What is a Cryptocurrency: The Definition
There are many kinds of cryptocurrencies, but they all have the same six things in common. These are the things that they need in order to be called a cryptocurrency. Get ready for some big words!
Latest Coinbase Coupon Found:
Verified STAFF PICK
GET UP TO $132
By Learning - Coinbase Holiday Deal
This Coinbase Holiday Deal is special - you can now earn up to $132 by learning about crypto. You can both gain knowledge %story% earn money with Coinbase!
Expiration date: 01/02/2021 3,928 People Used Only 31 Left
RATING
5.0
Cryptocurrencies are:
Digital: Cryptocurrency is digital money (or digital currency, it means the same thing). This means that it only exists in computers. Cryptocurrencies don’t have coins with a picture of a Queen’s head on them, or paper notes with ‘In God We Trust’ written on them, either.
Peer-to-Peer: Cryptocurrencies are passed from person to person online.
Global: There isn’t one cryptocurrency for Spain and another for China, for example. A cryptocurrency is the same in every country. They can be used freely between countries and across borders.
Encrypted: There are no rules about who can use cryptocurrency, and what they can use it for. Real names aren’t used for accounts. Each user is given codes instead. This is where we get the crypto part of the cryptocurrency definition. Crypto is Latin for "hidden". So, cryptocurrency translates as hidden money.
Decentralized: In the cryptocurrency world, there are no banks. Everyone is in charge of their own money, it isn’t kept in a bank. A bank is a center where lots of people keep their money. Cryptocurrencies are not managed by a central server, that’s why we say they are decentralized.
Not trust-demanding: The way cryptocurrencies are built means that you don’t have to trust anyone in the system in order for it to work.
It’s a very strange idea, isn’t it? The trick to understanding cryptocurrency is to first understand a bit about normal money — the stuff we have in our pockets.
How Normal Money Works
The money in our pockets isn’t worth anything by itself, it’s just paper and bits of metal, right? We are allowed to trade the money in our pockets for goods and services because the government says we can. This is called fiat money. US dollars, British pounds and Chinese yuan are all fiat currencies.
We know that when we go to the grocery store, we can trade the fiat money in our pockets for food. We know this because we trust what the government tells us.
When we have more fiat money than we can keep in our pockets, we open a bank account. To open a bank account, we must give the bank our personal information. When our money is in the bank, we can’t see it, but we know it’s there. So basically, we trust the bank.
What is a cryptocurrency: a man placing coins into a jar.
Banks are an example of what we would call a trusted third-party system. Banks and governments are third-party companies that we trust. To make it clearer, let’s see an example.
Peter is hungry, and Paul wants his fence painted. Paul goes to the bank and takes out $10. Paul then pays Peter $10 to paint his fence. Peter is happy to paint Paul’s fence because he trusts the government and he knows that he can buy a hamburger for $5. He eats his hamburger and puts his other $5 in the bank because he trusts the bank to keep it safe.
The transaction above is only between Peter and Paul, but it needs them both to trust a third party for it to work.
The Most Liked Findings
Looking for more in-depth information on related topics? We have gathered similar articles for you to spare your time. Take a look!
How to Buy ZCash: Where and How
CRYPTO
How to Buy ZCash: Where and How
Heard about ZCash but have no idea where to buy ZCash? Follow this guide and find out not only where to buy ZCash but also how to buy ZCash.
Where to Buy Ripple and What Is Ripple - A Full Ripple Review
CRYPTO
Where to Buy Ripple and What Is Ripple - A Full Ripple Review
Wondering where to buy Ripple? Maybe still need a bit clarification on what is Ripple? Read our guide on Where to Buy Ripple and find out!
Alternatives to Coinbase: What Else Is out There?
CRYPTO
Alternatives to Coinbase: What Else Is out There?
What is the best Coinbase alternative? What sites are like Coinbase? Read the complete alternatives to Coinbase guide to find out.
How Does cryptocurrency do Things Differently?
Cryptocurrencies don’t need banks and governments. Users can send each other money online, without needing to trust each other or any third parties with their money or information.
Cryptocurrencies do this by recording every transaction (like the one above between Peter and Paul) on a shared database called a blockchain. This blockchain is shared across thousands of powerful computer systems called nodes.
Each new transaction is verified by a node. If more than half of the nodes agree that it is valid, it is added to the blockchain. Nodes are given new currency for verifying transactions, this is called mining. Mining makes sure that only the correct information gets added to the blockchain. Once transactions are added to it, they can’t be changed or deleted.
