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.
- Project Overview
- Directory Structure
- Getting Started
- Blockchain Architecture
- Smart Contracts
- Token Economy
- Content Management
- P2P Network
- User Interface
- Testing
- Deployment
- Security
- Community and Contributions
- License
- 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.
- 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.
- Create a file named
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
}
}
- 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();
}
- 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.
- Add a method to the
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.
- 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.
- Create a file named
class Blockchain {
constructor() {
this.chain = [this.createGenesisBlock()];
this.difficulty = 2;
}
createGenesisBlock() {
return new Block(0, "01/01/2023", "Genesis Block", "0");
}
}
- 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;
}
- 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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
- Create a file named
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.
- 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.
- Create a file named
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.
- 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.
- Create a file named
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.
- Update Content Interaction Contract:
- Modify the
ContentInteraction.sol
file. - Import the
ReviewManager.sol
contract. - Update the
ContentInteraction
contract to include a reference to theReviewManager
contract. - Add a function to allow users to submit reviews through the
ContentInteraction
contract, which in turn interacts with theReviewManager
contract.
- Modify the
// 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.
- Create Revenue Sharing Contract:
- Create a file named
RevenueSharing.sol
. - Define a smart contract named
RevenueSharing
with functions to:- Distribute revenue.
- Withdraw revenue.
- Create a file named
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.
- Update Content Interaction Contract:
- Modify the
ContentInteraction.sol
file. - Import the
RevenueSharing.sol
contract. - Update the
ContentInteraction
contract to include a reference to theRevenueSharing
contract. - Modify the
completeContent
function to invoke thedistributeRevenue
function.
- Modify the
// 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.
- Define and deploy an ERC-20 token contract using the OpenZeppelin library.
- Ensure the token has a fixed supply, a name, and a symbol.
- 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.
- Modify the blockchain code to include a reward transaction for miners.
- 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.
- Define and deploy a smart contract to handle content access fees.
- 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.
- Define and deploy a smart contract for revenue distribution.
- Implement functions to distribute revenue and allow beneficiaries to withdraw their share.
Encourage users to submit reviews by offering token incentives.
- Modify the review management contract to award tokens for submitting reviews.
- 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.
- Modify the content interaction contract to refund tokens upon course completion.
- Determine the refund amount and implement a function to adjust it, if necessary.
Develop tools to monitor and analyze the token economy.
- Implement functions to retrieve data on token distribution, transactions, and other relevant metrics.
- 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)