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LEO$8.99+0.26%From your first block to the finer details. Explore the ideas, people, and systems behind the market—one useful explanation at a time.
Follow a transaction from a key to a shared ledger.
Begin with BlockchainExplore contracts, liquidity, borrowing and the risks between them.
Begin with Smart contractUnderstand what a price, valuation or sentiment indicator can tell you.
Begin with Market capitalizationLearn custody, permissions and how to assess what you sign.
Begin with Hardware walletConnect the original ideas to the incidents that changed the industry.
Begin with A Cypherpunk's ManifestoSeparate technical standards, issuer claims and legal frameworks.
Begin with Howey testThe time from broadcast to a usable confirmation, distinct from theoretical throughput.
A network that provides shared security or messaging so many Layer 1s can plug in, such as Polkadot or Cosmos.
A base blockchain that settles its own transactions, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, or the XRP Ledger.
A network built on a Layer 1 that processes transactions off the base chain and posts proofs or data back to it.
An interoperability protocol that uses oracles and relayers to pass messages between chains.
A compact proof that a transaction or state is in a header a light client already trusts.
Bitcoin's payment-channel network for cheap, fast transfers that settle back to L1 when channels close.
A bridge pattern that locks coins on the source chain and mints wrapped coins on the destination.
Definitions offer a starting point. Detailed readings include the sources behind the explanation.