Introduction to cryptocurrency

yet up and running. It is used by programmers and developers to test out new features or search for problems in their application or blockchain network. 

A blockchain is a kind of digital ‘spreadsheet’ that keeps track of any data loaded and locked into it.

Instead of your local bank holding your money, restricting who you can and can’t transfer it to and charging you fees for using their services, in a decentralised environment, you hold your funds in a secure digital wallet and can send money from anywhere in the world to anyone in the world almost instantly, just by having access to an internet connection. 

A brokerage is an online service that allows users to buy and sell assets such as stocks, shares or cryptocurrencies with their local currency. Brokerages charge users a fee for using their platform and can offer additional services such as staking and liquidity pools.

Chainlink and Bitcoin are two very different cryptocurrencies. Let’s explore these differences and their similarities in more detail.

Decentralised applications (Dapps) are just like the applications you use everyday on your smartphone. However, in the context of cryptocurrencies, instead of a mobile phone, these Dapps run on a blockchain network in a public, open-source and decentralised environment. 

Chainlink is a decentralised network for cryptocurrency data providers that need data for their smart contracts. Ethereum is a blockchain platform that facilitates smart contracts which developers use to build dapps and services. 

An on-chain transaction takes place on a blockchain without the help of a second-layer protocol and remains dependent on the state of the blockchain to validate it.

Uniswap is the world’s largest peer-to-peer cryptocurrency exchange, allowing anyone with an Ethereum wallet to swap tokens directly.

USDC is governed by the Centre consortium, which provides a regulatory and operational framework and oversees the USDC stablecoin.

A public blockchain network is a network open to everyone with no restrictions.

Cryptocurrencies are traded on peer-to-peer networks that are secured by cryptographic systems, recorded on a public ledger using blockchain technology.