Skip to content
All paths

9-step roadmap

Blockchain / Web3 Developer

You build apps that run on a blockchain — smart contracts and the apps on top of them. Be honest with yourself: it's a smaller, fast-moving, and volatile niche, with big swings in hype and jobs. Learn it because the tech interests you, not because of promised riches.

Blockchain / Web3 Developer roadmap

Follow the line, from first step to goal.

  1. Programming basics first

    Start

    Before anything blockchain-specific, learn ordinary programming — variables, loops, functions. A shaky foundation here will hurt you badly later, since this field punishes small mistakes.

  2. How a blockchain actually works

    Learn the real mechanics: blocks of records chained together, consensus (how a network of strangers agrees on what's true), and wallets (how you hold and prove ownership). Skip the hype and understand the machine.

  3. A smart-contract language: Solidity

    A smart contract is a small program that runs on the blockchain and can't be quietly changed later. Solidity is the most common language for writing them, especially on Ethereum.

  4. The EVM & gas

    The EVM is the shared computer that runs your contract across the whole network. Gas is the fee you pay for each bit of work it does. Both shape how you write code — wasteful code is literally expensive.

  5. Build & test a smart contract

    Write a small contract and test it hard. Testing matters far more here than in normal apps: once a contract is live, a bug can't just be patched, and it may be holding real money.

  6. Connect a frontend

    Learn web3 libraries that let a normal website talk to the blockchain and a user's wallet. This is how people actually click buttons instead of typing raw commands.

  7. Security, taken seriously

    This field is a huge target for hackers, because bugs can directly drain funds. Learn the common attacks and safe patterns early — security isn't a final step here, it's the whole mindset.

  8. Deploy to a testnet, then mainnet

    A testnet is a practice network with fake money, where mistakes are free. Ship there first, get everything right, and only then deploy to mainnet, the real network with real value at stake.

  9. Keep learning — it moves fast

    Goal

    This space changes quickly: tools, networks, and best practices shift year to year. Expect to keep relearning, and treat anything you learned as possibly out of date already.

Start learning the conceptsSee where this career goes