Topic
Bitcoin and chains
Bitcoin is a public list of transfers. Other chains and layer 2s add speed, fees, and someone who may be able to pause the exit. None of them owes you a price.
- 01Who gets paidMiners or validators, and the fee for the block.
- 02Who can change the rulesThe software the network runs, and any operator a layer 2 adds on top.
- 03Who can stop the moneyA lost key, a halted chain, or an exit that waits on an operator.
Courses
06 · 3 min
Bitcoin
Bitcoin is a public list of transfers, aimed at moving value without a bank's permission. It is not a company, and it is not a promise of price.
07 · 3 min
Mining and the halving
New bitcoin is paid to miners who add blocks. About every four years that new supply is cut in half. The cut is not a promise that the price rises.
08 · 3 min
Lightning and bitcoin payments
Lightning is a way to pay quickly by updating a private channel, and settling on Bitcoin only when needed. The speed is real. So is the way people lose funds.
09 · 3 min
Ethereum and smart contracts
A smart contract is a program on a chain. People send it transactions. It follows its code. Code is not the same thing as fairness, and someone may still be able to change it.
10 · 3 min
Accounts, gas, and blocks
A transaction asks the network to do work. Gas is what you pay for that work. A block is a batch of transactions that became part of the history.
11 · 2 min
Other chains
Other chains change the speed, the fee, the language, and who runs the validators. They do not change the check.
12 · 3 min
Layer 2s and rollups
A layer 2 tries to do the busy work elsewhere and post a summary back to a chain like Ethereum. You need to know where the money actually sits, and how long a withdrawal can wait.
This page does not tell you what to buy. Not financial advice.