Learning Web3 and blockchain development today is like buying a Bitcoin at $10 yesterday.
Entering the Blockchain industry where the average programmer is paid around $140k/year, is probably the best investment you can make as a developer.
Unfortunately, the web has a scarcity of good resources, and finding a good blockchain development roadmap might rapidly become tedious.
After the incredible success of the Complete Solana Development Roadmap I’ve taken the time to gather the best online videos, courses, and websites and put together the best web3 and Solidity developer roadmap.
From complete zero programming knowledge to Solidity and Blockchain expert, that’s why we’ll start with the fundamentals of Computer Science.
1. Before Web3.0 and Blockchain: Fundamentals of Computer Science
A Skyscraper needs solid foundations to not collapse.
Blockchain development it’s a tough subject, I won’t lie. Before digging deeper into nodes and blocks and starting your roadmap, better learn the fundamentals of computer science:
The famous CS50 — fundamentals for Computer Science — free course issued by Harvard itself will teach you all you need to know to understand the basics of computers and data handling.
Once you’ll have some CS understanding, it’s time to learn how the Blockchain works, why it’s useful, and its limitations.
2. Learn The Fundamentals Of Blockchain
As a Web3.0 developer, you need to understand what the Blockchain is, how it works and why it might disrupt the way we exchange goods and make payments.
Blockchain technology is no more related only to crypto coins but it has become a truly distributed cloud computing system capable of running full Backends to power-cutting edge Decentralized Applications (DApps).
Learn the fundamentals of the Blockchain on Coursera for Free with Blockchain 101.
3. What is a Decentralized Application?
When you’ll have learned about the blockchain, nodes, consensus, and all the main components of this technology, you’ll start to wonder:
“What kind of applications can I develop using the blockchain?”
The applications built on top of Blockchain are called Decentralized applications, or DApps, and have:
- A standard Front-end built using JavaScript or frameworks/libraries like React, Vue, Svelte, and so on.
- A Solidity/Solana/Rust backend, built on top of the blockchain.
Learn what is a Decentralized Application:
To understand how the front-end and the backend of a DApp work together: communicating and exchanging data, you need to learn Front-end development and the basic principles of standard backend development, APIs, and patterns.
4. Learn Front End Development in 2022
As said Decentralized Applications have a standard vanilla JavaScript or JavaScript Framework Front-end, that’s why before delving into developing your first DApp, it’s key to learn the basics of Front-end development and how the web works.
Learn HTML, CSS, HTTP, JavaScript, pick a framework and start building static websites.
The Complete 2022 Front-end development Roadmap with 15+ Free resources to kickstart your journey and start monetizing your skills.
5. Should I Learn Backend Development to Become a Web3 Developer?
Yes and now.
Decentralized Applications backends vastly differ from “standard” applications backends, starting from the fact that Blockchain technology is used as the main source of decentralized data storage, whereas standard backends usually use Databases or Object Storage.
The majority of technical principles remain the same, though, and it’s not suggested to jump straight into blockchain and web3.0 development without a strong foundation of the main principle of standard web development
5.1 Learn Backend Development in 2022
Learning backend development it’s a very rewarding process: connecting DB, creating your own REST API and building the business logic that will power your tools, is a great step to take.
I’ve recently published The ultimate Roadmap to Backend Development with Free Resources. You might want to give it a read!
Learn: Node, Express, DBs, HTTP, how to develop APIs, and start deploying cutting-edge applications.
6. Web3 and Solidity Developer Roadmap: learn What is Ethereum and How it Works
A web3.0 developer needs to understand how Ethereum works.
Ethereum is software running on a network of computers that ensures the replication and processing of small programs called Smart Contracts.
The majority of Decentralized applications, now run on top of the Ethereum Blockchain, Smart Contracts had also been implemented by the Ethereum Consortium, then “copied” by other Blockchains.
It’s key to become an Ethereum expert for a web3.0 and Solidity developer, at least in 2022.
Learn more about Ethereum in this video with Vitalik Buterin, one of the inventors of the Ethereum Blockchain talks about this technology.
