Mastering Bitcoin: Programming the Open Blockchain

I have read a lot of books on Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and the quality of this one simply blows all the others out of the water. This is a very murky area informationally, and I was frankly shocked at just how good this book is. If you're familiar with other O'Reilly Press programming books, it might be less surprising that this is exceedingly well-written, extremely useful, and incredibly enlightening, but still I was taken aback at the depth and quality of this book. (I've said it already, but it bears repeating that cryptocurrency books vary widely in quality and frequently toe the line of marketing rather than informing.) In any event, kudos to Andreas and his editors and I have already preordered (and breathlessly await) his forthcoming Ethereum book. One final note: this book is a great resource not just for programming, but simply understanding, Bitcoin. Much of it is reasonably complex and requires programming background, but the book does not require you to actually be plugging code into a command line to appreciate the insights and explanations.

Mastering Bitcoin does not disappoint. Most of the knowledge in this book is available online (the book is actually open-source on Github), but having every aspect of Bitcoin explained in one location has been very useful and convenient for me. This book follows the usual O'Reilly format, which, combined with the clear, working examples and top-down explanation makes the concepts easy to grasp, even with little to no past exposure. Everything I've struggled with while developing a block explorer and mobile wallet has been covered in this book... Base 58, encryption algorithms, signing transactions, block formats, multisig, segwit, BIPs, scripting capabilities... you name it, this book explains it.

This book is really a reference on bitcoin from a technical point of view. It is written with an underlying consistency which allow to have a proper view on the topic. If you have tech background this is the typical textbook that will not get quickly outdated and gives a good foundation which you cannot have just by reading blogs and attending meetup. Armed with the learnings form this text it is possible to follow all the last progress in the field. I am looking forward to read the ethereum book from the same author. A really complete overview about blockchain would need also good textbooks about finance and law. Not easy. For me this is still a missing piece in available literature. If the goal is understanding the technology I would say that you have what is needed buying this book: reading more than once and doing the labs is necessary (it doesn't come for free).

An older publication with some obsolete information but, if you are looking to uncover some of the secrets of bitcoin transactions, this book will enlighten you. A bit of a dry read at times, just a little too technical for someone that is mostly curious and not intending to do the programming. The author warns you at the beginning about the redundancy in places and that's the only reason I can forgive it's overuse.

I recently went back to Mastering Bitcoin and the graphical explanation of how to get from a public key to a P2PKH address is crystal clear. This is not the first time that I was using some internet source and ended up having to go back to Mastering Bitcoin to see what the correct answer was. It is also nice to have clear and correct information all in one place, and presented in order. If you start at the beginning of this book and finish at the end, you will have covered everything you need to know about the bitcoin code protocol at the time the book was written. Note that you can get this book online for free... in small pieces. If you are considering buying it maybe try using the online version to read about something you are on clear on before paying.

This is the best technical book I have found on the subject, where many other blockchain and bitcoin books appear to be more popular science than technical education. This book prepares the reader to develop on this platform, as well as architect solutions. Each chapter describes the ingenious approaches that developers have come up with to solve practical, as well as existential, problems of trust and distributed exchange. Even if you are not a developer, it is fascinating to read about the solutions that have been developed, and how each one builds on the ones that came before it. The book is well-written and has been carefully edited for grammar, organization, diagrams, code examples, and so on. Of course, one should probably expect this quality of technical writing and publication from O'Reilly. I enjoyed it and have pre-ordered "Mastering Ethereum", by the same author, Andreas M. Antonopoulos.

I bought this book a couple of years ago and sorta skimmed through it (was just trying to get an idea on Bitcoin and the book looked a bit too deep for me). Couple of years later (today), I've actually started blockchain programming and I find myself ALWAYS coming back to this book for a deeper understanding on this topic than any other book in the market. It gives me deep pleasure to see how beautifully so many topics and been analysed and explained. It is not easy reading, but becoming good at anything needs an effort (and you CANNOT do better than using this book as a reference for serious bitcoin programming).

Excellent to really understand Bitcoin technology

I've always wanted to understand Bitcoin from an technical point of view. Reading all the BIPs and whitepaper can be challenging and quite daunting to me. I'm an engineer by trade but lack understanding and confidence in reading academic papers. This book is incredibly easy to read, applies user stories with real transactions to breakdown all parts of Bitcoin; wallets, transactions, nodes, network. There's so many "that's how that works" moments, I just wanted to read more. Great book!

Excelente publicação do Andreas. Não indicado para iniciantes no assunto embora alguns capítulos iniciais abordam conceitos básicos e introdutórios do protocolo e da tecnologia por trás do Bitcoin. Para programadores, indico fortemente. Conteúdo bem elaborado e a parte técnica bem avançada.

This book is exceptionally well-written and accessible to a wide audience. It seamlessly transitions from introductory concepts to more in-depth discussions of cryptography and the Lightning Network. This comprehensive guide provides a thorough understanding of Bitcoin's origins, evolution, and the future of blockchains and cryptocurrencies. You may also read the free version in the web if you cannot afford to buy the book.

Nice book for beginners