DeFi Protocol Engineering

A structured, hands-on curriculum for going from experienced Solidity developer to DeFi protocol designer — covering the math, architecture, and security of production DeFi from first principles.

About

This repo documents a self-directed learning path built around one goal: designing and building original DeFi protocols. It’s written from the perspective of an experienced EVM/Solidity developer returning to DeFi after a ~2-year absence, with strong smart contract fundamentals but limited protocol-level building experience.

The approach throughout is read production code, then rebuild. Every module studies real deployed protocols (Uniswap, Aave, Compound, MakerDAO, etc.), breaks down their architecture, then builds simplified versions from scratch using Foundry. The focus is always on why things are designed the way they are — not just how they work.

Structure

The curriculum is split into four parts, progressing from foundational mechanics to advanced protocol design and EVM mastery.

Part 1 — Solidity, EVM & Modern Tooling (~2.5-3 weeks)

Catching up on Solidity 0.8.x language changes, EVM-level upgrades (Dencun, Pectra), modern token approval patterns, account abstraction, Foundry testing workflows, proxy patterns, and deployment operations.

Part 2 — DeFi Foundations (~6-7 weeks)

The core primitives of decentralized finance. Each module follows a consistent pattern: concept → math → read production code → build → test → extend.

Part 3 — Modern DeFi Stack & Advanced Verticals (~6-7 weeks)

DeFi verticals (liquid staking, perpetuals, yield tokenization), trading infrastructure (aggregation, MEV), multi-chain reality (bridges, L2), governance, and a capstone project integrating advanced concepts into a portfolio-ready protocol.

Part 4 — EVM Mastery: Yul & Assembly (~6-7 weeks)

Go from reading assembly snippets to writing production-grade Yul. Understand the machine underneath every DeFi protocol — the single biggest differentiator for senior roles.

Learning Approach

Each module typically includes:

• Concept — The underlying math and mechanism design, explained from first principles
• Read — Guided walkthroughs of production protocol code (Uniswap V2/V3/V4, Aave V3, Compound V3, MakerDAO, etc.)
• Build — Simplified but correct implementations in Foundry capturing the core mechanics
• Test — Comprehensive Foundry test suites including fuzz and invariant testing
• Extend — Exercises that push beyond the basics (attack simulations, gas optimization, mainnet fork testing)

Time estimates assume 3-4 hours per day with no hard deadline.

Tech Stack

• Foundry — Forge for testing, Anvil for local/fork testing, Cast for on-chain interaction
• Solidity 0.8.x — Modern compiler features (custom errors, user-defined value types, transient storage)
• OpenZeppelin Contracts — Standard implementations (ERC-20, AccessControl, ReentrancyGuard, etc.)
• Chainlink — Price feed integration and oracle patterns
• Mainnet fork testing — Real protocol interaction via forge test --fork-url

Key Protocols Studied

Uniswap (V2, V3, V4) · Aave V3 · Compound V3 · MakerDAO · Balancer · Chainlink · Permit2 · ERC-4626 · UniswapX · ERC-4337 · Lido · Rocket Pool · EigenLayer · GMX · Synthetix · Pendle · 1inch · CoW Protocol · Flashbots · LayerZero · Chainlink CCIP · Curve · Velodrome

Project Structure

Curriculum docs

Each part’s learning material is organized as flat module files:

