Besu Certified Professional study plan

Install Besu from a binary distribution and from a container image, then start a single dev-mode node and confirm it produces blocks via eth_blockNumber polling.

Map the Besu directory layout (data path, key files, logs, config) by inspecting a running node and writing a one-page annotated tree of every file that matters for operations.

Draft a genesis file from scratch that sets chainId, alloc, difficulty, gasLimit, and a QBFT or IBFT 2.0 block period, then boot a private network of four validators from it.

Explain in writing how genesis parameters propagate to block validation and why a mismatched genesis causes peers to silently reject each other.

Compare PoW (Ethash), PoA (Clique), IBFT 2.0, and QBFT on finality, validator set changes, fork behavior, and liveness requirements, producing a comparison table with at least eight rows.

Configure a QBFT network with a rotating validator set and demonstrate adding and removing a validator through the JSON-RPC validator methods.

Tune block period and request timeout parameters and observe the effect on block production latency under load.

Diagnose a stalled consensus by killing enough validators to break quorum, capture the log signatures of the stall, then restore quorum and document recovery.

Expose and scrape Besu Prometheus metrics and build a dashboard covering block height, peer count, transaction pool size, and JVM heap.

Configure log levels per package and rotate logs, then locate the specific log lines that indicate peer discovery failure versus consensus failure.

Practice the operational lifecycle: graceful shutdown, data directory backup, resync from scratch, and restoring a node from backup.

Benchmark node startup time and disk growth under sustained transaction load and record the numbers.

Exercise the JSON-RPC surface end to end: eth, net, web3, admin, debug, and txpool namespaces, including enabling non-default namespaces safely via host allowlists.

Deploy a contract with a development toolchain and interact with it through raw JSON-RPC calls (eth_sendRawTransaction, eth_call, eth_getLogs) without using the toolchain's abstraction layer.

Trace a failing transaction with debug_traceTransaction and identify the revert reason and gas consumption at the failing opcode.

Subscribe to new heads and logs over WebSocket and write a small listener that reacts to contract events.

Configure onchain permissioning with permissioning contract addresses and demonstrate that a non-allowlisted account is rejected at transaction submission.

Set up node-level permissioning using an accounts allowlist and a nodes allowlist, and verify an unauthorized node cannot peer.

Enable TLS on the JSON-RPC endpoint with a self-signed certificate chain and connect a client that validates the certificate.

Store validator and node keys securely, document the key hierarchy, and describe how to rotate a node key without losing peer identity trust.

Write and test a contract that uses precompiles or Besu-specific behavior, verifying gas costs against measured values.

Estimate gas with eth_estimateGas and reconcile the estimate against actual usage for storage-heavy operations.

Deploy the same contract bytecode across two chains with different chainIds and confirm replay protection by attempting a cross-chain replay.

Automate contract deployment and verification in a CI-style script that fails on any RPC error.

Perform a node upgrade across a major version boundary, including database migration, and record rollback steps.

Export and import chain data between two Besu nodes and verify block height and state root match after import.

Connect a Besu node to a network running a different client and confirm block propagation and finality.

Write a migration checklist covering genesis changes, fork blocks, validator key continuity, and peer compatibility.

Re-run the two heaviest labs (QBFT validator management and permissioning enforcement) from memory without notes and log every stumble.

Complete two timed mock exams weighted by domain percentage and review every wrong answer to a root cause.

Close knowledge gaps by rewriting weak-area notes into question-and-answer form and self-quizzing until recall is fluent.

Verify operational fluency by rebuilding the week 1 network from a clean machine in under 30 minutes.