In most applications data is collected, stored, and controlled by some central authority such as a bank, retailer, or governmental institution. Decentralized applications, or Dapps, shift control to their users, operating without any single agency managing the process. Instead Dapps store their data in a secure, unchangeable form called a blockchain, maintained concurrently on thousands of servers owned by different parties. Users do not need to trust any institution to be confident their data will be processed and stored correctly; the Dapp technology itself guarantees it. The open-source Ethereum blockchain platform provides tools for developers to start building and deploying their own Dapps, including an innovative smart contracts transaction model and Solidity, a JavaScript-like programming language.

Exploring Ethereum Dapps is a free primer created with hand-picked chapters from Building Ethereum Dapps by Roberto Infante. It explains how decentralized applications work and gets you ready to start building them. You’ll quickly learn with what Dapps look like, how they function, and what kind of application is best suited to being decentralized. Once you’ve grasped the basics you’ll dive into the Ethereum blockchain, including the Ethereum smart contracts that form the basis of all Ethereum Dapps. When you’re done, you’ll have the grounding you’ll need to start building your first Dapps.