Student Experience Guide

• What Fully Homomorphic Encryption is
• Why privacy matters on blockchain
• Real-world use cases (voting, auctions, DeFi)
• The Zama Protocol architecture

• Watch intro video
• Explore interactive slides carousel
• Complete knowledge check quiz (5 questions)

“I finally understand why we need FHE! The HTTPS analogy really clicked for me - HTTPS encrypts in transit, FHE encrypts in compute.”

• Install Node.js, npm, and Hardhat
• Set up MetaMask wallet
• Configure Sepolia testnet
• Get test ETH from faucet
• Clone starter repository

• Screenshot of successful Hardhat installation
• MetaMask connected to Sepolia
• Test transaction on block explorer

• Node version too old → Use nvm to upgrade
• Faucet not working → Try alternative faucets
• MetaMask network not saving → Check chain ID

• TFHE library operations (add, mul, sub, eq, etc.)
• Encrypted types (euint8, euint16, euint32, euint64, ebool)
• Ciphertext vs plaintext operations
• The coprocessor model

• FHE Basics Tabs (try operations live)
• Mermaid diagrams showing data flow
• Code examples with syntax highlighting

“The interactive FHE operations demo was super helpful. I could see exactly how encrypted addition works without seeing the actual values!”

• Written explanation of FHE vs traditional encryption
• Diagram showing FHEVM data flow
• Environment verification checklist
• Reflection on 3 potential use cases

• Understanding (40%): Demonstrates grasp of FHE
• Technical accuracy (30%): Correct terminology and concepts
• Creativity (30%): Thoughtful use case analysis

“Drawing the data flow diagram really solidified my understanding. Now I get how the coprocessor handles encrypted operations!”

• A simple confidential counter
• Encrypted state variables
• TFHE operations (add, decrypt)
• Permission management

// Students write this step-by-step
contract ConfidentialCounter {
    euint32 private counter;
    
    function increment(bytes calldata encryptedAmount) public {
        euint32 amount = TFHE.asEuint32(encryptedAmount);
        counter = TFHE.add(counter, amount);
    }
    
    function getCounter() public view returns (bytes memory) {
        return TFHE.reencrypt(counter, msg.sender);
    }
}

• Contract Explorer component (deployed contract)
• Students interact with live contract
• See encrypted values on block explorer

“It’s wild seeing my contract on Sepolia with encrypted values! The block explorer shows gibberish for the counter, but I can decrypt it in my app.”

• Access control with encrypted data
• Batch operations on encrypted arrays
• Encrypted comparisons and conditionals
• Gas optimization techniques

• Private token balances
• Confidential voting
• Encrypted auctions
• Secret values in games

• Code review of sample contracts
• Identify security issues
• Discuss trade-offs

• Writing Hardhat tests for encrypted contracts
• Mocking FHE operations in tests
• Deploying to Sepolia testnet
• Verifying contracts on Etherscan

• Write 5+ test cases
• Deploy their counter contract
• Share contract address with class

“Testing encrypted functions is tricky! I learned to use the mock FHE library for fast local tests, then verify on testnet.”

1. Smart contract with encrypted counter
2. Functions: increment, decrement, reset, getValue
3. Access control (only owner can reset)
4. Full test suite (10+ tests)
5. Deployed to Sepolia
6. README with contract address and instructions

• Functionality (50%): All features work
• Code quality (30%): Clean, readable code
• Documentation (20%): Clear README and comments

“This took me longer than expected, but I’m proud of the result! My tests caught several bugs before deployment.”

• fhevmjs library for encryption/decryption
• Connecting frontend to FHEVM contracts
• Wagmi hooks for blockchain interaction
• Handling encrypted inputs and outputs

• React + TypeScript
• fhevmjs for FHE operations
• wagmi + RainbowKit for wallet
• ethers.js for contract calls

// Students code this live
import { initFhevm, encrypt } from 'fhevmjs';

async function incrementCounter(amount: number) {
  const instance = await initFhevm();
  const encryptedAmount = await encrypt(amount, instance);
  const tx = await contract.increment(encryptedAmount);
  await tx.wait();
}

• Smart contract for encrypted votes
• React frontend with voting UI
• Real-time results (encrypted until reveal)
• Admin dashboard for proposal creation

• Create voting proposals
• Cast encrypted votes
• View encrypted tallies
• Reveal results after voting ends

• VotingSimulator (try before building)
• See how encrypted voting works

“This is the coolest thing I’ve built! Votes are completely private until the admin reveals them. Perfect for real governance.”

• Encrypted state management
• Error handling with encrypted data
• Gas optimization strategies
• Multi-user permissions

• Real production dApps using FHEVM
• Architecture decisions
• Performance considerations

1. Smart contract with encrypted voting
2. React frontend (connect wallet, vote, view results)
3. Admin functions (create proposal, reveal results)
4. Tests for contract and frontend
5. Deployed to Sepolia with live frontend

• GitHub repo with code
• Deployed contract address
• Live frontend URL (Netlify/Vercel)
• Demo video (3-5 min)

• Functionality (50%): Full voting flow works
• UX Design (20%): Intuitive interface
• Code quality (20%): Well-structured code
• Documentation (10%): Clear README

• Private DeFi (encrypted balances, hidden orders)
• Confidential gaming (hidden stats, secret moves)
• Sealed-bid auctions (encrypted bids)
• Private identity (selective disclosure)

• Zama engineer or dApp developer
• Real-world implementation stories

• Gas costs of FHE operations
• Optimization techniques (batch operations, type selection)
• Profiling and measurement
• Trade-offs (security vs cost)

• Optimize a gas-heavy contract
• Measure before/after gas usage
• Class competition for best optimization

• Security audit considerations
• Testnet → mainnet migration
• Key management best practices
• Monitoring and error tracking

• Common FHEVM vulnerabilities
• Access control patterns
• Permission management
• Upgradeability considerations

• Private prediction market
• Confidential token with hidden balances
• Encrypted auction platform
• Private leaderboard/ranking system
• Secret game mechanics
• Or propose custom idea (requires approval)

1. Smart contract using 2+ FHEVM concepts
2. Full-stack frontend
3. Comprehensive tests
4. Deployed to testnet
5. Documentation (README, architecture diagram)
6. 5-minute presentation

• Monday: Contract development
• Tuesday: Testing and refinement
• Wednesday: Frontend development
• Thursday: Integration and debugging
• Friday: Presentation prep and demo

• Working demo (40%): Functionality
• Code quality (30%): Clean, maintainable code
• Presentation (20%): Clear communication
• Creativity (10%): Novel use case or approach

“Building my own project from scratch was challenging but incredibly rewarding. I created a private prediction market where bets stay hidden until the event resolves!”

• Lessons completed
• Quiz scores
• Time spent per lesson
• Homework checklist items

• Overall completion percentage
• Per-week breakdown
• Per-lesson time spent
• Quiz scores and pass/fail status
• Homework submission status

• Bar chart of weekly progress
• Pie chart of overall completion
• Time tracking visualization

• ✨ Confetti when completing a lesson
• 🎉 Modal when completing a week
• 🏆 Badge when finishing bootcamp