Koinmex Logo

Crypto basics

New to crypto? Not for long — start with these guides and explainers

Glossary

Expand your crypto vocabulary

Key term

What is Axie Infinity?

A beginner’s guide to the hit NFT-based Pokémon-style game — and its native cryptocurrency...

A calendar with Bitcoin logos, marking the date
Key term

What is a Bitcoin halving?

A Bitcoin halving happens every four years, when the amount of bitcoin awarded to miners i...

Graphs depicting bear market trending downwards and bull market trending upwards
Key term

What is a bull or bear market?

Markets experiencing sustained and/or substantial growth are called bull markets. Markets...

Magnifying glass over a Cardano token
Key term

What is Cardano?

Cardano is one of the biggest cryptocurrencies by market cap. It’s designed to a flexible,...

What is CeFi?

Learn how to earn interest on your savings or take out a loan using crypto as collateral

A lock on a grid, surrounded by cubes
Key term

What is cryptography?

Cryptography is the study and practice of sending secure and encrypted messages between tw...

A person's face, surrounded by icons representing decentralized finance apps
Key term

What is DeFi?

DeFi is short for decentralized finance, an umbrella term for peer-to-peer financial servi...

Key term

What is a DEX?

A beginner’s guide to decentralized exchanges

Dogecoin
Key term

What is Dogecoin?

DOGE was created as a lighthearted alternative to traditional cryptocurrencies, but it's b...

What is an ETF?
Key Term

What is an ETF?

Exchange-traded funds — better known as an ETFs — are similar in many ways to mutual fund...

A cryptocurrency blockchain, forking into two different branches
Key term

What is a fork?

A fork happens whenever a community makes a change to the blockchain’s protocol, or basic...

Three charts, including a line graph heading in an upwards trend.
Key term

What is inflation?

Inflation is the process by which a currency like the dollar or Euro loses value over time...

Key term

What is Internet Computer (ICP)?

The Internet Computer is creating a decentralized internet — with independent data centers...

A scale weighing a stack of crypto coins
Key term

What is market cap?

Market capitalization is the total value of all the coins that have been mined.

Key term

What is mining?

Mining is the process that Bitcoin and several other cryptocurrencies use to mint new coin...

What are NFTs?
Key term

What is a non-fungible token (NFT)?

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are a kind of cryptoasset in which each token is unique. They c...

Key term

What is Polkadot (DOT)?

A beginner's guide to the Polkadot protocol

Key term

What is Polygon (MATIC)?

A beginner's guide to the Polygon network

PoW/PoS illo
Key terms

What is "proof of work" or "proof of stake"?

“Proof of work” and “proof of stake” are the two major consensus mechanisms cryptocurrenci...

A web of colorful nodes connecting to a coin
Key term

What is a protocol?

Protocols are basic sets of rules that establish the structure of a blockchain and allow d...

A private key with a lock inside of it
Key term

What is a private key?

A private key is like a password that allows you to access and manage your crypto funds.

Key term

What is a recovery phrase?

A recovery phrase is a series of words generated by your cryptocurrency wallet that give y...

Smart contract
Key term

What is a smart contract?

Smart contracts allow developers to build apps that take advantage of blockchain security,...

A balanced scale with dollar bills on one side and a crypto token on the other
Key term

What is a stablecoin?

A stablecoin is a digital currency that is pegged to a “stable” reserve asset like the U.S...

Woman looks at a chart on her mobile phone
Key term

What is technical analysis?

Technical analysis looks at patterns in market data to identify trends. Fundamental analys...

Various crypto tokens appear to circle around one large gold token
Key term

What is a token?

Technically, “token” is just another word for “cryptocurrency” or “cryptoasset.” But incre...

A roller coaster is at the peak before heading down a slope, next to financial charts and graphs.
Key term

What is volatility?

Volatility is a measure of how much the price of an asset has moved up or down over time.

Key term

What is Uniswap?

A beginner’s guide to the biggest DEX on Ethereum