If you want to explore further what Ethereum is, I heavily suggest you go and check the documentation and original Ethereum website.
7. Software on the Blockchain: Smart Contracts
Ethereum and Smart Contracts are like Bread and butter, you need to understand both.
A Smart Contract is software stored on a blockchain-based platform, that automatically executes an agreement.
It is written in Solidity, Rust, or Vyper (Solidity but in Python flavor), and it’s the key component of any Decentralized Application, powering its business logic and allowing you to store information on the blockchain, just like you would do in a standard Database.
Learn what Smart Contracts are, in this free Course Course by the University of Virginia.
8. Learn Solidity to Develop and Deploy Smart Contracts
Of course knowing what Smart Contracts are is not enough, as a Web3.0 or Blockchain Developer, you have to know how to write your own Smart Contracts and use them to power your own Decentralized Applications. Here is when Solidity comes in help.
Solidity is a high-level, contract-oriented programming language to write smart contracts, allowing programmers to write self-executing code that powers blockchain DApps.
Unfortunately, as we were saying, the web lacks good resources to learn about Solidity and Blockchain Development.
Here are the best 2022 Solidity free courses / platforms I’ve found:
- Alchemy University
- Nader Dabit – Full-stack web3 development tutorials
- CryptoZombies
- Solidity in 32hrs + Blockchain – freecodecamp
9. A fully fledged Web3 Developer path
Web3.university collects the best tutorials about Web3 development, from zero to hero, from what is a Smart Contract, to how to create an Automated Market Maker.
With content coming from the best creators in the web3 space, web3.university is probably the most comprehensive knowledge base you’ll find online about Blockchain development, and Web3 tutorials.
Become a Web3 developer with web3.university
10. Earn Your Web3 Degree – Alchemy University
Probably one of the most popular web3 websites out there, Alchemy University offers a series of high-quality Web3 courses completely for free!
Start with JavaScript fundamentals to learn about JavaScript and Web development and how to interact with the blockchain through a front end.
Follow up with The Ethereum Bootcamp to earn your web3 degree and learn about cryptography, smart contracts development, and security!
Everything is completely free!
11. Learn Solidity by Creating Zombies
Turns out one of the best resources to learn about Solidity is a Gamified Programming course, where you’ll learn how to develop Smart Contracts while creating a Zombie factory to start your world domination plan.
The game is divided into sections, going from complete newbie to advanced Solidity developer. I suggest you to play it while following one of the other suggested courses, as it helps with practice.
Check out CryptoZombies, is completely Free.
12. Connect your DApp Front-end: Learn Web3.js or Ethers.js
Now that you know how to create Smart Contracts, you need a way to connect your front-end with your local or remote Solidity (or similar) backend, using anything from HTTP to Websockets.
To do so you can choose between two JavaScript Libraries:
- Web3.js
- Ethers.js
12.1 Learn Web3.js
web3.js is a collection of libraries that allow you to connect with a local or remote Ethereum node using HTTP, Websockets, and other communication protocols directly from your JavaScript Based front-end.
Here’s the full web3.js crash course by DApp University.
12.2 Learn Ethers.js
Ethers.js is a lightweight JavaScript library used as an alternative to Web3.js to connect JavaScript front-end with Smart Contacts.
Learn Front-end DApp development with Ethers.js by Nader Dabit.
13 – Learn Alchemy
Think of Alchemy like the AWS of the Blockchain, it provides you the infrastructure needed to deploy your DApps in no time, with a reliable and analytics-ready Node provider, and Tools.
Alchemy will also provide you with APIs to deploy NFTs collections without writing a single Solidity line, notifications connected to on-chain events, and an Enhanced Web3 library with smart sockets and an expanded Ethereum API.
The best place to learn more about Alchemy, is in their extensive documentation.
14 – Learn Remix IDE
Remix is a web-based IDE specifically developed for Ethereum Smart Contract development using Solidity and YUL. No setup is required and navigating to its home page, will automatically bring you to a full-fledged code editor with a few examples.
From Remix IDE you’ll be able to write, compile, test, and deploy your Solidity smart contracts pushing a button.
