A decentralized educational platform leveraging blockchain technology to foster a community-driven learning ecosystem. Users can upload educational content, access resources, and earn tokens through contributions and engagement, all managed transparently through smart contracts on a custom-built blockchain.

1. Project Overview
2. Directory Structure
3. Getting Started
4. Blockchain Architecture
5. Smart Contracts
6. Token Economy
7. Content Management
8. P2P Network
9. User Interface
10. Testing
11. Deployment
12. Security
13. Community and Contributions
14. License
15. Contact

This project aims to create a Peer-to-Peer Learning Platform built on a custom blockchain, fostering a decentralized community of learners and educators. Key features include:

• Custom blockchain for transaction and smart contract management.
• Uploading and accessing educational content.
• Token economy for incentivizing contributions and managing resources.
• Smart contracts for automating platform operations.
• Decentralized storage solutions for efficient content management.
• Simple and intuitive user interface for interacting with the blockchain.

project-root/
|-- blockchain/                # Custom blockchain implementation
|   |-- src/
|   |   |-- consensus/
|   |   |-- core/
|   |   |-- network/
|   |-- tests/
|   |-- README.md
|-- smart-contracts/           # Smart contracts for platform operations
|   |-- src/
|   |-- tests/
|   |-- README.md
|-- dapp/                      # Decentralized application (frontend & backend)
|   |-- src/
|   |   |-- components/
|   |   |-- assets/
|   |-- public/
|   |-- README.md
|-- storage/                   # Off-chain storage solutions
|   |-- README.md
|-- documentation/             # Project documentation
|   |-- architecture.md
|   |-- api.md
|-- scripts/                   # Utility scripts
|-- README.md                  # Project overview and setup instructions

• Node.js and npm
• Truffle Suite for smart contract compilation, testing, and deployment.
• Ganache for a personal blockchain for Ethereum development.
• Metamask for interacting with the blockchain through the browser.

... (installation steps)

Create the fundamental structure of a block which will form the building blocks of our custom blockchain.

1. Define Block Class:
   • Create a file named block.js.
   • Define a class named Block with properties:
     • index: The position of the block in the blockchain.
     • timestamp: The time when the block was created.
     • transactions: An array of transactions included in the block.
     • previousHash: The hash of the previous block.
     • hash: The hash of the current block.
     • nonce: A random value to ensure the block hash meets the required difficulty.

class Block {
  constructor(index, timestamp, transactions, previousHash = '') {
    this.index = index;
    this.timestamp = timestamp;
    this.transactions = transactions;
    this.previousHash = previousHash;
    this.hash = this.calculateHash();
    this.nonce = 0;
  }

  calculateHash() {
    // Implement hash calculation using SHA-256
  }
}

2. Implement Hash Calculation:
   • Use a cryptographic hash function such as SHA-256 to calculate the hash of the block.
   • The hash should include the block's index, timestamp, transactions, previous hash, and nonce.

  calculateHash() {
    return sha256(this.index + this.previousHash + this.timestamp + JSON.stringify(this.transactions) + this.nonce).toString();
  }

3. Implement Proof of Work:
   • Add a method to the Block class to perform a simple proof of work.
   • This method should increment the nonce until the hash of the block begins with a certain number of leading zeros, determined by the network difficulty.

  mineBlock(difficulty) {
    while (this.hash.substring(0, difficulty) !== Array(difficulty + 1).join("0")) {
      this.nonce++;
      this.hash = this.calculateHash();
    }
  }

Implement a simplified consensus mechanism to validate and agree on the state of the blockchain.

1. Define Blockchain Class:
   • Create a file named blockchain.js.
   • Define a class named Blockchain with properties:
     • chain: An array to hold all the blocks.
     • difficulty: The required leading zeros in the hash for a block to be valid.

class Blockchain {
  constructor() {
    this.chain = [this.createGenesisBlock()];
    this.difficulty = 2;
  }

  createGenesisBlock() {
    return new Block(0, "01/01/2023", "Genesis Block", "0");
  }
}

2. Implement Block Validation:
   • Add a method to validate a block by checking its hash and the hash of the previous block.
   • Ensure that the block's hash meets the network difficulty requirement.

  isBlockValid(block, previousBlock) {
    if (block.previousHash !== previousBlock.hash) {
      return false;
    }

    if (block.hash !== block.calculateHash()) {
      return false;
    }

    if (block.hash.substring(0, this.difficulty) !== Array(this.difficulty + 1).join("0")) {
      return false;
    }

    return true;
  }

3. Implement Chain Validation:
   • Add a method to validate the entire blockchain by iterating through the chain and validating each block.

  isChainValid() {
    for (let i = 1; i < this.chain.length; i++) {
      const currentBlock = this.chain[i];
      const previousBlock = this.chain[i - 1];

      if (!this.isBlockValid(currentBlock, previousBlock)) {
        return false;
      }
    }

    return true;
  }

Develop a protocol for peer-to-peer communication to propagate and validate new blocks and transactions.

