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: Undergoing light editing. Needs to have concepts brought up to 0.20.

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

Status: Requires editing; requires check that it works in 0.20; requires concepts brought up to 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
• 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 — Needs Rewrite for New Section
  • 4.5: Sending Coins with Automated Raw Transactions
  • 4.6: Creating a Segwit Transaction — Awaiting Better Integration of Segwit into CLI
• 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
  • 6.1: Sending a Transaction with a Multsig
  • 6.2: Spending a Transaction with a Multsig
  • 6.3: Sending & Spending an Automated Multisig
  • 6.4: Sending a Transaction with a Locktime
  • 6.5: Sending a Transaction with Data

Status: Requires editing; requires check that it works in 0.20; requires concepts brought up to 0.20.

• 7.0: Introducing Bitcoin Scripts
  • 7.1: Understanding the Foundation of Transactions
  • 7.2: Running a Bitcoin Script
  • 7.3: Scripting a P2PKH
  • 7.4: Testing a Bitcoin Script
• 8.0: Embedding Bitcoin Scripts in P2SH Transactions
  • 8.1: Understanding the Foundation of P2SH
  • 8.2: Building the Structure of P2SH
  • 8.3: Running a Bitcoin Script with P2SH
  • 8.4: Scripting a Multisig
  • 8.5: Spending a P2SH Transaction — Awaiting API Work
• 9.0: Empowering Timelock with Bitcoin Scripts
  • 9.1: Understanding Timelock Options
  • 9.2: Using CLTV in Scripts
  • 9.3: Using CSV in Scripts
• 10.0: Expanding Bitcoin Scripts
  • 10.1: Using Script Conditionals
  • 10.2: Using Other Script Commands
• 11.0: Designing Real Bitcoin Scripts
  • 11.1: Writing Puzzles Scripts
  • 11.2: Writing Complex Multisig Scripts
  • 11.3: Empowering Bitcoin with Scripts

Status: Unwritten.

• 12.0: Using Tor
  • 12.1: Verifying Your Tor Setup
  • 12.2: Changing Your Bitcoin Hidden Services
  • 12.3: Adding SSH Hiddne Services

Status: Unwritten. Chapter 14 may expand into multiple chapters.

• 13.0: Setting Up Lightning
• 14.0: Using Lightning

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/.

Status: This section is currently a messy set of older writings which are being reorganized as listed below. We're not going to work through this section until we've got chapters 1-11 updated per our current notes, then 12-14 written. But, if you'd like to see what we have to date on programming in correlation with Bitcoin Core, please feel free.

• 15.0: Talking to Bitcoind with C — Needs Rewrite + Editing
  • 15.1: Accessing Bitcoind with C — Needs Rewrite
  • 15.2: Programming Bitcoind with C — Needs Rewrite + Editing
  • 15.3: Receiving Bitcoind Notifications with C — Pending
• 16.0: Programming with LibWally
  • 17.1: Getting ready for LibWally
  • 17.2: Using secp256k1 Functions
  • 17.3: Writing Wallet Functions
  • 17.4: Integrating Libwally and Scripts
• 17.0: Talking to Lightningd with C
• 18.0: Talking to Bitcoind with Other Languages
  • [18.1: Accessing Bitcoind with Go]
  • 18.2: Accessing Bitcoind with Java — Needs Rewrite + Editing
  • 18.3: Accessing Bitcoind with_Node_JS — Needs Rewrite + Editing
  • [18.4: Accessing Bitcoind with Python]
  • [18.5: Accessing Bitcoind with Rust]
  • [18.6: Accessing Bitcoind with Swift]

Status: Varied. Appendix I is recent that just needs editing for style; Appendix II needs a rewrite.

• Appendix I: Compiling Bitcoin from Source
• Appendix II: Using Bitcoin Regtest — Needs Rewrite + Editing
  • A2.1: Starting the Regtest — Needs Rewrite + Editing
  • A2.2: Mining with Regtest — Needs Rewrite + Editing
  • A2.3: Testing with Regtest — Needs Rewrite + Editing
  • [why is Regtest important if you're compiling it yourself?]

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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