CKB, the Common Knowledge Base, is the Layer 1 blockchain of Nervos Network. Built on a secure Proof-of-Work consensus and designed with flexibility in mind, it provides developers with a foundation for building scalable applications, experimenting with smart contracts, and managing digital assets in a decentralized environment.

Every blockchain ecosystem faces a defining moment. Will it grow from the bottom up, powered by its builders, or fade as another experiment in decentralization? For CKB, the answer lies in its community. The long-term success of the network depends not only on its technical strengths, but on the creativity and persistence of those who build on top of it.

This is where the Community Keeps Building initiative comes in. Launched by the Nervos Community Catalyst, it introduces structured pathways for supporters to get involved whether as content creators, organizers, developers, or any other productive role. The Builders Track in particular focuses on educating newcomers to developing on CKB, guiding them step by step from theory to hands-on applications. By creating an educational pathway for beginners and supporting their growth, the program incentivises a new generation of creative minds (dubbed “CKBuilders”) to experiment with CKB’s robust tools and bring fresh ideas to life.

This is decentralization in action: not just a secure and scalable Layer 1, but an ecosystem where ownership and direction lie with the community itself. Through the Nervos Community Catalyst, builders are pioneers for the next generation of CKB applications.

Catalyst was created to channel community energy into structured, productive outcomes that strengthen the ecosystem and prepare it for a more autonomous future. The concept is simple: give CKB supporters and builders the resources and coordination they need to turn grassroots activity into lasting contributions. To achieve this, Catalyst runs three complementary initiatives:

1. Community Keeps Building, a structured programme of output and growth for builders, content creators, and activists;
2. **CKB Off-Chain, **regional offline social meetups; and
3. CKBoost, a quest-like platform to organize and reward the wider community.

Together, they provide clear entry points for anyone ready to learn, build, and help grow the network. Full details are outlined on Nervos Talk.

The Builders Track of the Community Keeps Building initiative is designed as a three-month educational journey, offering participants a mix of theory and hands-on practice. The track targets developers who may be new to blockchain but are eager to sharpen their skills through guided learning and project building. Participants move through a clear structure that includes monthly outputs, regular reviews, and a monthly stipend that allows them to dedicate time to focused learning.

At its core, the Builders Track combines resources like the Nervos docs compendium, CKB Academy, and the L1 developer course for theory, while encouraging practical experimentation through tutorials, tools such as Off-CKB and the CCC Playground, and various software development kits (SDKs). This blend ensures participants don’t just absorb blockchain concepts but also apply them directly to CKB.

For builders like Jr.bit, the track offered a clear path to transition his long-standing community involvement into active contribution. “I have been part of the community for so long, when I saw the opportunity to build something and further improve the network, I took it,” he explains. For him, the highlight has been understanding how CKB programming works; a process that, while challenging at first due to his mobile development background, ultimately helped him deepen his blockchain understanding.

Others came in with less blockchain experience but strong motivation. Imane, for example, saw the track as an opportunity to explore smart contract development for the first time. Coming from a background in low-code business applications, she appreciated the accessibility of the L1 developer course, which she described as “easy to follow.” While she faced hurdles with tooling and setup issues, the course advisors gave her the support to overcome them.

The program’s emphasis on community-driven support is routinely singled out for praise. Builders like Wadie highlighted how learning the cell model and experimenting with CKB smart contracts helped him evolve on his journey as a builder. He credited the course materials, as compiled in the CKBuilder Handbook, and peer support for helping him overcome early difficulties in grasping CKB’s unique architecture.

The Builders Track guides participants from first principles to working prototypes. It begins with fundamentals like the cell model, lock and type scripts, and off-chain transaction construction. For Jr.bit, the turning point was when “everything started to click in my mind how CKB programming works. It’s beautiful.” Coming from a mobile background, he had to adjust to a new design philosophy, but the clarity of CKB’s UTXO-based approach gave him confidence to pursue a mobile-friendly light client, with ambitions of evolving it into a full node.

