Mining the ethereum blockchain platform

Abstract

Ethereum is the most popular blockchain platform that supports smart contracts. Smart contracts are computing programs that constitute the building blocks of decentralized applications (DApps). DApps are revolutionary and have led to the creation of entirely new businesses (e.g., marketplaces for digital collectibles). Nonetheless, developing and maintaining DApps lead to entirely new research challenges. Empirical research demands high-quality data, which can be obtained by carefully mining Ethereum. In this tutorial, I will discuss best practices and pitfalls associated with mining Ethereum. The tutorial will be organized into three main parts: (i) a brief introduction to Ethereum and its fundamental concepts, (ii) a hands-on mining session, and (iii) a final Q&A session.