1. Setup a Basic P2P Server:

   • Choose a P2P library or framework suitable for your technology stack.
   • Setup a basic server to handle P2P connections, messages, and events.

2. Implement Block Propagation:

   • When a new block is mined, propagate this block to all connected peers.
   • When a peer receives a new block, validate the block and add it to the blockchain if valid.

3. Implement Transaction Propagation:

   • When a new transaction is created, propagate this transaction to all connected peers.
   • When a peer receives a new transaction, validate the transaction and add it to the transaction pool if valid.

4. Handle New Peers:

   • When a new peer connects, send them the current state of the blockchain and the transaction pool.

Create a smart contract that facilitates the uploading of educational content by users, while also handling the metadata and fees associated with the upload.

1. Setup Your Development Environment:

   • Install Truffle Suite for smart contract compilation, testing, and deployment.
   • Setup Ganache as your personal blockchain for Ethereum development.
   • Configure Metamask to interact with your blockchain.

2. Create Content Upload Contract:

   • Create a file named ContentUpload.sol.
   • Define a smart contract named ContentUpload with functions to:
     • Upload content metadata.
     • Handle the payment for content upload.
     • Emit an event upon successful content upload.

pragma solidity ^0.8.0;

contract ContentUpload {

    struct Content {
        address uploader;
        string title;
        string description;
        uint uploadFee;
        string contentHash;
    }

    uint public uploadFee;
    mapping(uint => Content) public contents;
    uint public contentCount = 0;

    event ContentUploaded(address indexed uploader, uint indexed contentId, string contentHash);

    constructor(uint _uploadFee) {
        uploadFee = _uploadFee;
    }

    function uploadContent(string memory _title, string memory _description, string memory _contentHash) public payable {
        require(msg.value == uploadFee, "Incorrect upload fee");

        contentCount ++;
        contents[contentCount] = Content(msg.sender, _title, _description, msg.value, _contentHash);

        emit ContentUploaded(msg.sender, contentCount, _contentHash);
    }
}

Develop a smart contract to manage the access and payment for viewing educational content.

1. Create Content Access Contract:
   • Create a file named ContentAccess.sol.
   • Define a smart contract named ContentAccess with functions to:
     • Access content metadata.
     • Handle payment for content access.
     • Emit an event upon successful content access.

pragma solidity ^0.8.0;

import "./ContentUpload.sol";

contract ContentAccess {

    ContentUpload public contentUploadContract;

    event ContentAccessed(address indexed viewer, uint indexed contentId);

    constructor(address _contentUploadContract) {
        contentUploadContract = ContentUpload(_contentUploadContract);
    }

    function accessContent(uint _contentId) public payable {
        ContentUpload.Content memory content = contentUploadContract.contents(_contentId);
        require(msg.value >= content.uploadFee, "Insufficient funds");

        payable(content.uploader).transfer(content.uploadFee);

        emit ContentAccessed(msg.sender, _contentId);
    }
}

The provided architecture and tasks don't currently cover review sharing, but this is a great feature to include! It would encourage users to provide feedback, improving the overall quality and trustworthiness of the content on your platform. Here's a breakdown on how you could implement review sharing:

Create a smart contract to handle the submission, storage, and retrieval of reviews for different educational content.

1. Create Review Management Contract:
   • Create a file named ReviewManager.sol.
   • Define a smart contract named ReviewManager with functions to:
     • Submit reviews.
     • Retrieve reviews for a particular piece of content.

pragma solidity ^0.8.0;

contract ReviewManager {

    struct Review {
        address reviewer;
        uint contentId;
        uint rating;
        string comments;
    }

    mapping(uint => Review[]) public reviews;

    event ReviewSubmitted(uint indexed contentId, address indexed reviewer);

    function submitReview(uint _contentId, uint _rating, string memory _comments) public {
        require(_rating >= 1 && _rating <= 5, "Rating should be between 1 and 5");

        Review memory newReview = Review(msg.sender, _contentId, _rating, _comments);
        reviews[_contentId].push(newReview);

        emit ReviewSubmitted(_contentId, msg.sender);
    }

    function getReviews(uint _contentId) public view returns (Review[] memory) {
        return reviews[_contentId];
    }
}

In this contract:

• Users can submit reviews for content, including a rating and comments.
• Anyone can retrieve all reviews for a particular piece of content.

Ensure that the review management system interacts seamlessly with your existing contracts and overall platform functionality.

1. Update Content Interaction Contract:
   • Modify the ContentInteraction.sol file.
   • Import the ReviewManager.sol contract.
   • Update the ContentInteraction contract to include a reference to the ReviewManager contract.
   • Add a function to allow users to submit reviews through the ContentInteraction contract, which in turn interacts with the ReviewManager contract.

// Importing ReviewManager contract
import "./ReviewManager.sol";

// Updating ContentInteraction contract
contract ContentInteraction {

    // ... existing code ...

