing a Frontend Application•6 minutes
2 assignments•Total 84 minutes
- Exploring Token-Gated Application Fundamentals•16 minutes
- The Hands-On Blockchain for Python Developers Final Assessment•68 minutes
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can preview the first video and view the syllabus before you enroll. You must purchase the course to access content not included in the preview.
If you decide to enroll in the course before the session start date, you will have access to all of the lecture videos and readings for the course. You’ll be able to submit assignments once the session starts.
Once you enroll and your session begins, you will have access to all videos and other resources, including reading items and the course discussion forum. You’ll be able to view and submit practice assessments, and complete required graded assignments to earn a grade and a Course Certificate.
If you complete the course successfully, your electronic Course Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Course Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
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