Suggested Weekly Pace

6-Week Guide

The self-paced pathway has no deadlines, but this suggested rhythm helps most learners maintain steady progress while practicing commands.

You are free to move faster or slower.

The pathway moves from node setup → transaction mechanics → advanced transactions → script design, allowing your practical skills to build gradually.

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Week 1: Environment and Bitcoin Core Setup

• Chapter 1: Introduction

• Chapter 2: Setting Up Bitcoin Core VPS

Focus on:

• Understanding the CLI approach to Bitcoin Core

• Installing and configuring bitcoind

• Running a Bitcoin node

• Making your first RPC calls

• Understanding how Bitcoin Core exposes functionality

Goal for the week: Be comfortable interacting with Bitcoin Core through the command line.

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Week 2: Understanding Your Node

• Chapter 3: Understanding Your Bitcoin Setup

Focus on:

• Node architecture

• Wallet functionality

• Blockchain synchronization

• Inspecting node state through RPC commands

• Understanding how your node interacts with the network

Goal for the week: Be able to query and inspect your node confidently using CLI commands.

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Week 3: Transaction Fundamentals

• Chapter 4: Sending Bitcoin TXNs

• Chapter 5: Controlling Bitcoin TXNs

Focus on:

• Creating and broadcasting transactions

• Transaction inputs and outputs

• Fee selection and transaction confirmation

• Inspecting transactions through CLI

Goal for the week: Be able to construct, send, and inspect Bitcoin transactions directly through CLI.

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Week 4: Advanced Transaction Construction

• Chapter 6: Expanding Bitcoin TXNs - Multisigs

• Chapter 7: Expanding Bitcoin TXNs - PSBTs

• Chapter 8: Expanding Bitcoin TXNs - Other

Focus on:

• Multisignature wallets

• Collaborative transaction signing

• PSBT workflows

• More advanced transaction manipulation

Goal for the week: Understand how complex transactions are constructed and coordinated across multiple participants.

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Week 5: Introduction to Bitcoin Scripts

• Chapter 9: Introducing Bitcoin Scripts

• Chapter 10: Embedding Bitcoin Scripts in p2SH TXNs

Focus on:

• Script fundamentals

• Locking and unlocking conditions

• How scripts control spending conditions

• Embedding scripts in transactions

Goal for the week: Understand how Bitcoin transactions enforce spending conditions through Script.

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Week 6: Script Design and Advanced Conditions

• Chapter 11: Empowering Timelock with Bitcoin Script

• Chapter 12: Expanding Bitcoin Scripts

• Chapter 13: Designing Bitcoin Scripts

Focus on:

• Timelocks and conditional spending

• Advanced script patterns

• Designing custom spending conditions

Goal for the week: Be able to reason about and design complex script conditions for Bitcoin transactions.

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After the Pathway

Chapters 14–20 explore more advanced Bitcoin Core capabilities, including deeper RPC usage and system-level interaction.

These chapters are recommended for independent follow-up exploration after completing the pathway.