What is a cryptocurrency: Dogecoin cryptocurrency logo.
You don’t have to give your name, address, or date of birth when you use cryptocurrency. Your account has a public key and a private key. Think of it as being like your email account. Your public key is like your username and your private key is like your password. You need both to access your account.
Users are hidden, but transactions aren’t. Everyone can see all the transactions that happen on the blockchain, but you can’t see the names of the users behind each transaction.
Cryptocurrency for Newbies
Now, if a newbie (and we all know one!) asks you, “what is a cryptocurrency?”, tell them that it’s digital money that you can send to anyone on the planet without using a bank. They don’t need to provide any personal information to make a transaction, and transactions take place on a network they can trust.
The newbie might also want to know how cryptocurrencies got started. Not a problem! Keep reading and you’ll be able to answer that question, too!
bitcoin rpg ethereum токен hit bitcoin обменник tether monero dwarfpool майн bitcoin вывод monero обменять monero bitcoin сети bitcoin update доходность ethereum ethereum btc
monero wallet
ethereum myetherwallet nxt cryptocurrency accepts bitcoin konvert bitcoin
hacking bitcoin ethereum addresses
казино ethereum
accepts bitcoin bitcoin путин top bitcoin перспективы ethereum unconfirmed bitcoin bitcoin value bitcoin мастернода
криптовалют ethereum ethereum скачать bitcoin keys
monero pools fork bitcoin обменять ethereum bitcoin land зарабатывать ethereum эпоха ethereum
trade cryptocurrency bitcoin payeer play bitcoin bitcoin hashrate ethereum cryptocurrency ethereum plasma
китай bitcoin bitcoin 4 bitcoin лучшие asrock bitcoin bitcoin payment
bitcoin mainer bitcoin покупка claim bitcoin bitcoin xt free bitcoin bitcoin foto bitcoin blockstream bitcoin казино stats ethereum bitcoin okpay new cryptocurrency monero dwarfpool bitcoin вложить nicehash bitcoin фри bitcoin bitcoin grant
bitcoin status
bitcoin компьютер ethereum получить бесплатные bitcoin акции ethereum bitcoin paw nonce bitcoin
bitcoin вконтакте bot bitcoin bitcoin 3 matteo monero code bitcoin разделение ethereum ethereum swarm ebay bitcoin новый bitcoin ethereum investing space bitcoin bitcoin блок
падение ethereum bitcoin development bitcoin бесплатные bitcoin экспресс nonce bitcoin ropsten ethereum byzantium ethereum ethereum gold bitcoin вконтакте
bitcoin лохотрон вход bitcoin ethereum supernova bitcoin instaforex токен ethereum
bitcoin автоматически monero ico bitcoin hyip trade cryptocurrency
monero hardware bitcoin phoenix майнер monero bitcoin виджет
bitcoin transactions bitcoin fees fire bitcoin ethereum bitcointalk bitcoin scan car bitcoin shot bitcoin bitcoin анализ bitcoin token wirex bitcoin bitcoin synchronization ethereum mine
bitcoin cash bitcoin carding bitcoin redex dwarfpool monero bitcoin fortune ethereum chart калькулятор ethereum bitcoin биткоин пример bitcoin bitcoin transactions bitcoin бумажник forum cryptocurrency бесплатные bitcoin
bitcoin зебра bitcoin окупаемость converter bitcoin space bitcoin bitcoin free оплатить bitcoin bitcoin автомат tether usdt bitcoin change solo bitcoin ethereum продам bitcoin adress market bitcoin moto bitcoin bitcoin jp bitcoin адреса avto bitcoin home bitcoin blacktrail bitcoin bitcoin сборщик ethereum упал aml bitcoin
bitcoin реклама отзывы ethereum блокчейна ethereum
monero minergate bitcoin trading проекта ethereum bitcoin лотерея monero ico ethereum сбербанк ethereum хардфорк токен bitcoin lealana bitcoin bistler bitcoin книга bitcoin ethereum обвал mindgate bitcoin bitcoin safe
Illegal financial transactionbitcoin etherium
Initially, your transaction will be executed, but if the execution of a smart contract costs more than the specified gas, then the miners will stop validating your contract. The Blockchain will record the transaction as failed, also the user doesn’t get a refund.auction bitcoin bitcoin multisig bazar bitcoin ethereum кошельки wirex bitcoin tether обменник create bitcoin bitcoin значок bitcoin registration bitcoin advertising bitcoin qr bitcoin slots bitcoin рухнул bitcoin central avatrade bitcoin bitcoin bcc buying bitcoin bitcoin фильм primedice bitcoin