Early tasks focus on running a local node and setting up tools. **Imane **spun up a dev-chain node, practiced manual transaction construction, and picked up Rust to complete exercises. She describes the L1 developer course as “easy to follow” and sees this as the launchpad for her first CKB application.

Other builders dove deeper into tech stacks. Ali, a mathematics professor, explored RISC-V fundamentals, the CKB-CLI tool and Debugger, and the CCC SDK. He’s now building a digital credentials platform using JoyID and CoTA, enabling institutions to issue verifiable certificates as NFTs. Ali admires how CKB keeps cryptography at the script level rather than hard-coding primitives, an approach he calls essential for long-term adaptability.

Wadie, a land surveyor with a passion for coding, described the moment he became a builder: “Learning to interact with the chain end-to-end - from running a node and understanding the UTXO model to deploying contracts - pushed me from curious follower to active builder.” His project, CKB-Registry, shows how the cell model can represent real-world use cases like property rights, where land is registered as NFTs bound to verified wallet addresses.

Rick, already experienced on other UTXO chains such as Alephium, was drawn to the architecture itself: “Taking Bitcoin’s tried-and-tested design and enhancing it with smart contracts without too much overhead is beautiful.” His plan is simply to finish the coursework, ship a proof-of-concept, and keep building with collaborators. For him, CKB represents both a chance to contribute meaningfully to a healthy community and to build a skillset that could shape his career.

Throughout, participants keep developer logs on GitHub, documenting their milestones, blockers, and solutions. These records ensure accountability for monthly reviews, but more importantly, they build a transparent trail that future collaborators can reference.

Ask five builders why they chose CKB, and their answers paint a vivid picture of what makes this network stand out.

For Wadie, it was the architecture itself that lit the spark: “a structure built for decentralization,” as he describes it, one that convinced him CKB could scale without losing its grassroots character. Rick, with experience on other UTXO chains, sees it as “Bitcoin’s proven design, but extended,” where smart contracts slip in naturally without creating excessive burden on-chain. Ali approaches it like an engineer and mathematician, drawn to the RISC-V virtual machine and script-level cryptography, features that make CKB not just powerful today but adaptable to whatever standards the future demands.

Jr.bit takes a builder’s view, praising its modularity, flexibility across languages, and above all the community that makes participation easier: “you can use your favorite language,” he says, “and the ecosystem’s direction is what we’ve been missing for a while.” For Imane, the appeal is practical transaction construction that keeps the chain clean, and tools that let her model assets and permissions with precision.

Together, these perspectives capture CKB’s edge: principled design, future-proof capability, developer freedom, and a community where every contribution leaves a lasting mark.

Each builder has a vision for what comes after the program. Wadie plans to expand CKB-Registry into a usable dApp and seek ecosystem funding. Jr.bit is focused on advancing his mobile-friendly light client and eventually a full node. Imane aims to consolidate her skills and design her first application, while also engaging in local meetups. Ali is committed to finishing his credentials dApp before exploring governance and funding. Rick is eager to launch a proof-of-concept with a collaborator, balancing personal growth with community contribution.

Further funding opportunities await for sustained contributors wishing to turn their proof of concept into a fully-fledged application. Following on from Catalyst, the Spark programme helps developers further refine their application with additional funding and feedback. Additionally, there is the Community Fund DAO, which is dedicated to encouraging and financing builders to take their work to the next level.

Community Keeps Building is more than a learning program, it's an investment in CKB’s future. By giving new developers the tools and structure to build, it ensures growth comes from within the community. The journeys of Wadie, Jr.bit, Imane, Ali, and Rick show how quickly learners can become contributors, launching projects that may one day shape the ecosystem. For anyone curious about blockchain, the message is simple: the CKB community welcomes you with open arms to grow your skills, and gives you the practical means and funding to do it. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting out, there’s space here to learn, experiment, and leave your mark. The next chapter of CKB is already unfolding, ready for the community to take the lead in writing it.

***For anyone with a web development background interested in learning CKB or joining the CKBuilders, send an email to neon@nervos.community. ***