    ReviewManager public reviewManager;

    constructor(
        address _eduToken,
        address _contentUpload,
        address _contentAccess,
        address _reviewManager
    ) {
        // ... existing code ...
        reviewManager = ReviewManager(_reviewManager);
    }

    // ... existing code ...

    function submitReview(uint _contentId, uint _rating, string memory _comments) public {
        reviewManager.submitReview(_contentId, _rating, _comments);
    }
}

Revenue sharing is a crucial aspect to incentivize content creators and maintain a sustainable platform ecosystem. Implementing a revenue-sharing mechanism on your platform can be achieved through smart contracts. Here’s how you might approach this:

Create a smart contract to manage the distribution of revenue generated from content access fees among content creators and platform maintainers.

1. Create Revenue Sharing Contract:
   • Create a file named RevenueSharing.sol.
   • Define a smart contract named RevenueSharing with functions to:
     • Distribute revenue.
     • Withdraw revenue.

pragma solidity ^0.8.0;

import "./EduToken.sol";

contract RevenueSharing {

    EduToken public eduToken;
    mapping(address => uint) public pendingWithdrawals;

    constructor(address _eduToken) {
        eduToken = EduToken(_eduToken);
    }

    function distributeRevenue(uint _contentId, address _creator) public {
        require(msg.sender == address(this), "Only callable internally");

        uint contentFee = eduToken.balanceOf(address(this)) / 2;  // Assuming a 50-50 split
        pendingWithdrawals[_creator] += contentFee;
        // The rest goes to platform maintenance, which could also be withdrawn by a specific address
    }

    function withdrawRevenue() public {
        uint amount = pendingWithdrawals[msg.sender];
        require(amount > 0, "No revenue to withdraw");
        pendingWithdrawals[msg.sender] = 0;

        eduToken.transfer(msg.sender, amount);
    }
}

Ensure that the revenue-sharing mechanism interacts seamlessly with your existing contracts and overall platform functionality.

1. Update Content Interaction Contract:
   • Modify the ContentInteraction.sol file.
   • Import the RevenueSharing.sol contract.
   • Update the ContentInteraction contract to include a reference to the RevenueSharing contract.
   • Modify the completeContent function to invoke the distributeRevenue function.

// Importing RevenueSharing contract
import "./RevenueSharing.sol";

// Updating ContentInteraction contract
contract ContentInteraction {

    // ... existing code ...

    RevenueSharing public revenueSharing;

    constructor(
        address _eduToken,
        address _contentUpload,
        address _contentAccess,
        address _reviewManager,
        address _revenueSharing
    ) {
        // ... existing code ...
        revenueSharing = RevenueSharing(_revenueSharing);
    }

    // ... existing code ...

    function completeContent(uint _contentId) public {
        // ... existing code ...

        // Distribute revenue upon content completion
        revenueSharing.distributeRevenue(_contentId, contentUpload.uploaderAddress(_contentId));

        // ... existing code ...
    }
}

This stage focuses on creating a sustainable and incentivized environment for both content creators and learners on the platform. The token economy is based on a custom token that will be utilized for transactions within the platform. This stage is broken down into several tasks each with a specific goal toward building a robust token economy.

Develop a custom ERC-20 token for the platform.

1. Define and deploy an ERC-20 token contract using the OpenZeppelin library.
2. Ensure the token has a fixed supply, a name, and a symbol.
3. Implement a function to distribute initial tokens to a specific address, if necessary.

Implement a mechanism to reward miners with platform tokens for their contribution to the network.

1. Modify the blockchain code to include a reward transaction for miners.
2. Determine the reward amount and implement a function to adjust it over time, if necessary.

Implement a system where users pay tokens to access content.

1. Define and deploy a smart contract to handle content access fees.
2. Implement functions to lock tokens upon accessing content and release them upon completion or after a certain period.

Develop a mechanism to distribute revenue generated from content access fees among content creators and platform maintainers.

1. Define and deploy a smart contract for revenue distribution.
2. Implement functions to distribute revenue and allow beneficiaries to withdraw their share.

Encourage users to submit reviews by offering token incentives.

1. Modify the review management contract to award tokens for submitting reviews.
2. Implement a function to adjust the review reward amount, if necessary.

Refund a portion of the tokens spent on content access upon course completion to incentivize course completion.

1. Modify the content interaction contract to refund tokens upon course completion.
2. Determine the refund amount and implement a function to adjust it, if necessary.

Develop tools to monitor and analyze the token economy.

1. Implement functions to retrieve data on token distribution, transactions, and other relevant metrics.
2. Create a dashboard or utilize existing tools to visualize the token economy data.

Each task in this stage takes you closer to establishing a fully functional token economy, which is essential for incentivizing user interaction, content creation, and maintaining a healthy ecosystem on your educational platform.

... (detailed instructions)

... (detailed instructions)

... (and so on for each content management task)

... (similarly for remaining sections)