From UTXOs to Taproot, Lightning, Ordinals, and BitVM — Bitcoin at the protocol layer and at the application layer.
This is the course for builders who want to ship serious software on Bitcoin. You'll learn the actual mechanics — UTXOs, Script, Taproot, Schnorr — then move into modern Bitcoin: Miniscript, PSBT, hardware wallets, Lightning Network, LSPs, BOLT 12, Ordinals, BRC-20, Runes. The advanced modules go into Bitcoin's L2 ecosystem (Liquid, Stacks, Rootstock, RGB), proposed upgrades (CTV, ANYPREVOUT, BitVM), and production node operations. Every module ships runnable code: rust-bitcoin, bitcoinjs-lib, python-bitcoinlib, LDK, Clarity. Smart contracts shown include Multisig vaults, Tapscript multi-key vaults, MuSig2 aggregation, Lightning channel logic, Stacks Clarity contracts, and Ordinals envelope construction. Five capstones (you pick one) let you actually ship a Bitcoin product: a Multisig P2WSH wallet, a Taproot vault with MuSig2, an HD wallet with PSBT signing, a Lightning payment app with LSP integration, or a production node + indexer stack.
Built by Lakshya Kumar
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Sign in to applyComplete all modules, then submit the required number of capstone projects. Each must earn a passing rating from an admin reviewer.
Build a 2-of-3 multisig P2WSH wallet end-to-end on regtest: generate keys, derive the address, fund it, build a spend tx, sign with 2 keys, broadcast. Include explicit handling for the CHECKMULTISIG off-by-one bug and document why the OP_0 dummy is required. Demonstrate the full flow with a working PSBT pipeline and a test spend back to a single-sig address.
I am learning Bitcoin at depth — UTXO model, Script, Segwit, Taproot/Schnorr, Miniscript, HD wallets, PSBT, hardware-wallet integration, Lightning (channels, HTLCs, routing, BOLT 12), Ordinals/Runes, Bitcoin L2s (Liquid, Stacks, Rootstock, RGB), covenant proposals (CTV, APO, BitVM), and node operations. Help me understand the actual mechanics with reference to real BIPs, real protocol code (rust-bitcoin, LDK, ord), and real production patterns.
Build a Taproot vault: cooperative key-path spend via MuSig2 aggregation of N keys (instant), plus a script-path recovery requiring 1 key after a 6-month CSV delay. Deploy to signet; demonstrate both paths. The cooperative spend should produce a 64-byte witness indistinguishable from a single-sig output; the recovery path should reveal exactly one script leaf + control block.
Build a single-user HD wallet from scratch (rust-bitcoin or python-bitcoinlib): BIP-39 seed -> BIP-32 derivation -> BIP-84 P2WPKH addresses -> coin selection (BnB with SRD fallback) -> PSBT building -> hardware-signing-compatible -> broadcast. Run on testnet. Export an output descriptor and confirm interoperability by reimporting into Sparrow Wallet.
Build a non-custodial Lightning mobile wallet using LDK or Breez SDK. Integrate with an LSP for JIT inbound liquidity. Demonstrate end-to-end receive and send: cold-start to first-pay UX under 5 seconds, JIT channel open on first receive, BIP-39 backup and restore. Run on signet or mainnet with small amounts. Code must be non-custodial: keys never leave the device.
Deploy a production-grade Bitcoin stack: bitcoind (archival, txindex=1) + ElectRS or Fulcrum + LND (or CLN) + monitoring via Prometheus + Grafana. Document operational runbooks and disaster recovery. Test the recovery: kill primary node; recover from backup in under 4 hours. Includes hot/cold key separation, hourly LN channel backups, and a tested DR drill.
Source of truth for all Bitcoin protocol changes. Used throughout.