Overview
Agentic Coding on Cardano is a free online course that teaches developers to build Cardano apps by directing an AI coding agent, software that writes code from plain instructions, and then checking what it produces1. It suits programmers new to blockchain, developers coming from Ethereum, and Cardano developers who want a refresher on the tools the course covers2. In the hands-on second half, each unit on Cardano's eras ends with a real transaction on a test network, so learners finish with a portfolio anyone can check on the blockchain1.
The course is part of the Cardano Academy, the education program run by the Cardano Foundation. It takes about four hours across 16 units and 63 short video lessons, at the learner's own pace2. It sits on the Academy's certification path between the Cardano Blockchain Certified Associate (CBCA) and Cardano Blockchain Certified Professional (CBCP) credentials, and serves as a foundation for the Building on Cardano part of the CBCP exam1.
Key Features
- Learn how Cardano tracks money differently. The early units explain Cardano's ledger model, called eUTxO, where funds sit in separate chunks like bills in a wallet, and compare it with the single running balance that account-based chains such as Ethereum use2.
- A repeatable way to work with an AI agent. Learners follow a five-step loop (state the goal, write a specification, let the agent generate code, audit it, verify it) using the Cardano Foundation's cardano-dev-skills toolkit2, which feeds AI agents current Cardano documentation instead of outdated training data3.
- A checklist for catching unsafe code. Learners review the smart contracts the agent writes, small programs that lock and release funds on the blockchain, against a published 26-item list of common security flaws before deploying them2.
- Practice where mistakes are free. Each unit on Cardano's eras ends with an exercise on Cardano's pre-production network, a practice copy of the blockchain where transactions cost nothing1.
- A portfolio anyone can verify. Learners collect seven "era stamps," transactions earned on a hands-on tour through Cardano's eras, and combine them into a single on-chain portfolio alongside a verifiable course credential2.
What to Expect
The first half of Agentic Coding on Cardano mixes animated explainers, short theory lessons, and knowledge-check quizzes1. Topics include how a Cardano app splits into code on the blockchain and code on the user's side, and how smart contract languages moved from Bitcoin Script and Solidity through Plutus to Aiken, the contract language the course builds on2.
The second half switches to screen recordings of the instructor running the actual agent prompts from start to finish1. Learners predict a transaction fee exactly before sending it, delegate stake to a stake pool, mint their own token, cast a governance vote, and build a small working app with the Evolution SDK, a developer toolkit, and a browser wallet that follows the CIP-30 connection standard2.
Learners sign up through the Cardano Academy learning platform. As they go, they gather their specifications, audit notes, and transaction IDs into one record. To claim the credential, they submit that record to the Academy with a simple social login, and that step needs no wallet or cryptocurrency1.
The course page labels Agentic Coding on Cardano as technical and intermediate, and most audiences it names already write software or lead technical teams, and it also welcomes graduates of the CBCA program heading for the CBCP exam2. The final unit points to next steps such as Project Catalyst grants and the Cardano Foundation's accelerator program2.
