🔐

Cryptography & Security

Cryptographic primitives, security patterns, and formal verification. From BLAKE2b and Ed25519 to zero-knowledge proofs and Byzantine fault tolerance.

01

Implementing BLAKE2b in Kotlin: A Cryptographic Hash Function

Architecture-first walkthrough of a BLAKE2b hash implementation for Kotlin/JVM, aligned with Cardano’s use of BLAKE2b-224/256, focusing on state layout, compression function, and testing against reference vectors.

27 min read Cryptography BLAKE2b Kotlin Cardano
02

Ed25519 Signatures: Theory and Implementation

Architecture-first guide to Ed25519 signatures on Kotlin/JVM, covering keys, signing, verification, and the structure of a pure implementation following RFC 8032.

26 min read Cryptography Ed25519 Signatures Kotlin
04

KES (Key Evolving Signatures) for Forward Security

Exploration of KES signatures used in Cardano block production, covering key evolution, signature generation, and security properties. Includes practical implementation.

26 min read Cryptography KES Cardano Kotlin
05

BLS Signatures for Blockchain Scalability

Guide to BLS signatures and their applications in blockchain systems, covering signature aggregation, threshold signatures, and use cases in Cosmos validators.

26 min read Cryptography BLS Cosmos Kotlin
06

Merkle Trees and Merkle Proofs in Blockchain Systems

Practical guide to implementing Merkle trees for efficient data verification, covering tree construction, proof generation, and verification. Includes applications in Bitcoin SPV and Cardano state proofs.

26 min read Cryptography Merkle Trees Bitcoin Kotlin
07

Zero-Knowledge Proofs: An Introduction for Blockchain Developers

Introduction to ZK proofs and their applications in blockchain privacy, covering zk-SNARKs, zk-STARKs, and practical use cases. Includes simple proof-of-concept implementations.

27 min read Cryptography Zero-Knowledge Privacy Kotlin
08

Secure Key Management in Production Blockchain Systems

Best practices for managing cryptographic keys in production environments, covering HSMs, key derivation, rotation strategies, and secure storage patterns.

27 min read Security Key Management Production Best Practices
09

Implementing Constant-Time Cryptographic Operations

Guide to writing timing-attack resistant code, covering constant-time comparisons, conditional operations, and testing strategies. Essential for secure cryptographic implementations.

26 min read Security Cryptography Kotlin Best Practices
12

Blockchain Security Auditing: A Developer's Checklist

Comprehensive security checklist for blockchain applications, covering smart contract vulnerabilities, key management, API security, and infrastructure hardening.

25 min read Security Auditing Best Practices Blockchain
13

Rate Limiting and DDoS Protection for Blockchain APIs

Practical guide to protecting blockchain infrastructure from abuse, covering rate limiting strategies, request validation, and distributed denial-of-service mitigation.

26 min read Security API DDoS Spring
15

Audit Trails and Immutable Logging for Compliance

Implementing tamper-proof audit logs for regulated blockchain applications, covering log aggregation, cryptographic commitments, and compliance requirements.

27 min read Security Compliance Logging Spring
16

Byzantine Fault Tolerance: Theory and Practice

Exploration of BFT consensus in blockchain systems, covering PBFT, Tendermint, and practical implementation considerations for distributed validator networks.

32 min read Consensus BFT Distributed Systems Theory
17

Sybil Attack Prevention in P2P Networks

Strategies for preventing Sybil attacks in blockchain P2P networks, covering peer reputation, proof-of-work, and stake-based admission control.

26 min read Security P2P Networking Blockchain