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This past week has been quite a deep dive for me into blockchain and Web3 product engineering, especially squeezing in learning during my spare time. I kicked off this journey mainly to get a better grasp on how product engineering works in the crypto world, so I wouldn't feel totally lost when crypto folks chat on Twitter. I've been using crypto regularly for payments and even dabbled in spot and futures trading years back. Plus, I played around with those random tokens everyone gets hyped about for a bit. But this week I really focused on understanding the tech and tools that power everything behind the scenes.
One major breakthrough was finally understanding the blockchain layers from Layer 0 up to Layer 2. Before, I had only a vague idea, but now it’s clearer how Layer 0, like Polkadot and Hyperbridge, provides the foundational infrastructure, Layer 1 includes big names like Ethereum and Bitcoin, and Layer 2 solutions such as Base and Polygon help scale things by making transactions faster and cheaper. I even started thinking about what Layer 3 and 4 could be, but that’s a story for later.
Next up, I dug into bridging and Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs), terms I’d heard often but never fully got. RPCs basically let apps communicate with blockchain nodes, acting as gateways. I also checked out different wallet providers including Coinbase Wallet, Privy, and some African players like Blockradar. co. It’s interesting why some developers prefer managing wallets themselves instead of relying on services — more control and flexibility, but it comes at a cost. For RPCs, using services like Alchemy can save a ton of hassle since they handle connections to multiple networks.
Smart contracts were another highlight. I’d known the basics before, but I got to see how frameworks like Hardhat simplify building, testing, and deploying contracts. I also learned about the Ethereum Virtual Machine and how wallet addresses are pretty much the same across Ethereum-compatible networks, which explains why I’ve been using one address in different apps without realizing it.
This week also pushed me to start thinking about what kind of products I might build on-chain. I’m still weighing which Layer 2 network to choose, but I’ve been hanging out in Base and Celo communities to soak up knowledge from active devs. Lisk’s on my radar too for experimentation.
I finally got what made some tools like BaseMigrate and SuperMigrate viral on Twitter — they automate importing ERC-20 tokens into networks like Base, which now makes a lot more sense to me. On the community front, I attended a Celo event, which was pretty inspiring. That’s where I understood why Celo blurs the line between Layer 1 and Layer 2 blockchain because it’s designed for scalability and interoperability. They’re even planning to migrate to become a Layer 2 on Ethereum. I’m also exploring other ecosystems to get better context.
I joined Farcaster this week and started taking Discord channels seriously too, which has been fun although I’m still figuring out who to follow. Learned that “GM” is web3 slang for good morning, lol.
Wrapping up, this week has reminded me how fast-evolving and deep the blockchain space is. Every new piece of info I get just opens up three other things I want to learn. Terms and concepts can overlap and get confusing, but it’s starting to click bit by bit. I’m thinking of documenting my learnings weekly to keep track and share progress as I go.
