Learning Bitcoin from the Command Line is a tutorial for working with Bitcoin (and Lightning) that teaches direct interaction with the servers themselves, as the most robust and secure way to begin cryptocurrency work.

NOTE: This is a draft in progress, so that I can get some feedback from early reviewers. It is not yet ready for use.

This tutorial assumes that you have some minimal background of how to use the command line interface. If not, there are many tutorials available, and I have one for Mac users at https://github.com/ChristopherA/intro-mac-command-line.

• 0.0: Introduction to Programming with Bitcoin Core and Lightning

Status: Finished. Updated for 0.20.

• 1.0: Introducing Bitcoin
• 2.0: Setting Up a Bitcoin-Core VPS
  • 2.1: Setting Up a Bitcoin-Core VPS with Bitcoin Standup
  • 2.2: Setting Up a Bitcoin-Core Machine via Other Means

Status: Finished. Updated for 0.20.

• 3.0: Understanding Your Bitcoin Setup
  • 3.1: Verifying Your Bitcoin Setup
  • 3.2: Knowing Your Bitcoin Setup
  • 3.3: Setting Up Your Wallet
    • Interlude: Using Command-Line Variables
  • 3.4: Receiving a Transaction
  • 3.5: Understanding the Descriptor
• 4.0: Sending Bitcoin Transactions
  • 4.1: Sending Coins the Easy Way
  • 4.2: Creating a Raw Transaction
    • Interlude: Using JQ
  • 4.3: Creating a Raw Transaction with Named Arguments
  • 4.4: Sending Coins with Raw Transactions
    • Interlude: Using Curl
  • 4.5: Sending Coins with Automated Raw Transactions
  • 4.6: Creating a Segwit Transaction
• 5.0: Controlling Bitcoin Transactions
  • 5.1 Watching for Stuck Transactions
  • 5.2: Resending a Transaction with RBF
  • 5.3: Funding a Transaction with CPFP
• 6.0: Expanding Bitcoin Transactions with Multisigs
  • 6.1: Sending a Transaction with a Multsig
  • 6.2: Spending a Transaction with a Multsig
  • 6.3: Sending & Spending an Automated Multisig
• 7.0: Expanding Bitcoin Transactions with PSBTs
  • 7.1: Creating a Partially Signed Bitcoin Transaction
  • 7.2: Using a Partially Signed Bitcoin Transaction
  • 7.3: Integrating with Hardware Wallets
• 8.0: Expanding Bitcoin Transactions in Other Ways
  • 8.1: Sending a Transaction with a Locktime
  • 8.2: Sending a Transaction with Data

Status: Finished. Updated for 0.20 and btcdeb.

• 9.0: Introducing Bitcoin Scripts
  • 9.1: Understanding the Foundation of Transactions
  • 9.2: Running a Bitcoin Script
  • 9.3: Testing a Bitcoin Script
  • 9.4: Scripting a P2PKH
  • 9.5: Scripting a P2WPKH
• 10.0: Embedding Bitcoin Scripts in P2SH Transactions
  • 10.1: Understanding the Foundation of P2SH
  • 10.2: Building the Structure of P2SH
  • 10.3: Running a Bitcoin Script with P2SH
  • 10.4: Scripting a Multisig
  • 10.5: Scripting a Segwit Script
  • 10.6: Spending a P2SH Transaction
• 11.0: Empowering Timelock with Bitcoin Scripts
  • 11.1: Understanding Timelock Options
  • 11.2: Using CLTV in Scripts
  • 11.3: Using CSV in Scripts
• 12.0: Expanding Bitcoin Scripts
  • 12.1: Using Script Conditionals
  • 12.2: Using Other Script Commands
• 13.0: Designing Real Bitcoin Scripts
  • 13.1: Writing Puzzles Scripts
  • 13.2: Writing Complex Multisig Scripts
  • 13.3: Empowering Bitcoin with Scripts

Status: Finished.

• 14.0: Using Tor
  • 14.1: Verifying Your Tor Setup
  • 14.2: Changing Your Bitcoin Hidden Services
  • 14.3: Adding SSH Hidden Services

Status: What's up here is finished, though work progresses on additional chapters, below.

• 15.0: Talking to Bitcoind with C
  • 15.1: Accessing Bitcoind in C with RPC Libraries
  • 15.2: Programming Bitcoind in C with RPC Libraries
  • 15.3: Receiving Notifications in C with ZMQ Libraries
• 16.0: Programming Bitcoin with Libwally
  • 16.1: Setting Up Libwally
  • 16.2: Using BIP39 in Libwally
  • 16.3: Using BIP32 in Libwally
  • 16.4: Using PSBTs in Libwally
  • 16.5: Using Scripts in Libwally
  • 16.6: Using Other Functions in Libwally
  • 16.7: Integrating Libwally and Bitcoin-CLI

Status: Finished.

• Appendices
  • Appendix I: Understanding Bitcoin Standup
  • Appendix II: Compiling Bitcoin from Source
  • Appendix III: Using Bitcoin Regtest

This is the end of the polished second-edition course as it currently stands. We are looking for reviews on chapters 0-14 above. Thank you for your help & support!

We want to expand this course to also introduce programming with RPC and finally talk about Lightning. The material below is all in process. We'll move it "above the line" for review and learning when we finish it up.

Status: VERY Unfinished. Rgularizing other languages chapter; and deciding what to do with Swift

• 17.0: Talking to Bitcoind with Other Languages
  • 17.1: Accessing Bitcoind with Go
  • 17.2: Accessing Bitcoind with Java
  • 17.3: Accessing Bitcoind with Node JS
  • 17.4: Accessing Bitcoind with Python
  • 17.5: Accessing Bitcoind with Rust
  • [17.6: Accessing Bitcoind with Swift]

Status: Unfinished. Requires renumbering [currently all listed as chapter 13], editing

(At this point, I'm assuming that Lightning will be integrated into Standup, at which point we just need to tech how to use it at a pretty basic level.)

• 18.0: Understanding Lightning
  • 18.1: Verifying Your Lightning Setup
  • 18.2: Knowing Your Lightning Setup
  • 18.3: Setting up a Channel
• 19.0: Using Lightning
  • 19.1: Generating a Payment Request
  • 19.2: Paying an Invoice
  • 19.3: Closing a Channel
• 20.0: Talking to Lightningd with C

Some good docs from one of the developers are here: https://diyhpl.us/wiki/transcripts/blockstream-webinars/2019-07-31-rusty-russell-getting-started-with-c-lightning/.

Learning Bitcoin from the Command Line is currently under active development and its writing in progress. Current chapters are functional, but need to be updated to more modern versions of Bitcoin-Core. Additional chapters also need to be written to fill out our intended scope.

The empty chapters above show some of our current plans for future work. Other plans, mainly drawn from old issues, can be found in TODO.md

Obviously, this work in progress should not be used for production tasks until it is completed and has had further testing and auditing.

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