Learn Crypto
Learn about cryptocurrencies starting from core concepts. Read the fundamentals, understand wallet security, and evaluate market data within its proper context.
43 guides · Updated: September 10, 2026New to crypto?
The basics in 4 stepsWhat is Cryptocurrency?Cryptocurrency is a digital asset whose ownership and transfers are secured by cryptography and recorded on a distributed ledger such as a blockchain. Bitcoin, Ether and stablecoins are the best-known examples.
What is Bitcoin?Bitcoin is an open payment network, and the native currency of that network (BTC), that lets people send value over the internet without a bank or other intermediary. Its supply is capped at 21 million.
How to Choose a Crypto WalletA crypto wallet is an app or device that stores the private keys to your coins and signs your transactions. The right one depends on how you’ll use it, how much you hold and who controls the keys.
How to Buy Bitcoin: Accounts, Orders and FeesTo buy bitcoin, you open an account on a crypto exchange, verify your identity, deposit money from your bank and place a buy order on a BTC market. You don't need to buy a whole coin; small amounts are fine.
Basics6 guidesBitcoin7 guidesEthereum4 guidesWallets & Security9 guidesDeFi & Web38 guidesMarket Literacy9 guides
Basics
What is Cryptocurrency?Cryptocurrency is a digital asset whose ownership and transfers are secured by cryptography and recorded on a distributed ledger such as a blockchain. Bitcoin, Ether and stablecoins are the best-known examples.
What is Blockchain?A blockchain is a distributed ledger that records transactions in blocks linked together by cryptography, and is verified by many participants following shared rules rather than by a single central authority.
What is a Stablecoin?A stablecoin is a cryptocurrency designed to hold a steady value by tracking a reference asset such as the US dollar. Tokens like USDT and USDC are widely used for trading, transfers and holding value in crypto markets.
What Is an Altcoin?An altcoin is any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin; the word is short for “alternative coin.” Ethereum, Solana, XRP and Dogecoin are among the best-known altcoins, and thousands more trade on exchanges.
What Is the Difference Between a Coin and a Token?A coin is the native currency of its own blockchain, such as BTC or ETH; a token is issued by a smart contract on an existing blockchain, such as USDT or UNI.
How to Read a WhitepaperA whitepaper is the official document in which a crypto project explains the problem it targets, its technical design and how its token works. Read carefully, it helps separate a project's promises from what it has actually built.
Bitcoin
What is Bitcoin?Bitcoin is an open payment network, and the native currency of that network (BTC), that lets people send value over the internet without a bank or other intermediary. Its supply is capped at 21 million.
How to Buy Bitcoin: Accounts, Orders and FeesTo buy bitcoin, you open an account on a crypto exchange, verify your identity, deposit money from your bank and place a buy order on a BTC market. You don't need to buy a whole coin; small amounts are fine.
How to Sell BitcoinTo sell bitcoin, you move your BTC to a crypto exchange, place a sell order on a market such as BTC/USD, then withdraw the cash to your bank account. Trading and withdrawal fees determine what you actually receive.
How to Transfer BitcoinA Bitcoin transfer sends BTC to the recipient's Bitcoin address for a network fee. Your wallet signs and broadcasts the transaction, which confirms once it's included in a block and can be tracked by its TXID.
What Is Bitcoin Mining?Bitcoin mining is the process in which specialized computers compete to produce new blocks, earning newly issued BTC and transaction fees in return. It confirms transactions and secures the Bitcoin network.
What is Bitcoin Halving?The Bitcoin halving cuts the amount of new BTC miners receive per block in half every 210,000 blocks, roughly every four years. The last halving took place in April 2024, and the next is expected in 2028.
Who is Satoshi Nakamoto?Satoshi Nakamoto is the pseudonym of the person or group who designed Bitcoin, published its whitepaper in 2008 and launched the network in 2009. Satoshi disappeared in 2011, and their real identity remains unknown.
Ethereum
What is Ethereum?Ethereum is an open blockchain network that runs smart contracts and decentralized applications. Its native currency, ether (ETH), pays for transactions and secures the network through Proof of Stake.
How Does Ethereum Staking Work?Ethereum staking means locking ETH as collateral in the network's Proof of Stake system to help validate blocks, and earning rewards in ETH in return. You can stake solo, through pools, on exchanges or via liquid staking.
What is a Gas Fee and How is it Calculated?A gas fee is what you pay for the computing resources a transaction uses on Ethereum and similar networks. It equals the gas used multiplied by the price per unit of gas, quoted in gwei, and is paid in ETH.
What Is Layer 2?Layer 2 is a scaling network that processes transactions off the main blockchain and posts the results back to it. Networks such as Arbitrum, Optimism and Base make Ethereum transactions cheaper and faster.
Wallets & Security
How to Choose a Crypto WalletA crypto wallet is an app or device that stores the private keys to your coins and signs your transactions. The right one depends on how you’ll use it, how much you hold and who controls the keys.
The Difference Between Hot and Cold WalletsA hot wallet keeps private keys on an internet-connected device for quick access, while a cold wallet keeps them offline to cut the risk of remote theft. Most people end up using both.
How to Set Up a Hardware WalletA hardware wallet is a small cold-storage device that keeps your crypto private keys offline and signs transactions internally. Buying it safely, setting it up correctly and protecting the backup are what make it secure.
