Blockchain developer

Although cryptocurrency is the star of the show, blockchain is the biggest power holding it in place. Following the upsurge of cryptocurrency trading, blockchain technology also grew with it. Every cryptocurrency is built on Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), and blockchain is the most popular form of it. The increasing popularity of blockchain is reflecting in the job market. Today, many organizations are looking for blockchain professionals to enhance their data storage policy. In this article, IndustryWired takes you through some of the must-have skills a blockchain developer should possess to outperform others. 

Blockchain is a ledger governed by majority consensus that is virtually impossible to manipulate. The impermeability of blockchain is what makes it compete with other technologies. Businesses are widely attracted to blockchain technology for the security elements that come with revolutionary technologies. Today, even government bodies are planning to implement blockchain to sophisticate their workflow. In a Gartner report, the platform predicted that by 2021, almost 90% of the enterprises will require replacing blockchain platforms in order to stay relevant, competitive, protected, and not become redundant. Owing to the surge in adoption, the demand for blockchain developers is drastically surging. The average pay of a blockchain developer is between US$150,000 and US$175,000 annually. Unfortunately, like many other professions, organizations demand professionals to be versatile and possess multiple skills as blockchain developer. Therefore, we help you figure out some of the mandatory skills a blockchain developer should own.

Cryptography

Cryptography is a major part of blockchain development that involves the study of protocols to prevent unwanted or outside parties from accessing your data. A blockchain developer should be well-versed in cryptography and be able to implement its features while developing blockchain technology. Public-key cryptography is the crucial application of cryptography that helps in the transaction of cryptocurrencies to wallets. On the other hand, cryptographic hashing is also mandatory to produce an output of a specific length from an input of any length. Therefore, in order to be a good blockchain developer, you should learn to be an expert in cryptography.

Data structures

Besides directly connecting with blockchain technology, blockchain developers also deal with data structures. Therefore, in-depth knowledge about data structures will help you perform well. In order to meet their personal network requirements, blockchain developers are already tweaking into existing data structures like Patrecia trees and Merkle trees. Henceforth, to provide an end-to-end encryption, you need to learn the tools of data structure and implement it along with cryptography.

Smart contracts

Smart contract is a trending and most-used method in the blockchain industry. Almost every blockchain user prefers smart contracts over other modes of assurance. Smart contracts are a futuristic way of contract sealing. It allows two parties to exchange goods or services without the need for an intermediary. Smart contracts can be used in diverse industries including law, manufacturing, construction, healthcare, etc. Owing to its increasing demand, blockchain developers should be aware of the evolving trends in smart contracts.

Object-oriented programming

One more out of the box talent that is mandatory for a blockchain developer is object-oriented programming (OOP). By learning about OOP, blockchain developers can become experts in reusing codes, solving problems, using modularity for easy troubleshooting, and gaining flexibility through polymorphism.

Web development

In addition to working on blockchain development, blockchain developers spend most of the time on web applications. Therefore, in order to create a powerful application, you should also have in-depth knowledge of web development. Besides, learning web development, you will also have to have a keen interest in programming apps, web designing, and more. These will help you outperform others as a blockchain developer.