Getting started with blockchains

Install MetaMask

Visit Chainlist and add these networks: Avalanche, FTM, BSC, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Moonriver. Over time you will add more.

Get an exchange account at Binance or similar

Get some Matic at an exchange and send to your metamask (via Polygon)

Add another account to your MetaMask and name it Account 2 or something

Send Matic back and forth between your accounts

Get some FTM at an exchange and send it your Metamask (via Fantom)

Get some BNB at an exchange and send it to your Metamask (via BSC)

Note how you use the same address, regardless of the network. This is because they are all EVM networks.

Look up what an EVM network is

:chartwithupwards_trend:DeFi Intro

Go to Uniswap and swap a small amount of Matic for USDC

Go to Quickswap.exchange and swap some other tokens

Read about or watch a youtube vid on Uniswap, Maker, Aave, Compound, Yearn. These were the first major DeFi projects and it’s good to know a little history before you progress.

Check out https://defillama.com/ and look at the DEXes

Swap tokens on 10 different DEXes — pick any chain. Think about the different UI and UX. Are any of them copies of each other? What differences do you notice?

[Add the Dexes you used here and write a short note about each. Try to use dexes on a variety of chains. Feel free to add new networks to your metamask and send new native tokens there. What do you notice about the different chains? Are speed or cost different?]

This will be a bit laborious, but we want to make it second nature to swap one token into another. It should feel very familiar to approve and swap tokens. You also want to get a sense of how DEXes operate and why they basically all look the same.

:mechanical_arm: DeFi Advanced

Lend and borrow at Aave

Add liquidity to a liquidity pool on Quickswap

Harvest rewards

Auto-compound an LP at Beefy

Auto-compound an LP at Autofarm

Browse Autofarm to identify different platforms and add liquidity to LPs on three different platforms

Use the Zap function on Beefy/Autofarm to add liquidity in one action

Use Curve to add tokens to the triCrypto pool

Bridge tokens using Multichain

Use Connext to swap tokens across different blockchains

Use two other bridges — use google to find different routes

[Add a short note about your experience with each here]

Check DefiLlama’s ‘Reserve Currency’ category. Bond tokens on at least three platforms.

:red_circle: Polkadot/Kusama

Install polkadot.js

Get Kusama

Provide liquidity at Karuraswap

Install Talisman

Use Acala to make swaps and provide liquidity

:ringed_planet:Cosmos Network

Install Keplr

Get Atom

Visit Osmosis

Swap some Atom -> Osmo

Stake some Atom in the Keplr web app

Vote on something using Keplr

Add liquidity on Osmosis

Bond it

Use IBC to withdraw and deposit to three other networks (Juno, CRO, Secret etc)

:crystal_ball: L1 Alternatives (Solana, Cardano, Near, Algo etc)

As above, so below… Install wallets, swap a token, add liquidity, farm it.

By the time you’ve done all of this, you should have a pretty good grasp of how this giant thing called DeFi works.

You will also likely:

find a preference for one particular chain

realise that everybody copies everybody

develop a deep-seated hatred for fees on Eth mainnet

learn more about the blockchain trilemma…

…and conclude that there are trade-offs for every network

https://tough-drive-2b2.notion.site/Level-Up-at-DeFi-3d2333d0cb0c44eea787e742be0b51d3

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l6g0Gnl9EH8iGUoSaCYXWR4CnDYpmoeJZTGvEzVR1sI/edit?usp=sharing