defi-auto-program/
├── README.md                         # This file
├── part1/                            # Curriculum docs for Part 1
│   ├── README.md                     # Overview, module table, checklist
│   ├── 1-solidity-modern.md          # Solidity 0.8.x features
│   ├── 2-evm-changes.md              # EIP-1153, EIP-4844, EIP-7702
│   ├── 3-token-approvals.md          # EIP-2612 Permit, Permit2
│   ├── 4-account-abstraction.md      # ERC-4337, paymasters
│   ├── 5-foundry.md                  # Fuzz, invariant, fork testing
│   ├── 6-proxy-patterns.md           # UUPS, transparent, beacon
│   └── 7-deployment.md               # Scripts, verification, multisig
├── part2/                            # Curriculum docs for Part 2
│   ├── README.md                     # Overview, module table, checklist
│   ├── 1-token-mechanics.md          # ERC-20 edge cases, SafeERC20
│   ├── 2-amms.md                     # Uniswap V2, V3, V4
│   ├── 3-oracles.md                  # Chainlink, TWAP, dual oracle
│   ├── 4-lending.md                  # Aave V3, Compound V3
│   ├── 5-flash-loans.md              # Aave V3, ERC-3156, Uniswap V4
│   ├── 6-stablecoins-cdps.md         # MakerDAO, Liquity, crvUSD
│   ├── 7-vaults-yield.md             # ERC-4626, yield aggregation
│   ├── 8-defi-security.md            # Reentrancy, oracle manipulation
│   └── 9-integration-capstone.md     # Decentralized stablecoin capstone
├── part3/                            # Curriculum docs for Part 3
│   ├── README.md                     # Overview, module table, checklist
│   ├── 1-liquid-staking.md           # Lido, Rocket Pool, EigenLayer
│   ├── 2-perpetuals.md               # GMX, Synthetix, dYdX
│   ├── 3-yield-tokenization.md       # Pendle
│   ├── 4-dex-aggregation.md          # 1inch, UniswapX, CoW Protocol
│   ├── 5-mev.md                      # Flashbots, MEV-Boost, MEV-Share
│   ├── 6-cross-chain.md              # LayerZero, CCIP, Wormhole
│   ├── 7-l2-defi.md                  # Arbitrum, Base, Optimism
│   ├── 8-governance.md               # OZ Governor, Curve, Velodrome
│   └── 9-capstone.md                 # Perpetual exchange capstone
└── part4/                            # Curriculum docs for Part 4
    ├── README.md                     # Overview, learning arc
    ├── 1-evm-fundamentals.md         # Stack machine, opcodes, gas model
    ├── 2-memory-calldata.md          # mload/mstore, free memory pointer
    ├── 3-storage.md                  # sload/sstore, slot computation
    ├── 4-control-flow.md             # if/switch/for, function dispatch
    ├── 5-external-calls.md           # call/staticcall/delegatecall
    ├── 6-gas-optimization.md         # Solady patterns, bitmap tricks
    ├── 7-production-assembly.md      # Reading Uniswap, OZ, Solady
    ├── 8-pure-yul.md                 # Object notation, full Yul contracts
    └── 9-capstone.md                 # DeFi primitive in Yul

Each module file contains the full content for that topic.

Code workspace

Single unified Foundry project for all exercises. This structure allows sharing dependencies and referencing earlier code:

workspace/                        # Unified Foundry project
├── src/
│   ├── part1/                    # Solidity, EVM & Modern Tooling
│   │   ├── module1/              # UDVTs, transient storage exercises
│   │   ├── module2/              # EIP-1153, 4844, 7702 exercises
│   │   ├── module3/              # Permit, Permit2 vaults
│   │   ├── module4/              # Smart accounts, paymasters
│   │   ├── module5/              # Fuzz, invariant, fork tests
│   │   ├── module6/              # Proxy patterns, upgradeability
│   │   └── module7/              # Deployment scripts
│   ├── part2/                    # DeFi Foundations
│   │   ├── module1/              # Token vault, SafeERC20 exercises
│   │   ├── module2/              # AMM pools (constant product, CLAMM)
│   │   ├── module3/              # Oracle consumers, TWAP
│   │   ├── module4/              # Lending pool, interest rate models
│   │   ├── module5/              # Flash loan receivers, arbitrage bots
│   │   ├── module6/              # CDP engine, liquidation
│   │   ├── module7/              # ERC-4626 vaults, yield strategies
│   │   ├── module8/              # Security exercises, invariant tests
│   │   └── module9/              # Decentralized stablecoin capstone
│   ├── part3/                    # Modern DeFi Stack
│   │   ├── module1/              # LST oracle, LST lending pool
│   │   ├── module2/              # Funding rate engine, perp exchange
│   │   ├── module3/              # Yield tokenizer, PT rate oracle
│   │   ├── module4/              # Split router, intent settlement
│   │   ├── module5/              # Sandwich simulation, MEV fee hook
│   │   ├── module6/              # Cross-chain handler, rate-limited token
│   │   ├── module7/              # L2 oracle consumer, gas estimator
│   │   └── module8/              # Governor system, vote escrow
│   └── part4/                    # EVM Mastery: Yul & Assembly (TBD)
└── test/
    ├── part1/
    ├── part2/
    ├── part3/
    └── part4/

Review Cadence

Dedicate the last hour of every 5th or 6th learning day to review. This isn’t a separate “review day” — it’s a wind-down session woven into a normal learning day:

• Re-read production code you studied that week
• Revisit exercises that felt shaky
• Write brief notes on what clicked and what didn’t
• Check if earlier module concepts connect to what you just learned

This keeps retention high without losing learning momentum.

Practice Challenges

Damn Vulnerable DeFi and Ethernaut challenges are integrated throughout the modules at relevant points. Each module’s “Practice Challenges” section recommends specific challenges that test the concepts covered. These are optional but strongly recommended — they force you to think like an attacker, which makes you a better builder.

Status

This is a living repo. Modules are expanded with exercises, tests, and code as they’re worked through. The outline and priorities evolve based on what comes up during the builds.