Kudos also to its methods inspection feature that allows you to manually test Smart Contracts functions directly using the UI.
Oh, and it’s completely free.
Learn about Remix IDE on YouTube with EatTheBlocks.
15. Develop your first Web Project
Learning by practicing and solving problems is key, it’s literally the best way our brain has to retain information.
Start building your first DApps to reinforce your understanding of blockchain development.
Create your first Cryptocurrency in 20 minutes.
Develop a fully-fledged NFT Marketplace with Solidity, HardHat, and Ethers.js.
Other DApps Project Inspirations
Finding project ideas to showcase in your blockchain developer portfolio, might not be that intuitive.
Let me share with you 6 projects ideas to practice your web3.0 knowledge.
16. Learn HardHat
Sometimes REMIX IDE won’t be enough, and bringing your project to the good old VSCode will be the only decision to take.
To do this, you’ll need to set up a local Ethereum Development environment, and that is exactly what HardHat helps with.
HardHat comes with a set of fundamental functionalities to create, test, and deploy your decentralized applications on multiple chains, like Polygon, Ropsten, Ethereum Mainnet, and many more.
It will also give you the ability to spin up a local ethereum node to test your Smart Contracts without the need of deploying them on a public Blockchain.
Learn about HardHat in this Full Stack Ethereum Development tutorial by Nader Dabit.
17. Learn Truffle And Ganache
Speed Up Your Development With Truffle: a development environment, testing framework, and asset pipeline for any EVM Blockchain.
It comes with:
- Built-in smart contract compilation
- Scriptable migration framework
- and more.
Ganache on the other side comes included in the Truffle suite and is used to Test Ethereum Contacts. It essentially creates a simulated blockchain with accounts to test your transactions and avoid setting up useless boilerplates to kickstart your DApp development.
Start exploring Truffle in this Tutorial for beginners.
Learn Ganache from the official Documentation.
18. Learn How to Test your Smart Contracts
Testing Your Blockchain Smart Contracts is Key.
What makes the Blockchain so special is the non-reversibility: once a Smart Contract is added, it can’t be edited or recalled, and its deployment also costs real money (GAS fees).
This is the reason why you should learn how to thoroughly test your smart contracts before deploying them.
How do I Test my Decentralized Application?
There are 4 types of testing to test your Smart Contracts:
- Node Testing.
- Functional Testing.
- Performance Testing.
- API Testing.
Conclusions
Learning Web3.0 and blockchain development might sound daunting at first, but everyone can do it.
Learn step-by-step using starting from the fundamentals of Computer Science, to JavaScript, from solidity to cutting edge DeFi applications.
You won’t learn Blockchain Development in 1 week, but you can do it in 1 year of full commitment.
52 Responses
This is awesome
Hii Vitto, is the Etherium Video Link You Provided is not too OLD or OutDated?
I’m going to finish this road map at the beginning of 2022 🤙🏼, now the economy in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, is moving towards supporting web 3.0 projects.
Hello, great article loved it.
do i have to learn all of the mentioned technologies or just a stack of them?
Goal for 2022. God willing woukd complete all this.
Go for it! And if you need anything, just reach out!
What is polkadot and how can I learn to develop Dapps!?
Thank you very much . I had many questions in my mind that I answered with your help.
This is a great content. Is it too late to start learning?
I sent you dm on Twitter.
Thanks!
WEB DESIGN 2022 IS GOING TO BE VERY BIG! ONE STEP AT A TIME
#VISUAL STUDIO CODE
100% You can bet!
Thanks Vittorio. This is the road map I have been searching for, I will follow you on Twitter.
I am a programmer, but I want to venture into web3.0.
Hey, Vitto! Nice article, I’ll surely follow it to migrate my Web Dev career to a Web 3.0 one.
If you find more references, please add them to the guide!
I’ll be following you on twitter for updates.
See’ya!
2022 version coming out soon! Make sure to subscribe to the newsletter Mark!
Hii vitto it was amazing I’ll follow this roadmap for 2022 it will be amazing also if you will also share how to build online presence to get that awesome opportunities which had huges offers like you said $140k.
