Crypto Basics
The ideas everything else builds on — blockchains, coins, wallets and transactions — in plain English.
Start with
- Crypto Basics · Beginner
What is a blockchain?
A record book copied across many computers, where changing old pages is easy to spot.
Every explainer in Crypto Basics
- Crypto Basics · Beginner
What is Ethereum?
A blockchain that runs programs: ether, gas fees, smart contracts and what the Merge changed.
- Crypto Basics · Beginner
How crypto transactions work
One payment from signature to confirmed block, with the Bitcoin and Ethereum differences explained.
- Crypto Basics · Beginner
Coins vs tokens
Native coins run their own blockchain; tokens live on someone else's. Why that changes fees and risk.
- Crypto Basics · Intermediate
How to read a crypto whitepaper
A checklist for judging a project's own document: problem, design, token numbers, risks and red flags.
Terms used in this section
Glossary A–Z →- Address
The public string that receives coins and tokens, how it is derived and how to check it.
- Airdrop
Tokens sent to many wallets at once — the tax angle and the scam angle.
- Block explorer
The search engine for a public blockchain, and how to read a transaction page.
- Cold storage
Keeping private keys offline: hot vs cold wallets and the risks of each.
- Fork
How blockchains change their rules, and when a change splits the network.
- Gas fee
What you pay to get an Ethereum transaction processed, with the formula worked through.
Other sections
All sections →Networks & Ecosystems
Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, layer 2s and smart contracts
03DeFi
Decentralized exchanges, lending, oracles and their risks
04Stablecoins & Payments
How dollar-pegged tokens work and where they break
05Fintech
Card rails, open banking, digital banks, instant payments, CBDCs
06Markets & Macro
Inflation, interest rates, ETFs and how markets move
07Regulation
Who regulates what: SEC, CFTC, MiCA, AML rules and tax basics