Blockchain Platforms and Applications

This unit examines major public and enterprise blockchain platforms, development tooling, and practical domain applications. Students will compare architectures and consensus models, deploy nodes and services in cloud/enterprise environments, and explore real-world uses and security considerations to prepare for hands-on development and production workflows in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze and compare the architecture, consensus mechanisms, and token models of Ethereum, Cardano (Ouroboros), Polkadot, Solana, and select Hyperledger projects to determine appropriate platform choices for given use cases
• Apply cloud and enterprise tooling by deploying and configuring blockchain nodes and services using Azure, IBM Bluemix, and Hyperledger Besu, demonstrating a working end-to-end setup in a sandbox environment
• Evaluate real-world blockchain applications (global financial products, mortgages, IoT, smart cities, DAOs) for technical feasibility, business value, and regulatory or ethical constraints
• Demonstrate secure smart contract and token practices by creating a minimal contract/token in a safe sandbox, identifying common attack vectors, and proposing mitigations