Hey Abhay! Glad you liked it, let me know if you need anything!
Hello, vitto can you tell me from where I should start. Thanks
Awesome resource! Thanks for this impressive content. Definitely I’ll follow this suggested path.
That’s amazing to hear Hector! Thanks for reading!
Awesome article. Thank you so much for this. As mr Singh mentioned. God willing I can learn apply this knowledge this year. Peace
Go for it Akeem! Good luck with your journey!
Hey, this is really awesome
Thanks for sharing 🙌
and ya you forgot the eleventh point 😅
Ops, you’re right, editing it!
It’s such a wonderful article. I am a complete newbie to programming. I know if I start I will be somewhere in no time. Thank you Vitto. I will follow you on everything.
Thank you for your words Daniel! Means a lot
Hello Vittorio, thank you for the educational content. How long do you think it will take a newbie in programming to learn all this if they give 5 hours a day to learning? Your respond will be really helpful.Thanks
Hey Israel! giving 5hrs per day, every day – weekends will take you 6 months to 1 years to be up and running and join a junior developer position 🙂
It really depends though, it might take you 2 months, or two years depending on a bunch of different factors.
Can I follow the same roadmap now in 2022
Thank you for making me move out of DBA to solidity developer. You laid the foundation steps for me. Kudos to the effort.
Thankyouu for this roadmap Sir .. Right now am learning JS ..and you gave me the end goal of 2022 🙂
Thanx for detaled and ineteresting explanation! What amuses me most – why there are so many sceptics around web 3.0? As for me, it’s the greatest way out for those who looks for a total privacy online. If you can’t get the idea – check the working principles of Utopia p2p. It’s a great representative of web 3.0 with a several years of experience.
Help me a lot Ethernaut, from OppenZeppelin. It’s a war game to improve solidity.
Hey Vitto ,
This is like a life changing adventure for anyone .
My doubt is
How much coding intensive a job is of web3 or blockchain developer ?
Because I can understand the basics of coding but don’t coding intensity requires in this or not ?
Thanks vitto
Hi vitto
my doubt – does it require to be the hardcore coding expert or just the understanding or doing just doing the said courses is just enough ?
People will easily get lost seeing the bulk of resources you shared. You shall only outline those resources which are currently used in industry and shall only give 1 path than many.
Thanks so much! You hit the nail on the head saying it’s tough to find a proper roadmap!
Thanks for this Epic Roadmap Vittorio Rivabella!
Also if there are any Paid Courses that are worth doing or paying for, please do share those as well.
As much as possible I want to treat this as an Investment in myself.
Time Investment is a given, but definitely willing to Pay Premium if need be.
But the fact that we can Learn most of what we need to learn is “Free”, is already amazing, so thanks again for taking the time to reference mostly Free Accessible content in our Journey to become Web 3.0 Devs.
I’ll Reply my Web 3.0 Journey as much as Possible.
awesome roadmap it fulfills what it says zero to hero
Thanks for the RoadMap ~ This article is a kind of DApp which be filled with the spirit of sharing. Thanks a lot ~! 🙂
This is the best Roadmap I’ve ever seen. Thanks bro!
Thanks a lot for this Vitto. The link at step 4 is not working, can you update it or something please?
Thank you Vittorio for this detailed roadmap. It will be a great source for dev people who want to migrate to web3 tech, and also to people who are curious about how to become a Web3 developer, despite skeptics of Web, I see this as a huge growing community, and its the best time to jump in and be a frontline on this awesome new technology.
Awesome article. Thank you so much .
Amazing, thank you for reading Tarek!
Well-chosen information. I was very involved in reading. Thank you.
Best Guide ever. Thanks for making effort. Appreciate you!
I really enjoyed reading this web 3.0 roadmap blog! The information provided was clear and well-organized, and I appreciated the explanation of Web 3.0 in future.
I really enjoyed reading this web 3.0 roadmap blog! The information provided was clear and well-organized, and I appreciated the explanation of Web 3.0 in future. Can i follow the same roadmap for 2023 learning !! Please advise. Thank you
This found me when I most needed it. Thanks, Vittorio for this awesome compilation.