We’ve just wrapped up week 2 of the Bitcoin CLI live cohort. Over the past week, participants worked through chapters 4 and 5 of the course, continuing to build practical experience interacting with Bitcoin through the command line. The readings and exercises focused on how transactions are sent using bitcoin-cli, and how developers can better understand and manage transactions once they’ve been broadcast to the network. Throughout the week, participants practiced the concepts through hands‑on exercises and met with their study partners to discuss the key ideas from the chapters. We came together today for the live session with faculty, where participants shared what they learned, walked through their questions, and discussed some of the challenges they encountered while working through the exercises.

This week we wrapped up week 3 of the live cohort of the Mastering Bitcoin pathway, continuing our deep dive into how Bitcoin works under the hood. Over the past week, participants studied chapters 5 and 6 of Mastering Bitcoin and met with their learning partners to talk through the material before joining the group session with faculty. The week began with a closer look at bitcoin wallets and recovery. Bitcoin wallets don’t actually store bitcoins. Instead, they store the keys that give someone control over the bitcoins recorded on the blockchain. The group discussed how early wallets generated keys independently, which meant users had to back up their wallets frequently to avoid losing access to funds. From there, the conversation moved to how modern wallets solve this problem using deterministic key generation. Participants learned how a single random seed can be used to generate many keys and addresses, making it possible to recover an entire wallet from one backup. The group also explored hierarchical deterministic (HD) wallets, which organize keys in a tree structure and allow wallets to create new addresses while keeping private keys secure. The discussions also touched on recovery phrases, often called seed phrases, and why backing them up safely is essential. Participants reflected on how these recovery systems help users protect their funds while still making wallets practical to use. After exploring wallets and recovery, the cohort moved into bitcoin transactions and how value actually moves across the network. Instead of coins being physically transferred, Bitcoin works by updating a shared record that shows which keys control which bitcoins. Participants unpacked how transactions are structured, looking at the roles of inputs and outputs. Inputs reference previously received funds, while outputs define where the bitcoin will go next and the conditions required to spend it. The group also explored several deeper parts of the transaction structure, including scripts, witness data, and Segregated Witness (SegWit). These components help verify that transactions are authorized and make the system more efficient and secure. By the end of the session, participants had a clearer picture of how wallets manage keys and how transactions move value through the network. The discussions helped connect the ideas from earlier chapters about keys and cryptography with the practical mechanics of sending and receiving bitcoin.

We just kicked off the first 2026 live cohort of the Bitcoin CLI pathway, bringing participants together to begin exploring how to work directly with Bitcoin using the command line.🚀 Over the past week, participants worked through the opening chapters of the course, starting with an introduction to why learning Bitcoin through Bitcoin Core and its command‑line tools matters. The readings explored how Bitcoin differs from traditional payment systems, and why developers often interact directly with the core software to build reliable applications on the network. From there, the cohort moved into setting up their own Bitcoin environments. Participants learned how to deploy a Bitcoin Core node on a VPS, exploring the different types of nodes that can run on the network and the trade‑offs between them. Along the way, they discussed the differences between mainnet, testnet, and regtest, and why testnet is useful for experimentation and development. Once their environments were running, participants began getting familiar with bitcoin-cli, the command‑line interface used to interact with a Bitcoin node. They practiced verifying that their nodes were running correctly, exploring the structure of their Bitcoin setup, and using basic wallet commands such as generating new addresses to receive testnet bitcoin. Throughout the week, participants paired up with study partners to talk through the discussion questions, compare their experiences setting up their nodes, and work through the technical exercise provided in the course materials. These conversations came together in the group study session with faculty, where participants shared what they discovered, asked questions, and reflected on what it means to run and interact with Bitcoin infrastructure directly.

We've just concluded week 2 of the live cohort for the Mastering Bitcoin pathway. 📚 Over the past week, participants studied chapters 3 and 4 of Mastering Bitcoin, discussing the material with their learning partners before coming together for our live session with the faculty. The conversations focused on how Bitcoin actually works behind the scenes. We explored Bitcoin Core as the reference implementation, what it means to run a full node, and why independent verification is such an important part of the network. We also examined how developers interact with Bitcoin Core through tools like the command line and JSON‑RPC. From there, we moved into the foundations of Bitcoin cryptography. Participants unpacked how private and public keys work, how signatures prove ownership, and how addresses are derived to make sending and receiving bitcoin possible. Week by week, it’s all starting to come together. On to the next! 🚀

This week we kicked off the first live cohort of the Mastering Bitcoin program, bringing together participants, faculty, and the Btrust team for the start of a deep dive into how Bitcoin actually works. Over the course of the week, participants explored the foundations of Bitcoin through the opening chapters of Mastering Bitcoin by Andreas M. Antonopoulos. The discussions started with understanding Bitcoin not just as digital money, but as a system made up of several technologies working together. The group unpacked how Bitcoin enables value to move across the internet without relying on centralized intermediaries, and how the network itself is built around open protocols that anyone can run and verify. From there, conversations moved into the mechanics of how the system operates. The group unpacked key components of the Bitcoin ecosystem, including wallets, cryptographic keys, transactions, the peer-to-peer network, and miners. To make these ideas more concrete, participants also walked through the lifecycle of a Bitcoin transaction, from creation in a wallet, to broadcast across the network, validation by nodes, and eventual inclusion in the blockchain. Over the next few weeks, participants will continue building their understanding step by step, moving from these first principles toward the deeper technical layers of the protocol.

As the Btrust Builders program continues to grow, we’ve learned that scale should never come at the cost of quality or faculty well‑being. That’s why our 2026 pathways introduce a new hybrid engagement model designed to serve more developers without compromising the learning experience. In 2026, each pathway runs in two formats: a high‑touch live cohort and an open self‑paced track. This approach allows us to combine structure and flexibility, giving every developer a way to learn that fits their experience, schedule, and goals. The live cohort is more in-depth. Each one is capped at around 100 learners, guided by chaperones, and built around weekly sessions, breakout groups, and feedback loops. It’s designed for developers who are ready for structure, accountability, and peer discussion. Live cohorts provide strong signaling for fellowship readiness, making them a great fit for learners seeking an intensive, guided experience. The self‑paced track is the default mode and just as central to the Builders experience. It gives learners full access to all pathway content, a dedicated community channel, pacing guides to help them stay consistent, and scheduled office hours for support. It’s an intentional, supported route for independent learners who want to move at their own speed and still remain connected to the Builders community. Every participant, live or self‑paced, is part of one Builders ecosystem. You can start self‑paced, join a live cohort later, and, when ready, progress toward the Open Source Fellowship. The goal is to make sure learning never stops, regardless of where you begin. We’ve also refined how developers are selected into live cohorts to maintain both diversity and readiness. These filters are applied intentionally but never rigidly, readiness and quality always come first. Both Q1 2026 Pathways, Mastering Bitcoin and Learn Bitcoin from the Command Line, will follow this hybrid model. Learners can choose the path that fits them best. Those who want structure and accountability can join the live cohort, while those who prefer independence and flexibility can dive into the self‑paced track with full Builder support. This model helps us reach more learners, sustain our faculty, and keep the Builders learning experience consistently excellent as we scale across Africa. Learn more about the pathways and the hybrid model here: https://pathways.btrust.tech/index