A few days ago, I shared that I placed 3rd in my first blockchain audit competition. Since then, many people have reached out, asking about how I got started in blockchain, how I learned, and how they can follow a similar path. Here’s a thread to answer those questions.

@jayendra_jog Congratulations on reaching this milestone! I have a few questions after reviewing the attached graph. 1. Which consensus engine did you use? Is it a DAG-based consensus engine? 2. How did you measure the Executor TPS? Did you base it on a single node’s throughput? (If a DAG-based consensus engine was used, transactions would be processed in parallel by multiple nodes. I’d like to clarify whether this value reflects that.) 3. The measurement is categorized into Executor, Edge Node, and Stream Node. Could you briefly explain the differences between them? What distinguishes each of these components? Looking forward to your response! 🚀

@AvaxDevelopers Blockchain core r&d

@_hrkrshnn 1 solo high at code4rena

@flack00n Looks like you’ve got the ultimate engineer’s workstation—complete with the essential cat! 😼

Engage with real-world systems: 1. Study public audit reports (many firms like Zellic shared public reports). 2. Simulate scenarios on local-net using test wallets with sufficient funds. 3. Gradually start contributing to open-source projects in your area of interest.

Once you’ve got the basics, hands-on practice is key: 1. Run a blockchain node locally. 2. Interact with smart contracts using tools like Remix, Hardhat, or Foundry. 3. Use testnets to deploy and experiment with contracts.

For those interested in smart contract development or auditing, start by learning Solidity. There are many tutorials online to guide you. Focus on understanding not just syntax but also best practices and common vulnerabilities like reentrancy or overflow issues.

Study their architecture, set up a local node, and dive into their source code.

2⃣ How long did it take you to reach this level? I’m currently a blockchain core developer with 6 years of experience. It took me this time to build my expertise, and the journey was a mix of consistent practice, research, and real-world exposure.

For security auditing, I analyzed published audit reports (e.g., Zellic) and studied real-world examples.

@kenniscotz @code4rena Thank you!

@amityclev @code4rena Thanks

RT @code4rena: 🥇 First place: 0x007 🥈 Second place: 0x41 🥉 Third place: @zsystmd

@Suraj_Samantha @code4rena @foodie I looked into some resources, and this one seems pretty solid: How about starting with this? Honestly, what matters more than which tutorial you choose is just getting started. Wishing you the best of luck!

@Suraj_Samantha @code4rena @Suraj_Samantha In that case, I’d suggest starting by learning Solidity, deploying a simple smart contract, and interacting with it. It’s a great way to get hands-on experience and understand the fundamentals!

@AvaxDevelopers @AvaxDevelopers Thank you! Yes, I’m currently conducting research and development on a few Layer 1 blockchain cores. Can’t go into much detail, but I do have a full-time job alongside this.