Mastering Cardano: An open-source guide to the Cardano ecosystem

Mastering Cardano is now available from Book.io! Purchase your copy here (coming soon!).

Welcome to Mastering Cardano, a comprehensive, open-source book dedicated to exploring the depths of the Cardano blockchain. This book is a collaborative effort, written by experts and the community, for anyone interested in understanding, building on, or participating in the Cardano ecosystem.

Mastering Cardano is a living document, intended to evolve with the Cardano platform. We invite you, the reader, to join us in this journey of learning and contribution.

About the Book

Mastering Cardano provides a thorough exploration of the Cardano blockchain, from its foundational principles to the intricacies of smart contract development and decentralized governance. The book is structured to cater to a wide audience, including developers, stake pool operators, students, and enthusiasts.

Table of contents

1. Introduction — a primer on blockchain technology, smart contracts, and the foundational concepts of Cardano.
2. Cryptography — an overview of the cryptographic principles that secure the Cardano network.
3. Learn about Cardano — a deep dive into the history, core principles, and ecosystem of Cardano.
4. How Cardano works — detailed explanations of the Cardano node, the EUTXO model, Ouroboros consensus, and native assets.
5. Cardano governance — an exploration of Cardano's decentralized governance model, including CIPs, Project Catalyst, and the Age of Voltaire.
6. Cardano digital wallets — a guide to using and understanding digital wallets within the Cardano ecosystem.
7. Stake pools and stake pool operation — a comprehensive guide for aspiring and current stake pool operators.
8. Writing smart contracts — a practical guide to developing smart contracts on Cardano using Plutus and Marlowe.
9. Decentralized applications (DApps) — an introduction to building and interacting with DApps on Cardano.
10. Looking forward — a glimpse into the future of Cardano, including scaling solutions like Hydra and Mithril.

How to use this book

Mastering Cardano is designed to be flexible. You can read it from start to finish or follow one of the suggested reading paths tailored to your interests:

• Cardano fundamentals path — for beginners who want a solid understanding of blockchain and Cardano.
• Smart contracts developer path — for developers looking to build smart contracts and DApps on Cardano.
• Cardano user path — for non-technical users who want to learn how to use and interact with the Cardano ecosystem.
• Stake pool operator path — for those interested in running and maintaining a stake pool.
• Cardano governance and future path — for readers interested in the long-term vision and governance of Cardano.

Building the book

This book is written in AsciiDoc. To build your own PDF and EPUB versions from the source, please follow these steps.

Prerequisites

• Ruby and Bundler — the build process relies on Ruby and Bundler. Please ensure you have a recent version of Ruby installed.
• Graphviz — required for rendering diagrams in the book.

Build instructions

1. Clone the repository, as follows:

   git clone https://github.com/input-output-hk/mastering-cardano.git
   cd mastering-cardano
   

2. Install dependencies, as follows: This project uses Bundler to manage Ruby gems. Install the required gems with:

   bundle install
   

3. Install Graphviz: On Debian-based systems (like Ubuntu), you can install Graphviz with:

   sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y graphviz
   

4. Build the book: You can build both the PDF and EPUB versions using the Makefile: make

   Alternatively, you can build each format individually:

   • To build the PDF: make pdf
   • To build the EPUB: make epub

The generated files will be placed in the dist/ directory.

Contributing

Mastering Cardano is a community-driven project, and we welcome contributions of all kinds. Whether you're fixing a typo, clarifying a concept, or adding new content, your input is valuable.

To contribute, please fork the repository and submit a pull request with your proposed changes. For more significant changes, we recommend opening an issue first to discuss your ideas with the community.

About the authors

Mastering Cardano is authored by Dr. Lars Brünjes, Director of Education at IO, and Prof. Joshua Ellul, Director of the Centre for DLT at the University of Malta, with contributions from numerous experts and community members. This book is a testament to the collaborative and open-source spirit of the Cardano ecosystem.

We hope you enjoy reading Mastering Cardano and find it a valuable resource on your journey into the world of blockchain. Happy reading!