Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies
- Free
- No certificate
- 2 weeks
Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies is Arvind Narayanan's Princeton course on how Bitcoin works at a technical level, aimed at letting you separate fact from fiction when reading claims about cryptocurrencies. Its eleven modules cover an introduction to cryptography and cryptocurrencies, how Bitcoin achieves decentralisation, the mechanics of Bitcoin, how to store and use bitcoins, mining, Bitcoin and anonymity, community, politics and regulation, alternative mining puzzles, Bitcoin as a platform, altcoins and the cryptocurrency ecosystem, and the future of Bitcoin. The page frames the questions it answers: how Bitcoin works, what makes it different, how secure and anonymous it is, what determines its price and whether cryptocurrencies can be regulated.
Coursera lists a flexible schedule and estimates two weeks at ten hours a week; no level is given. The page states that all the features of the course are available for free and that it does not offer a certificate upon completion, in line with Princeton's policy that no credentials are awarded.
What you’ll learn
- Explain the cryptography behind Bitcoin and how it achieves decentralisation
- Describe the mechanics of Bitcoin transactions, storage and mining
- Assess how anonymous Bitcoin users really are
- Discuss community, politics and regulation of cryptocurrencies
- Compare alternative mining puzzles, altcoins and Bitcoin as a platform
Who it’s for
Technically minded readers who want to understand Bitcoin's design rather than trade it; some comfort with computer-science ideas helps.
Syllabus
11 sections as listed on coursera.org, 23 h 13 min in total.
- Introduction to Crypto and Cryptocurrencies 4 h 9 min
- How Bitcoin Achieves Decentralization 1 h 14 min
- Mechanics of Bitcoin 1 h 18 min
- How to Store and Use Bitcoins 4 h 21 min
- Bitcoin Mining 1 h 26 min
- Bitcoin and Anonymity 1 h 52 min
- Community, Politics, and Regulation 4 h 15 min
- Alternative Mining Puzzles 45 min
- Bitcoin as a Platform 1 h 25 min
- Altcoins and the Cryptocurrency Ecosystem 1 h 4 min
- The Future of Bitcoin? 1 h 24 min
Instructor
- Arvind Narayanan Associate Professor, Computer Science, Princeton University
Course details
- Skills covered
- Application Security
- Transaction Processing
- Market Dynamics
- Blockchain
- Network Protocols
- Cryptography
- Cryptographic Protocols
- Key Management
- Financial Regulation
- Includes
- 11 modules
- Subtitles
- 22 languages
On coursera.org
Rated 4.6 out of 5 by 3,116 learners; 867,475 enrolled, as shown on the course page on 20 Oct 2026. These are coursera.org’s own figures, not ours.
Source: Princeton Online (opens in a new tab) · Verified · Report a change
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