This workshop will focus on smart contracts with an emphasis on the Ethereum Virtual Machine. We will cover at a high level what a smart contract is, and how they can be used to create decentralized applications (dApps), more specifically on the Ethereum network.

A disclaimer I want to make at the start of this workshop is that I want you guys to treat blockchains and web3 just as any other software. I want to take it from first principles and an objective standpoint. At the end of the day, software is neutral, it’s how you use it that makes it “good” or “bad”.

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Some tools we will be using today

Etherscan (Testnet)

Etherscan is a comprehensive blockchain explorer created for the Ethereum blockchain. Provides tools and features to interact with and analyze network data

Metamask

Metamask is a self-custody crypto wallet that allows users to connect on chain through a browser extension.

Foundry

Foundry is a smart contract development kit that provides a comprehensive suite of tools for building and deploying decentralized applications (dApps) on the Ethereum blockchain. (Written in Rust btw)

Google web3 faucet

Application that dispenses free tokens on a testnet (a blockchain network used for development and testing).

RPC Node

To deploy contracts to the blockchain, we need to connect to a RPC node. Heres a good free one that we will be using for the workshop.

Proton VPN

Good free VPN that doesn’t keep logs.