Library
2221 results
GeneralBeginnerA seed phrase is 12 or 24 words that act as the master key to your whole wallet — import them anywhere and you regain the same accounts. Lose it and funds are gone; expose it and they're stolen. Store it offline, and never give it to anyone.
#cryptography#security#wallets
GeneralIntermediateA bridge moves value between blockchains by locking an asset on one chain and minting a representation on another. They get hacked because they concentrate value and depend on flawless keys, contracts and proofs — as Ronin (~$600M) and Wormhole (~$320M) showed.
#bridges#scaling#security
GeneralBeginnerDeFi provides financial services — trading, lending, borrowing — through public smart contracts instead of banks. It's permissionless, non-custodial and composable, with borrowing secured by over-collateralisation rather than credit checks, and no safety net if code fails.
#basics#defi#stablecoins
EthereumBeginnerA smart contract is code stored on a blockchain that runs automatically and is enforced by the whole network. It holds its own funds and rules, executes deterministically on every node for a gas fee, and powers tokens, DeFi, NFTs and DAOs — bugs and all.
#basics#dapp-development#smart-contracts
GeneralBeginnerBoth are consensus mechanisms that decide who adds the next block without a central authority. Proof of work spends real-world energy on a hashing puzzle (Bitcoin); proof of stake locks up coins that can be slashed (Ethereum since 2022).
#consensus#mining#staking
GeneralBeginnerAn NFT is a unique token that records ownership of a specific item on a blockchain. The on-chain record of who owns which token is secure, but the image usually lives off-chain — and buying one gives you the token, not automatically the copyright or the file.
#basics#nfts#tokens
EthereumIntermediateA layer 2 runs on top of a base chain like Ethereum for cheap, fast transactions while inheriting its security. Rollups execute off-chain, then post compressed data back to Ethereum — optimistic ones use fraud proofs, zk ones use validity proofs.
#bridges#consensus#scaling
EthereumBeginnerGas fees pay a blockchain to process your transaction, measured as gas used times gas price. Since EIP-1559 the price splits into an automatic base fee that's burned plus a priority tip, and it rises and falls with how full blocks are.
#basics#gas-&-fees#transactions
GeneralBeginnerA wallet stores the keys that control your coins, not the coins themselves. Custodial means a company holds those keys for you; self-custody means you hold them, with full control and full responsibility — captured by the phrase 'not your keys, not your coins'.
#basics#security#wallets
EthereumAdvancedRestaking reuses staked ETH to secure extra services. In EigenLayer, restakers delegate to operators who run software for AVSs and earn more rewards, but each AVS can slash the stake allocated to it, stacking new risks on top.
#defi#security#staking
GeneralBeginnerDePIN networks use tokens to get people to run real hardware like hotspots, storage and GPUs. Contributors earn token emissions plus usage fees once the network can verify their work, often via burn-and-mint models.
#basics#mining#tokens
