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How I would start learning Solidity today

@OpenZeppelin has a library of secure and community-vetted smart contracts that are foundational to developing robust and secure applications on the Ethereum blockchain. You can explore their contracts here:

https://github.com/OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts…

The best recommendation I can give anyone who wants to start out with solidity and has basic knowledge is to simply audit the OpenZeppelin contracts.


Why Audit OpenZeppelin Contracts? Widespread Usage:

OpenZeppelin contracts are among the most utilized pieces of code in the blockchain ecosystem. They form the backbone of numerous protocols, serving as the building blocks for creating tokens, securing transactions, and managing permissions, among other functionalities. By auditing these contracts, you're not only learning the syntax and semantics of Solidity but also familiarizing yourself with the patterns and practices that are considered as the industry standard.


Security Best Practices:

Given their widespread adoption, OpenZeppelin contracts are maintained with a high standard for security and efficiency. Auditing these contracts allows you to understand the security measures and optimizations essential for developing secure smart contracts.


Learning by Doing:

There's a profound difference between learning from tutorials and getting your hands dirty with real code. Auditing OpenZeppelin contracts thrusts you into the latter, challenging you to think critically about code structure, function optimizations, and potential vulnerabilities. This practical experience is invaluable and far surpasses what can be learned through passive study.


Staying Ahead of the Curve:

As you audit OpenZeppelin contracts, you're not just learning; you're preparing yourself for future projects. Many projects rely on these contracts either directly or as a basis for customized solutions. By familiarizing yourself with them, you reduce the learning curve for future projects and position yourself as a knowledgeable developer in the eyes of potential collaborators or employers.


How to Start Auditing OpenZeppelin Contracts

1. Familiarize Yourself with the Documentation: Before diving into the code, spend some time with OpenZeppelin's documentation. Understand the purpose of different contracts and how they interact with one another.

2. Choose Your Focus: Start with a category of contracts that interests you, such as ERC-20 token contracts, and gradually expand your scope to include others like ERC-721 (NFT) contracts, access control mechanisms, and security patterns.

3. Hands-On Practice: Try to extend, modify, or even break the contracts to see how they behave. This kind of experimentation deepens your understanding and helps you think like a smart contract developer.