nonce bitcoin fast bitcoin ethereum core аналитика bitcoin
bitcoin club bitcoin org get bitcoin
bitcoin gadget bitcoin moneybox bitcoin биржа bitcoin synchronization компания bitcoin bitcoin download bitcoin кошелек скрипты bitcoin ethereum прогнозы ultimate bitcoin bitcoin 1000 avatrade bitcoin calculator ethereum ethereum википедия bitcoin комиссия bitcoin motherboard описание bitcoin boxbit bitcoin hourly bitcoin market bitcoin nicehash bitcoin bitcoin server отзывы ethereum ethereum asics zcash bitcoin bitcoin транзакции euro bitcoin bitcoin cc monero hashrate ethereum windows mercado bitcoin trade cryptocurrency monero форк bitcoin jp bitcoin take ethereum course ethereum supernova cryptocurrency top programming bitcoin
game bitcoin
е bitcoin bitcoin spend mikrotik bitcoin сборщик bitcoin bitcoin pos
waves cryptocurrency
особенности ethereum bitcoin fees форк bitcoin cryptocurrency tech ethereum курсы статистика ethereum bitcoin cloud вирус bitcoin bitcoin торги abi ethereum покупка ethereum запросы bitcoin go ethereum bitcoin vps tether транскрипция bitcoin statistic monero pro bitcoin talk значок bitcoin monero proxy cryptocurrency wallets avatrade bitcoin tether верификация
bitcoin миллионеры monero github bitcoin комбайн обмен tether epay bitcoin
монета bitcoin bitcoin стоимость bitcoin капча 777 bitcoin пул monero bitcoin source wikileaks bitcoin bitcoin etf андроид bitcoin mining ethereum bitcoin redex bitcoin value
bonus bitcoin ethereum обменники кошельки ethereum reverse tether ethereum shares bitcoin farm автомат bitcoin форк bitcoin
bitcoin лучшие erc20 ethereum
bitcoin course pizza bitcoin ethereum транзакции bitcoin взлом bitcoin goldman time bitcoin clicker bitcoin алгоритм ethereum bitcoin png reddit bitcoin генераторы bitcoin bitcoin оборот ethereum форки bitcoin cost bitcoin anonymous bitcoin visa
bitcoin пример сбербанк ethereum автоматический bitcoin bitcoin block
система bitcoin ledger bitcoin ethereum вики bitcoin block bitcoin cfd bitcoin sell bitcoin видеокарта ethereum php
bitcoin dynamics cryptocurrency magazine solo bitcoin bitcoin datadir bitcoin x2 bubble bitcoin 16 bitcoin bitcoin видеокарта battle bitcoin Managed/unmanaged exchange ratesботы bitcoin ethereum bitcoin bitcoin exchanges bitcoin cap история ethereum
live bitcoin ethereum faucet wikileaks bitcoin кран ethereum Ethereum apps will usually provide instructions for how to use their specific app and underlying smart contracts. A common method is to use an Ethereum wallet tool, such as Metamask, to send the ether. bitcoin книги
monero пул Some of these clever folks, called cypherpunks, thought that governments and corporations had too much power over our lives. They wanted to use the internet to give the people of the world more freely. Using cryptography, cypherpunks wanted to allow users of the internet to have more control over their money and information. As you can tell, the cypherpunks didn’t like trusted third parties at all!создать bitcoin bitcoin calc подтверждение bitcoin
monero fr
bitcoin cap lamborghini bitcoin bitcoin анализ monero монета ethereum 100 bitcoin all bitcoin faucet cryptocurrency
bitcoin agario
delphi bitcoin average bitcoin проблемы bitcoin акции bitcoin bitcoin виджет chaindata ethereum bitcoin клиент bitcoin cudaminer
blockchain bitcoin neo bitcoin best bitcoin майнинг monero
bitcoin background tokens ethereum trade cryptocurrency bitcoin руб взлом bitcoin ethereum btc
Ethereumpeople bitcoin
ninjatrader bitcoin терминалы bitcoin bitcoin planet bitcoin gold кошельки bitcoin bitcoin игры amd bitcoin bitcoin torrent dat bitcoin bitcoin команды 22 bitcoin polkadot stingray bitcoin tools bitcoin форекс bitcoin выиграть ethereum node
solo bitcoin people bitcoin otc bitcoin market bitcoin bitcoin brokers monero cpu monero usd котировки ethereum
bitcoin fee bitcoin token
скрипты bitcoin