The first session of the "CESS Course" has successfully concluded: Unlocking the journey of building a decentralized data value network

From January 29 to March 18, 2024, the first phase of the "CESS Course" was successfully held! This marks an important milestone in our exploration and educational promotion of decentralized data value networks and Web3 technology. During the course, the CESS team and the participants delved into the development and prospects of cryptographic technology, enjoying a passionate and innovative learning journey. Here, we extend our sincerest gratitude to all participants and contributors of the "CESS Course." Meanwhile, we look forward to the course participants continuing to explore the potential and future of decentralized data value networks, and CESS hopes to work with you to build together!

Course Overview: Theory and Practice in Parallel

The "CESS Course" has been meticulously crafted by the CESS team, providing participants with a structured and systematic learning path in cryptographic technology, aimed at promoting the dissemination and development of Web3 technology. Over the 7-week course duration, participants were able to gradually learn and practice cryptographic knowledge.

First, we provided participants with systematic CESS-related materials to help them understand and explore the CESS network architecture from scratch and use DApps as users. Notably, course instructors also guided participants through the software development section, assisting developers in creating and deploying two types of smart contracts on CESS; providing demonstrations on building fully functional DApps end-to-end, where smart contracts and front-end can interact; and showcasing how to run storage miner nodes and consensus miner nodes, among other key topics.

Here is the outline of the "CESS Course":

Additionally, during the course, we prepared weekly learning videos and assignments to help participants consolidate their knowledge.
Collaborating with Global Builders

This course attracted over 50 participants from more than 10 countries and regions, including China, Nigeria, the United States, and Argentina. Participants included but were not limited to DApp developers, node builders, blockchain community managers, and crypto enthusiasts. The participation of students from different countries highlights the broad appeal of decentralized storage solutions and the strengthening global vision and belief in decentralization.
Course Graduation and NFT Certificates

In this course, about 20% of participants successfully graduated and will receive course completion certificates issued in the form of NFTs. The CESS course completion certificate not only signifies the achievements of participants in the course but also symbolizes a milestone in their Web3 journey.
Participant Co-Creation: Innovative Project Practice

In the final phase of the course, participants freely formed groups to collaboratively build innovative projects. It was gratifying to see participants apply what they learned to create innovative solutions on the CESS blockchain. These innovative projects highlight CESS's capability in addressing real-world challenges, further promoting innovation in decentralized storage solutions, and enhancing data privacy and ownership.

• Introduction to Outstanding Projects

The innovative projects presented by participants demonstrate that they not only gained foundational technical knowledge throughout the course but also applied that knowledge practically. Among these, we noted several outstanding projects. The project summaries are as follows.

Patient Consent Protocol (PCP)

The Patient Consent Protocol (PCP) utilizes innovative methods to help patients manage their own health data. This protocol leverages blockchain technology, allowing patients to control who can access their data and providing real-time granting or revocation of data access permissions.

Innovation and Relevance

• Blockchain Application: Utilizing blockchain technology for patient data permission management, this solution is both innovative and practical, aiming to address the increasingly serious data privacy issues in healthcare.

• Real-Time Permission Management: Patients have the ability to instantly revoke or grant data access. This dynamic management helps improve the issue in traditional healthcare data management systems where patients cannot control their own data management permissions.

Technical Feasibility

• On-Chain Registration: Implementing an on-chain registration for permission management is technically feasible and aligns with the trend of decentralized application development. However, the technical complexity and scalability of this solution need to be considered.

• Interoperability: This project can be built within the Polkadot ecosystem, and the interoperability architecture of the Polkadot ecosystem facilitates the widespread adoption of this project.

D-science-hub

The D-science-hub project showcases participants' thoughtful consideration of issues in the academic research field, as well as innovative thinking and a relatively feasible business model.

Academic Value and Relevance: This project aims to address significant issues in the academic and research fields, such as the high cost of accessing scientific papers and limited funding. These are very relevant topics in the current academic landscape. The recognition and understanding of these issues demonstrate the project team's strong research capabilities.

Innovation and Solutions: Solutions such as simplifying paper sharing and access, as well as open and transparent funding applications and management, reflect innovative thinking. However, the feasibility of these solutions will be assessed based on the technical details provided, such as using blockchain technology to achieve transparency and applying artificial intelligence for paper analysis or exploration. Currently, the project lacks detailed technical and operational planning, which may be an area for future improvement.
Participant Feedback

Through this course, participants gained a comprehensive understanding of the Web3 ecosystem while engaging in the exploration and practice of the CESS network. After the course, they will receive unique and meaningful NFT certificates. Additionally, in the open, inclusive, and collaborative atmosphere of the Web3 field, the feedback from participants is our driving force for continuous progress. Below are some feedback excerpts from participants.

BZ

I am very grateful for the guidance and help from course instructors Jimmy and Alex. As a backend engineer, I am very interested in CESS technology, such as the multi-replica recoverable storage proof mechanism PoDR² and proxy re-encryption PReT. Through the course, I learned how to run storage nodes on the CESS network. In the future, I hope to give back more and participate in the development of the CESS ecosystem.

Dionisis

What I gained was not just knowledge of cryptographic technology; I also met like-minded friends like Illy through the course. We worked together during the course and built a good friendship, which is rare and valuable. Additionally, my technical skills are limited, but through the course, I learned how to properly set up storage nodes so that I can contribute to the network's computing and storage capabilities. Next, I want to become a CESS ambassador and introduce the CESS data value network to more people.

Kent

I am very grateful to CESS co-founder Joseph, course instructors Jimmy and Alex, and all the partners who contributed to this course. I participated in the Polkadot Blockchain Academy course in early February this year and then directly entered the CESS course. During the PBA, I felt very confused about learning Substrate, but CESS showed me the scalability of Substrate. Next, I want to participate as a technical promoter in the promotion of the CESS ecosystem. Teacher Jimmy taught me a lot of knowledge during the course, and I hope to pass on this CESS technical knowledge to more people. I look forward to having more CESS developers in Hong Kong. Moreover, I really enjoyed this course, especially the exchanges with instructors Jimmy and Alex, which were very beneficial to me.

A New Starting Point for the Web3 Journey

The "CESS Course" is not just an educational project, but also an important step towards data sovereignty and a decentralized future. Overall, we hope that participants can gain and build from this course. In the future, we look forward to everyone utilizing the CESS API to demonstrate to the community how to continuously explore and develop more applications empowered by decentralized cloud storage infrastructure.

Let us continue to contribute to the development of Web3! In the midst of the internet revolution and the growing demand for data ownership, we hope to move forward hand in hand with community partners. CESS is a blockchain-based decentralized cloud storage network and CDN network that supports online data storage and real-time sharing, providing a full-stack solution for the storage and retrieval of high-frequency dynamic data in Web3.

Upcoming Course Announcement

We have received inquiries from community partners regarding the start time and other course-related questions for the next phase.

Currently, the CESS testnet has undergone several iterations, with the most significant enhancement being the integration with MetaMask, which will greatly improve user experience. Meanwhile, the CESS core development team has been preparing for the launch of the mainnet. Therefore, once we update and refine the course materials, we will soon launch the next phase of the course. Please stay tuned for CESS!

Additionally, we are pleased to announce that the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) standards organization has approved the standard number requested by CESS, which is P3233, named “Standard for Blockchain-Based Decentralized Storage Protocol Specification” (Industry Standard Proposal for Blockchain-Based Decentralized Storage Protocol Specification). The approval of this standard not only signifies CESS's authority and foresight in the technical field but also indicates that the development and application of decentralized storage technology globally will move towards standardization and normalization.