The first and largest cryptocurrency by market cap. Bitcoin introduced the concept of a decentralised peer-to-peer electronic cash system secured by proof-of-work mining. It remains the dominant digital store of value.
Proof of Work (PoW) is the original blockchain consensus mechanism, made famous by Bitcoin. Miners compete to solve computationally expensive puzzles to validate transactions and add blocks to the chain. The difficulty automatically adjusts to maintain consistent block times.
Ethereum is the leading smart contract platform. It allows developers to build decentralised applications (dApps) and enabled the explosion of DeFi, NFTs, and token issuance. Transitioned from Proof of Work to Proof of Stake in 2022.
Cardano is a proof-of-stake blockchain platform built on peer-reviewed academic research. Founded by Ethereum co-founder Charles Hoskinson, it takes a methodical, research-first approach to development. Its Ouroboros consensus mechanism was the first provably secure PoS protocol.
Solana is a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain capable of processing up to 65,000 transactions per second using a novel Proof of History consensus mechanism. It has become a major hub for DeFi, NFTs, and consumer crypto applications.
XRP is the native asset of the XRP Ledger, designed for fast, low-cost international payments. Ripple Labs uses XRP to facilitate cross-border transactions for banks and financial institutions. It has been at the centre of a landmark SEC lawsuit.
Dogecoin started as a joke cryptocurrency based on the popular Doge meme. Despite its comedic origins, it became one of the most widely-held cryptocurrencies in the world, driven largely by community enthusiasm and Elon Musk's social media activity.
Bitcoin Cash is a fork of Bitcoin that increased the block size to enable more transactions per second and lower fees. It emerged from the 2017 scaling debate and positions itself as the original vision of Bitcoin as peer-to-peer electronic cash.
Cosmos is a network of interconnected blockchains — the Internet of Blockchains. It provides a framework (Cosmos SDK) for building custom blockchains that can communicate via the Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol. Dozens of major blockchain networks are built with the Cosmos SDK.
Layer 2 (L2) is a collective term for off-chain scaling solutions that inherit the security of a Layer 1 blockchain while processing transactions faster and cheaper. Major categories include Optimistic Rollups (Arbitrum, Optimism) and ZK Rollups (StarkNet, zkSync).
A decentralised exchange (DEX) allows users to trade cryptocurrencies directly from their wallets using smart contracts, with no central intermediary and without giving up custody of funds. Automated Market Makers replaced traditional order books with liquidity pools.
Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) is an ERC-20 token on Ethereum representing Bitcoin at a 1:1 ratio. Each WBTC is backed by real Bitcoin held in custody by BitGo. It enables Bitcoin holders to participate in Ethereum's DeFi ecosystem without selling their BTC.
Polkadot is a Layer 0 multi-chain network that allows different blockchains to interoperate. Created by Ethereum co-founder Gavin Wood, it uses a relay chain and parachain architecture letting multiple specialised blockchains run in parallel and communicate securely.
Chainlink is the leading decentralised oracle network, providing smart contracts with secure access to real-world data, APIs, and external computation. It is the essential infrastructure layer connecting blockchains to off-chain information such as stock prices, weather data, and sports results.
Proof of Stake (PoS) is a blockchain consensus mechanism where validators are selected to create new blocks based on the amount of cryptocurrency they stake as collateral, rather than through energy-intensive computation. It is significantly more energy-efficient than Proof of Work.
A blockchain is a distributed, append-only ledger of records (blocks) chained together cryptographically. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, ensuring immutability. Bitcoin introduced the first practical implementation in 2008, solving the double-spend problem without a central authority.
Cryptocurrency mining is the process of validating blockchain transactions and adding new blocks by solving computationally intensive mathematical puzzles. Miners are rewarded with newly created cryptocurrency. Bitcoin mining has evolved from home CPUs to industrial ASIC farms consuming gigawatts of power.
DeFi refers to a suite of financial services — lending, borrowing, trading, yield generation — built on public blockchains, primarily Ethereum. It aims to replicate and disintermediate traditional finance without banks or intermediaries. At its peak in 2021, over $180 billion was locked in DeFi protocols.
An NFT is a unique digital token stored on a blockchain that proves ownership of a specific digital item — art, music, video, game items, or anything else. Unlike currencies, each NFT is distinct and cannot be directly exchanged 1:1 for another. The NFT boom of 2021 saw billions traded, before a sharp market correction.
Uniswap is the world's leading decentralised exchange (DEX), built on Ethereum. It pioneered the Automated Market Maker (AMM) model, replacing order books with liquidity pools. Anyone can provide liquidity and earn fees, or swap any ERC-20 token without creating an account.
Avalanche is a smart contract platform that achieves high throughput through a novel Avalanche consensus mechanism. It supports custom blockchains called Subnets, making it attractive for enterprise and gaming. Its C-Chain is EVM-compatible, allowing Ethereum dApps to deploy easily.
Smart contracts are self-executing programs stored on a blockchain that automatically enforce the terms of an agreement when predefined conditions are met. They are the foundation of DeFi, NFTs, and decentralised autonomous organisations.
Monero is the leading privacy-focused cryptocurrency, offering fully anonymous transactions by default. It uses ring signatures, stealth addresses, and confidential transactions to obscure sender, recipient, and amount. It is the cryptocurrency of choice for users demanding genuine financial privacy.
Litecoin is one of the earliest Bitcoin forks, created by former Google engineer Charlie Lee. It processes transactions 4x faster than Bitcoin and uses the Scrypt hashing algorithm. Often called digital silver to Bitcoin's digital gold, it has one of the longest track records in crypto.