Topic
Plain-language explainers of how crypto works, with the caveats kept in.
Bitcoin uses proof of work; Ethereum switched to proof of stake. The debate is usually framed as one being better or greener. They are really two different answers to the same question: how do strangers agree on a ledger without a boss?
Every crypto wallet is either connected to the internet or it is not, and that single fact decides most of your risk. Here is the difference between hot and cold storage, and how to match the wallet to the job.
Buying bitcoin takes about five minutes. Doing it safely takes a little longer, and it is the part the apps gloss over. Here is the careful version: where to buy, how to pay, and how to store it so it is actually yours.
Owning crypto is not like owning a bank balance. Here is what a private key actually is, why an estimated 2.3 to 3.7 million bitcoin are lost forever, and how to weigh holding your own keys against leaving coins on an exchange.
A transaction that sits pending for an hour is not lost, and it is usually not broken. Here is how a bitcoin payment moves from your wallet to the blockchain, what the mempool is, and why the fee you pay decides how fast it clears.