Learn about blockchain, blockchain consensus algorithms, cryptocurrencies and more.
What is money? Money is a technology that has been as essential to the development of civilization as the wheel itself. Money is any good that is widely accepted as a medium of exchange during the transaction of goods and services. It facilitates commerce by serving...
What is a blockchain? Distributed ledger technologies are based on a concept known as blockchain. The term “blockchain” refers to the basic structure that is a chain of blocks. The “block” in a blockchain is where transaction records or various pieces of information...
What is a smart contract? Smart contracts are computer programs that run on the blockchain. They are digital agreements encoded or written, with specific sets of rules that govern how and when the contracts will be signed, much like traditional contracts that are...
What is a node? A node is essentially a computer on the blockchain that runs network software to recognize and broadcast valid transactions. Nodes communicate which each other and reach consensus, or a common agreement, as to which transactions are legitimate. When we...
What is a consensus mechanism? Consensus refers to the act of coming to an agreement among individuals or groups. A consensus mechanism is the method by which decentralized networks agree on which transactions are valid before being confirmed as legitimate across the...
Proof-of-Work is the original consensus mechanism that is utilized by the Bitcoin blockchain. Bitcoin’s decentralization refers to the global network of nodes and miners that is responsible for broadcasting and confirming valid transactions; they are not controlled by...
Proof-of-Stake (PoS) was developed as an alternative consensus mechanism to Proof-of-Work. Proponents of PoS typically say that PoW is too energy and resource intensive. As a response, they developed Proof-of-Stake which aims to solve these issues inherent to PoW. In...
The term decentralization, when talking about blockchains, describes the network architecture. It infers that the network is not localized to central server-based computation. Blockchains are typically a globally distributed network of nodes and/or miners. Emergent...
Immutability is a major value proposition of the blockchain. Traditional, centralized computing often presents hackers with multiple security vulnerabilities they can exploit to alter and/or access user records. In decentralized computing, data can be hashed onto the...
Trustlessness, contrary to how it may sound, actually refers to the high degree of trust we can have when using the blockchain. Due to the blockchain’s reliance on cryptographic signing, users across the network can be assured that transactions will always arrive at...
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies that are pegged 1:1 to local fiat currency, such as the US Dollar. This peg is maintained by collateralized assets held as crypto or fiat in traditional bank accounts.
Users on DeFi platforms can access loans pegged in stablecoins by collateralizing their crypto holdings. This enables people access to the USD value of their crypto holdings without having to sell their assets. When they are able to pay back the loan, their assets are...
What is cryptography? Cryptography is the study of secure communications. The etymology, or word origin, reveals much of the meaning behind the word. “Crypto”- is the Latin prefix for hidden or secure, while “graphy” means writing. In computer science, cryptography...
Decentralized finance, or DeFi, enables crypto lending, ability to earn interest on crypto holdings, and the creation of stablecoins.
Most people who invest in cryptocurrency want to have a way to move money from one coin to the next, or to pull their investment out of a coin and place it somewhere safe. Converting from cash to crypto and back multiple times can cost you quite a bit in fees - so...
There’s a lot of excitement around Bitcoin, and there’s just as many questions. Whether you’re hearing about Bitcoin for the first time, wanting to brush up on the basics, or trying to introduce a friend to cryptocurrency, we hope this guide is a helpful resource for...
In cryptocurrency, scams look more like phishing attempts, fake airdrops, people after your private keys, social engineering, and impersonators.