Build Your Own Blockchain: A Practical Guide to Distributed Ledger Technology

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to blockchain and distributed ledger technology. Intended as an applied guide for hands-on practitioners, the book includes detailed examples and in-depth explanations of how to build and run a blockchain from scratch. Through its conceptual background and hands-on exercises, this book allows students, teachers and crypto enthusiasts to launch their first blockchain while assuming prior knowledge of the underlying technology.

How do I build a blockchain? How do I mint a cryptocurrency? How do I write a smart contract? How do I launch an initial coin offering (ICO)? These are some of questions this book answers. Starting by outlining the beginnings and development of early cryptocurrencies, it provides the conceptual foundations required to engineer secure software that interacts with both public and private ledgers. The topics covered include consensus algorithms, mining and decentralization, and many more.

About the Authors

Daniel Hellwig is a Principal at Kepler Cannon, a New York based strategic advisory firm. He is currently also active as a researcher at WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management. Daniel completed his undergraduate studies at the Wharton School and holds a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from UC Berkeley. He looks back at professional experiences at Deutsche Bank, Merrill Lynch, and Deloitte.

Goran Karlic is Senior Technology Consultant at Kepler Cannon, a New York based strategic advisory firm. Goran is co-founder of multiple startups and has developed products in the fields of artificial intelligence, distributed systems, machine vision, industrial process control and DLT.

Arnd Huchzermeier is Chaired Professor in Production Management at WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management, Vallendar, Germany. Arnd taught at the Booth Graduate School of Business of the University of Chicago after earning his PhD from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is, among others, author of books on Supply Chain Finance and Industrial Excellence. He regularly publishes in leading managerial and academic journals.