How to Store a Seed PhraseA seed phrase is the 12- or 24-word master backup from which all of a crypto wallet’s private keys are derived. Anyone who has it can restore your wallet, so it needs to be stored offline and securely.
How to Choose the Right Network for Crypto TransfersThe network decides which blockchain a crypto transfer travels on. Sender and recipient must both support the same network, or even a token with the same name may never reach the account.
How to Track a Blockchain TransactionYou track a blockchain transaction by pasting its transaction ID (TXID) into a block explorer for the right network. The explorer shows whether it’s pending, confirmed or failed, plus the recipient, amount and fee.
How to Protect Against Phishing in CryptoCrypto phishing uses fake websites, messages or support accounts to trick you into revealing your recovery phrase or login details, or into signing a malicious wallet request. Verifying addresses and signatures is the core defense.
How to Revoke Token Spending AllowancesA token allowance is permission for a smart contract to spend a set amount of a specific token from your wallet. You revoke one by setting it to zero with an approval checker or your wallet’s permissions screen.
What is Google Authenticator and How to Use ItGoogle Authenticator is a free two-factor authentication (2FA) app that generates one-time codes refreshing every 30 seconds, used alongside your password. It is widely used to secure logins and withdrawals on crypto exchanges.
DeFi & Web3
How Does DeFi Work?DeFi (decentralized finance) is the umbrella term for apps that offer financial services such as trading, lending and earning yield through smart contracts on a blockchain, without a bank or exchange in the middle.
How to Swap on a DEXA DEX (decentralized exchange) lets you trade crypto straight from your own wallet through smart contracts, with no company acting as middleman. Uniswap, Curve and Jupiter on Solana are well-known examples.
What Is Providing Liquidity?Providing liquidity means depositing two tokens into a decentralized exchange pool so others can trade against them, and earning a share of trading fees in return. Returns must be weighed against price moves and impermanent loss.
What Is Impermanent Loss?Impermanent loss is the shortfall between the value of tokens in a liquidity pool and what they’d be worth if you had simply held them. It grows as the price ratio between the pooled tokens changes.
Lending and Borrowing in DeFiCrypto lending means depositing assets into a lending market and earning the interest borrowers pay. Borrowers post crypto collateral and can usually borrow less than its value, with automatic liquidation if it falls too far.
How Does a Blockchain Bridge Work?A blockchain bridge is a system that moves crypto assets or messages from one network to another. You need one, for example, to use ETH or USDC from Ethereum on a network like Arbitrum or Base.
What Is a Crypto Airdrop? How to Spot a Fake AirdropA crypto airdrop is a free distribution of tokens by a project to selected wallet addresses. This guide explains how airdrops work, how to claim one safely and how to recognise the scams that imitate them.
How to Read TokenomicsTokenomics is the economic design of a crypto token: its supply, distribution, utility and incentives. This guide shows how to read supply figures, vesting and unlock schedules, burns and staking rewards with worked examples.
Market Literacy
How to Calculate Market Cap and FDVMarket cap is a cryptocurrency’s price multiplied by its circulating supply. Fully diluted valuation (FDV) multiplies the same price by the maximum supply, showing what the asset would be worth with every token in circulation.
The Difference Between Trading Volume and LiquidityTrading volume is the total value of trades executed over a period, while liquidity is how easily you can buy or sell an asset without moving its price. This guide explains the difference using spread and order-book depth.
Market, Limit, and Stop OrdersA market order trades immediately at the best available price, a limit order only at your chosen price or better, and a stop order once the price reaches a trigger level. This guide compares all three with worked examples.
What Are Spread and Slippage?Spread is the gap between an asset’s best bid and best ask prices. Slippage is the difference between the price you expect and the price your trade actually executes at. Both are hidden trading costs on top of fees.
How Leverage and Liquidation WorkLiquidation is the forced closure of a leveraged position or collateralised loan by an exchange or protocol once collateral falls below the required level. This guide explains leverage, margin modes and how liquidation prices are calculated.
How to Read Funding Rates and Open InterestThe funding rate is a periodic payment between long and short traders in perpetual futures, while open interest is the total value of contracts that remain open. This guide explains how to calculate funding and read both metrics together.
How Do Crypto ETFs Work?A crypto ETF is an investment product that tracks the price of a cryptocurrency such as bitcoin or ether and trades on a stock exchange. Investors buy fund shares through a brokerage account instead of holding coins.
How to Read On-Chain DataOn-chain data is the public information recorded on a blockchain: transactions, addresses and balances. On-chain analysis uses it to measure network usage, exchange flows and investor behaviour. This guide explains the key metrics and their limits.
What Is Staking? How It Works, Rewards and RisksStaking means locking up coins on a proof-of-stake blockchain to help validate transactions and earn rewards in return. This guide covers the main ways to stake, how rewards are calculated, network differences and the risks.
No guides match your search. Try the glossary.
About this section
If you are new to cryptocurrency, first learn how Bitcoin works, then understand the logic behind wallets and transfers. Understanding order types and fee calculations before trading allows you to interpret the numbers on the transaction screen correctly.
The guides are categorized under fundamentals, Bitcoin, Ethereum, security, DeFi, and market literacy. To learn a concept with a brief explanation, use the Cryptocurrency Glossary section; for price and coin information, you can use the Markets page.