build // Bitcoin · Infrastructure

Hello Regtest

Spin up bitcoind in regtest, mine your first blocks, fund a wallet, and print a confirmed balance with Core RPC.

Beginner2 days

Overview

Spin up bitcoind in regtest, mine your first blocks, fund a wallet, and print a confirmed balance with Core RPC.

This is a beginner Pull project on the bitcoin track. Treat it as a portfolio piece: specific acceptance criteria beat vague demos.

Suggested milestones

Reproduce the problem space on a local lab (regtest / testnet / Polar)
Implement the happy path end to end
Add failure cases and README recovery notes
Polish UX or CLI ergonomics for a teammate who has never seen your code

Open the linked lesson when you need protocol context: /roadmaps/bitcoin/lessons/foundations-intro.

Learning objectives

Ship a working Hello Regtest that matches the description
Cover the core skills: Bitcoin Core, RPC, Docker or local install
Document setup, demo steps, and known limitations in the README

Prerequisites

Developer Environment

Required skills

Bitcoin CoreRPCDocker or local install

Part of the bitcoin roadmap.

Architecture diagram

app/          primary interface (CLI, API, or UI)
domain/       protocol and business logic
adapters/     Bitcoin Core, Lightning node, or indexer clients
tests/        smoke and regression coverage

Requirements

Implements the stated goal: Spin up bitcoind in regtest, mine your first blocks, fund a wallet, and print a confirmed balance with Core RPC.
Runs against regtest, signet, or documented testnet endpoints (never assume mainnet funds)
Includes a README with install, run, and demo instructions
Has at least one automated test or scripted smoke check
Fails safely with clear errors when dependencies are offline

Stretch goals

Add a short architecture diagram to the README
Publish a demo recording or asciinema session
Compare two implementation approaches and note tradeoffs
Add CI that runs the smoke test on every push

Recommended resources

Example repositories

bitcoinjs-lib
Transaction and address building in JavaScript.
BDK
Wallet toolkit used in production clients.

Submission instructions

Public GitHub repository with a clear README
Setup steps for local dependencies (regtest, Polar, Docker, etc.)
Demo evidence (commands, screenshots, or short recording)
Lab evidence pack: happy-path transcript + one intentional failure case + what error you saw
Note difficulty assumptions and what you deliberately left out

Discussion

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